SYDNEY, May 26 (Xinhua) -- A squad of 31 players will represent Australia in the Middle East during the next few weeks, as the Socceroos' quest to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 edges closer to a restart.

The Socceroos began their path to next year's FIFA World Cup in September 2019, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the squad members have been unable to build on their winning start to qualifying when they beat Jordan in that country's capital of Amman in November 2019.

The Australians will play the final four Round 2, Group B Asian qualifying fixtures against Kuwait (on June 3), Chinese Taipei (June 7), Nepal (June 11), and Jordan (June 15) in Kuwait City.

Australia's head coach Graham Arnold said he was delighted with the make-up of his squad and is ecstatic that after 18 months of men's national team inactivity the Socceroos were finally coming back together.

The squad features players from European and Asian teams as well as 10 Australian A-League members and seven rising stars yet to play for the Socceroos.

Superstar Tom Mooy, who plays in China with Shanghai Port, will not be included as he is spending time with his family in the UK during the FIFA break and fellow top player, Celtic's Aaron Rogic, is also out due to a minor ankle injury.

"I am very happy with the players who have arrived [in the Middle East] and will continue to arrive, to represent the Socceroos in our final four Round 2 qualifiers," Arnold said.

"We've selected a balanced squad that combines youth and experience, but also one that rewards players for their outstanding performances at their clubs over the past six to 12 months.

"Our extended 31-player squad will provide us with the flexibility and adaptability that we will need given we will play four matches in 12 days." Enditem

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