They might enter Russia as minnows but the Socceroos are being treated like kings on their way to the World Cup.
On the Turkish Mediterranean coast, the core of the preliminary Australia squad have been put through their first training session together at a five-star resort that includes a high-performance football centre usually reserved for Europe's football elite.
In the midst of a lavish golf course in the popular holiday region of Antalya are two pristine football fields surrounded by small lakes that will become the Socceroos' home for the next three weeks before they travel to Kazan in preparation for their first group match against France on June 16.
They will train on a perfectly manicured, dark green pitch that is in stark contrast to the dry, arid grass that lays adjacent to it on the rural fields across the road.
Nearby is the Socceroos' second training facility, the Belek Sports Arena, which includes another two fields, a small stadium, spa, sauna, gym, pool, medical and physio facilities as well as a cryotherapy chamber.
Their primary facility sits within a lush golf resort that regularly hosts some of Europe's biggest football clubs such as Besiktas, Schalke and Hertha Berlin for training camps. Several of the Socceroos' new Dutch assistant coaches were already familiar with the facility, having been part of camps with other clubs at the same resort.
Away from the pitch, the 26-man squad are staying at an extravagant beach-front resort that is one of Antalya's most plush and expensive. With a room usually costing close to $600 per night, the Socceroos will be afforded every comfort ahead of Australia's fifth World Cup appearance. For winger Daniel Arzani, it is his first experience of a national team camp.
“The hotel we’re staying at at the moment is absolutely massive, it’s ridiculous. There's a lot of golf buggies laying around just to get around,” Arzani said.
The players will spend much of their time away from the pitch recovering from arduous training run by new coach Bert van Marwijk. Nearly every day, the players will be put through rigorous double sessions as they undergo a crash course of the former Netherlands, Feyenoord, Hamburg and Saudi Arabia coach and his more disciplined and pragmatic style of football.
When it comes to preparing a team for a tournament, van Marwijk expressed his preference for training camps over friendly games and fought hard for Football Federation Australia to approve an extended camp in favour of the traditional farewell match in Australia.
Van Marwijk and the national team staff opted to stage the camp in Turkey not only due to its proximity to Russia but its warm climate, which would aid the players' physical preparation.
It's understood the national team staff preferred Antalya to Seville, in Spain, due to the facilities despite being offered use of the training bases of a top-flight Spanish club.
Meanwhile, Arzani described the prospect of making his debut for Australia as a "dream come true" despite being previously monitored by Iran, who he is eligible to play for. Arzani could make his debut for the Socceroos in either of their two warm-up games against the Czech Republic or Hungary.
“It would be a dream come true. Since I was young, I always dreamed of playing for Australia, the Socceroos, and to think that can happen in the next couple of weeks is amazing," he said.
