A must win for Soccerroos against Thais for World Cup

Australia's participation in next year's football World Cup is up in the air after a two-nil loss to Japan. Image: An Australia fan at a bar in Sydney looks on as the Socceroos are defeated 2-0 by Japan (AAP)

Victory would have handed the Socceroos a spot in the tournament for the fourth consecutive time.

 

Instead, the defeat has fans and participants alike studying the permutations of what could happen ahead of next week's final round of qualifiers.