With just a point required to book their passage to South Africa, Okon believes the task will be completed against Qatar on Saturday and give the upcoming A-League season another boost.

"I do think we will qualify this weekend against Qatar as everyone will want to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"The squad will be focussed and concentrating on the job at hand, because nowadays you cannot take any game or opposition for granted.

"Qualifying for a second FIFA World Cup on the trot will only increase the popularity of the game in Australia.

"We all saw how the general public warmed to the Socceroos and got behind the team in 2006 and it will be even bigger this time around.

"That World Cup campaign came after the first season of the Hyundai A-League and we've watched the domestic competition grow since then," said Okon.

 "I think with ourselves and North Queensland Fury coming into the Hyundai A-League this season, and probably two more the season after, we need the Socceroos to continue to do well so the game is firing on all fronts."

With 37 international caps under his belt, 24 as skipper of the national team, Okon believes more Socceroos will follow Jason Culina's lead and make their way back to home soil after the 2010 World Cup, lifting the standard of the A-League even further.

"We've got one senior Socceroo in Jason Culina coming back to play with Gold Coast United this coming season, and I believe there will be more after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"I think a few more senior Socceroos have already thought about coming home, but in a World Cup year they might be thinking 'well maybe this is my last chance to go to a World Cup, I'll stay overseas for one more year and see what happens.

"Hopefully after South Africa we will have a twelve-team competition and that means there will be more opportunities, more spots for marquee players and more money available in the salary cap. In season six of the Hyundai A-League we could have the competition we've all dreamed of," he said.