Australia striker Mitch Duke has announced his retirement from international football, ending a Socceroos career that brought 50 caps over more than a decade.
The 35-year-old represented Australia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he scored the winning goal against Tunisia to secure the country’s first World Cup victory in 12 years.
Duke also played an important role during Australia’s qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup. He scored the decisive goal against Saudi Arabia in last year’s qualifiers but did not make the final squad for the tournament in North America.
“After a lot of reflection, the time has come for me to officially announce my retirement from international football.”
“As a kid growing up in Australia, I dreamed of wearing the green and gold just once. To have gone on to represent my country 50 times is a dream come true 50 times over, and a privilege I never took for granted.”
The veteran striker said his World Cup goal against Tunisia remained the defining moment of his international career.
“While I will cherish every memory, scoring for Australia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup remains the absolute highlight of my career.”
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to pull on the Socceroos jersey and represent our nation.”
Duke leaves international football as one of Australia’s experienced forwards after contributing to two World Cup cycles and helping the Socceroos return to the global stage.
