Soccer's biggest tournament is underway, and for Australian soccer fans, the timing couldn’t be better – The Socceroos are in it, SBS has locked in all 104 matches free-to-air, and the media coverage is running at full pace.
For comms teams, this tournament is always more than a sporting event, as it is where soccer becomes part of the mainstream and brings opportunities for newsjacking.
So if you are a sports brand looking to place a story or an organisation with a soccer tie-in, or are just like me trying to stay across how Australian media is covering the game, knowing who to follow and who to pitch matters.
We’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 Australian Sports journalists, commentators and broadcasters using Medianet's intensive contacts database who are covering the sport. Here’s who they are, what they cover and why they’re worth your attention.
1. Anna Harrington - Sports Journalist at AAP Sport
AAP is Australia’s national news agency. Its wire service distributes breaking news, including sports news, to newsrooms across the country. Harrington covers sports and soccer events as part of that distribution network, which means her reporting has reach well beyond a single masthead. Her recent works linked below span The Northern Daily Leader, PerthNow and Channel 7.
2. Patrick Stack - Executive Producer and Host at ABC Sport Daily
Stack runs the ABC Radio Sydney’s sport program as an Executive Producer. He is hosting a podcast called the ABC Sport Daily for the ABC Radio covering the international soccer season and will have insights and commentary from Ned Hall and Mark Schwarzer, both respected commentators of the sport, bringing valuable insights to the Podcast.
The most recent episode at ABC Radio Sport heavily covers the recent games. You can listen to it below.
3. Joey Lynch - Freelance Contributor features in ESPN, The Guardian
Lynch is a Melbourne-based freelance journalist whose work appears regularly at ESPN, The Guardian, AAP Sport, and Optus Sport, covering soccer, basketball, motor racing and more. His coverage goes beyond the sport and covers stories like that of drug abuse in the game as well.
It makes him one of the most internationally connected soccer voices on the list, with his stories travelling beyond the borders.
4. Claudio Fabiano - Broadcaster, Lead Host SBS Live Coverage
Fabiano is hosting SBS's live coverage of all 104 matches, making him one of the most prominent Australian soccer voices on screens right now. A former semi-professional soccer player turned broadcaster and media entrepreneur, he brings both on-pitch experience and a genuine feel for Australian soccer culture to the role.
If you are watching the games on SBS, you must’ve caught him in the breaks with his commentary, along with Sarah Walsh, Kevin Prince Boateng and more as guest commentators
With SBS as the exclusive Australian broadcaster, Fabiano's doing a weekly roundup of the game every Monday.
You can catch it here: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/collection/the-weekly-football-wrap
5. David Basheer - Freelance Soccer Commentator
Basheer is SBS's long-standing lead soccer commentator, providing on-the-ground commentary for Australia's matches at the 2026 games with more than 35 years behind the microphone and nine tournaments across men's and women's games. It's a focused, high-profile role for Australia's biggest soccer moment in four years.
If your sole initiative is to follow the preparation and performance of the Socceroos, you can watch his latest work here.
6. Ben Talintyre - Sports Reporter, news.com.au
Talintyre covers breaking sport news for news.com.au, one of Australia's most-read digital news platforms. His focus is sport, and his reporting spans local, national, and international stories as they break.
news.com.au's audience scale makes Talintyre a strong contact for tournament stories with broad sport appeal. If your story has mainstream sport news value, this is a solid pitch target.
Some of his work:
7. Craig Foster - Sports Commentator, Stan
Foster is a former Socceroos captain turned one of Australian soccer's most prominent media voices. A former columnist for both the SMH and The Sun-Herald and a long-time SBS broadcaster, he departed SBS in 2020 after 18 years and now covers the world game for Stan. He brings decades of on-pitch experience to his analysis and isn't shy about taking a position on the big issues like human rights in the game.
Most recently, he recorded the final episode of the soccer documentary series for SBS TV - Route 26.
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https://www.sbs.com.au/audio/podcast-episode/craig-foster-football-is-the-world/4fg3hwv06
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You can catch his commentary on the games at Stan.
8. Mihaila Kilibarda - Journalist at Soccercene
Soccerscene is one of Australia's dedicated soccer publications, and Kilibarda is the journalist doing the reporting. Her subject of interest is purely soccer, which means she brings the context, history, and reader base that generalist sports journalists typically don't.
Specialist soccer media like Soccerscene reach the audience that has been following the Socceroos long before the hype cycle kicked in. For soccer-specific stories across grassroots, community, or the national team, this is where you build credibility with the core audience.
Her recent stories span soccer and its infrastructure:
9. Vince Rugari - Sports Reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald
The SMH brings significant editorial resources and one of Australia's largest newspaper audiences to soccer coverage. Rugari's brief spans sport, finance, economy, politics, and arts, reflecting how a tournament of this size reflects well beyond the pitch.
Rugari covers sport with a holistic scope that gives soccer stories room to breathe beyond the match report, and it is prevalent in his stories:
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‘Experience only does so much’: A world of possibilities awaits the Socceroos
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‘Let these people talk’: After silencing Turkey, Irankunda turns to his American doubters
10. Amanda Shalala - Deputy Editor at ABC Sport
Shalala is the Deputy Editor of ABC Sport and is currently on the ground covering the games across the United States and Mexico. She covered the opening ceremony and captures the electric atmosphere of the fan communities in the cities. Her work captures women's voices in sports as well as representation of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.
Amanda is a journalist not to miss this world soccer season, as she brings stories right from the ground to ABC Sport.
Her recent work:
Find the right Journalist for your stories with Medianet
The International soccer season only comes around every four years, and when it does, the media attention it generates is a genuine window of opportunity for brands and organisations with soccer-central stories to tell.
Medianet's media contacts database makes it easier to find the right journalist for your story. Our research team based in Australia continuously monitors and verifies journalist profiles, so you have access to accurate, up-to-date information on coverage areas, recent work, and the right contact details. Whether you're pitching to a national broadcaster or a specialist soccer publication, start with the right contact.
About the Author
Amena Shakir
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