Socceroos coach Graham Arnold holds no concern over Canberra Stadium playing surface

Canberra Stadium will host the Socceroos on October 10, giving ground staff less than two weeks to prepare the field if the Canberra Raiders secure NRL preliminary final hosting rights.

The World Cup qualifier against Nepal will be the Sooceroos' first in Canberra in four years and officials are hoping for a crowd of 20,000 or more.

Former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou was less than impressed with a patchy Canberra Stadium surface in 2015, saying he "wasn't rapt" to see the field.

Arnold will visit in Canberra in September to meet with the grounds staff and potentially make the squad announcement.

The Raiders could host two NRL finals if they finish in the top four after officials changed rules to allow Canberra to be a preliminary final venue for the first time.

"I don't have any concern and I have complete trust in the ground staff," Arnold said.

"I'll have a meeting with the grounds staff well before the match to make sure the surface will be in tip-top condition for the boys.

"Canberra is renowned for putting on great spectacles for the Socceroos and sports in general, so it's great to have our first home World Cup qualifier there."

Internationally-based players will arrive in the capital just two-days before the match to ensure they're available for their clubs on the weekend prior.

This means home-town hero Tom Rogic won't arrive in Canberra until the Tuesday, should he be fit to play.

Rogic is close to returning to full fitness after suffering an ankle injury in the Celtic's Scottish Cup victory three months ago.

The 26-year-old hasn't played in any games for the Bhoys so far this season, but has returned to training at Lennoxtown.

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Arnold expects him to be ready to play for the Socceroos' World Cup qualifier as he looks to field the "best squad available."

"We're still monitoring Tommy and keeping an eye on him," Arnold said.

"He's a big part of what we do and we always expect him to be ready to play for the Socceroos.

"He has great commitment to the Socceroos but overall he's a great player for us and we expect he'll be fit as soon as possible."

Rogic is racing the clock to be ready for the Socceroos' opening qualifier against Kuwait on September 10.

Arnold will name his squad in the coming weeks and there could be some fresh faces involved for the team's first competitive fixture since being knocked out of the Asian Cup.

Meanwhile Australia will send scouts to watch Nepal's matches against Jordan and Chinese Taipei in September.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

October 10: Australia v Nepal at Canberra Stadium, 7.30pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.