The Socceroos made history in 1974 as the first Australian soccer team to reach the final 16 in the FIFA World Cup.

This archival footage from the Australian Information Service offers an up-close look at the hopefuls training in Sydney, ahead of flying to Hamburg for their first World Cup match against East Germany. An atmosphere of camaraderie and focus permeates this clip, which features wordless, kinetic scenes of the Socceroos drilling their footwork and passing, along with close-up shots of legends in action.

The footage captures the steely determination and team chemistry of these football trailblazers. Although they were knocked out of the World Cup after losses to both East and West Germany – and a scoreless draw against Chile – the 1974 Socceroos set the foundations for Australia’s now-regular presence in the World Cup tournaments.