AFL great Graham Cornes says Australia’s affection for the Socceroos at the World Cup is like a “holiday romance” that “lacks substance” — peaking in the spotlight, then fading as everyday life and the usual viewing habits return.
For a few weeks, Australia has been swept up by the Socceroos in football’s biggest arena. Then Graham Cornes believes it will all vanish — not because the team hasn’t delivered, but because the country’s love affair never goes deeper.
Cornes. the 78-year-old footy veteran who played more than 369 matches for Glenelg. North Melbourne and South Adelaide. praised the Socceroos’ World Cup run. He pointed to their stunning 2-0 underdog victory against Turkey and their draw against Paraguay that carried Australia into the knockout stages.
He also looked at what it means to watch the Socceroos rubbing shoulders with global superstars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Pride, he said, is real — and for those moments, the spotlight can feel electric.
But Cornes’ argument is that the romance is brief, and the country’s connection lacks staying power. “For the briefest of times we even fall in love with it [soccer],” Cornes wrote in his News Corp column. “But like that holiday romance. it lacks substance; reaches a peak of passion. then fades as life resumes its normal cadence.”.
He added: “But for those few weeks, we are captivated.”
That fleeting attention, Cornes said, shows up in how little national-level fame the squad carries beyond die-hard followers. “Sadly, unless you are a fanatical fan, the Aussie names are not household. We know a couple of them,” he said.
Cornes described how even players he believes are producing big moments at this tournament don’t have the widespread household recognition that would signal long-term national mainstream appeal. He said he had seen Nestory Irankunda in action in Adelaide. but that he “wasn’t well known to the world.” He said Australians knew Matt Ryan because he has played for the Socceroos 104 times and has been the captain.
Yet Cornes argued that outside devoted fans, names don’t travel — and that can be felt in the goalkeeping depth. “But unless you were a complete aficionado. you would not have heard of Patrick Beach. let alone believe he would be the starting goalkeeper against Turkey in our first game of the tournament.”.
He also praised the team’s multicultural make-up and how it reflects Australia.
The debate then widens beyond this World Cup. Cornes looked back to the long-running expectation that football in Australia would finally break through and “match it with the other football codes.” He said it’s been an undercurrent for decades — even as the Socceroos first appeared at the World Cup back in 1974 — and that the promised takeover never arrives.
“Always there was an undercurrent of belief that Australian soccer could be as popular and match it with the other football codes,” Cornes wrote. “That may prove to be right but they’ve been saying for more than 50 years now that soccer will take over.”
He then landed on his sharpest line: “The reality of soccer is that it’s a better game to play than to watch.”
There’s evidence, right now, that the World Cup has pulled far more Australians than usual into football’s orbit. Cornes’ comments came as a wider broadcast milestone was being celebrated: the Socceroos’ draw with Paraguay last Friday broke new ground when 4.84 million tuned in to watch the match on SBS. making it the most-watched World Cup match in the broadcaster’s history.
SBS says the cumulative total for World Cup viewers sits at 13.9 million, “which means almost half of Australia’s population has watched some of the tournament.”
Cornes’ counterpoint is about what happens when the global spotlight moves on. He pointed to how the sport is consumed once the novelty wears off, arguing that the A-League becomes the centre of gravity — and that it struggles for TV ratings despite recording growth in recent years.
For Cornes, the World Cup is a captivating moment. For Australia, he believes it’s still a holiday romance: intense, visible, and real — but destined, unless something changes, to fade when life resumes its normal cadence.
Graham Cornes Socceroos Australia World Cup Turkey Paraguay SBS ratings A-League Matt Ryan Nestory Irankunda Patrick Beach Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo
So basically it’s gonna fade like every other thing. cool cool.
I don’t get why he’s acting like the crowd is fake. People are literally watching them right now. Also Messi and Ronaldo aren’t even on the Socceroos so idk what comparison he’s making.
He’s saying household names won’t happen, but like… shouldn’t the World Cup make them household? If they beat Turkey 2-0 then that’s already something. Or maybe people just can’t remember names because they don’t show the players enough on TV? idk seems like blaming the public.
“Holiday romance” is such a weird way to say it, like why not just say Aussies don’t care after the hype. But then again, everyone’s watching for a few weeks anyway. I feel like he’s missing that soccer already has a following, it’s just not the same as AFL. Also he’s 78 so maybe he’s just salty it’s not his sport.