FINAL CUT FOR SOCCEROOS

THE Hunger Games, otherwise known as Australia’s pre- World Cup camp, has begun.

National team coach Bert van Marwijk has kicked off a month of intensive training in Belek on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

About half of the Socceroos have touched down in the resort city to ramp up preparation for their Cup opener against France on June 16.

More will join in the coming days as they finish club commitments across 13 countries.

The group of 26 will be cut to 23 in two weeks, making every training session critical. It’s exactly how the Dutchman wants it. While the selection will be brutal for three Socceroos, the conditions are not.

The Australians are staying within the lavish Gloria complex, which sprawls out along the coast and includes golf courses, beach access and three different resorts – and, of course, dedicated gym facilities.

“The hotel we’re staying in is massive, it’s ridiculous,” player Daniel Arzani said.

The secure facility will host the Socceroos for the next 10 days, before they head to Vienna for a friendly with Czech Republic.

The team will then return to Belek, just outside Antalya, for another five days of training, including the final squad selection, before a friendly in Budapest with Hungary en route to Russia.