Australia missed out on hosting the tournament, but it was determined to extend its proud qualifying record, having reached each of the last four tournaments.

The Socceroos were jolted by their 1-0 quarter-final defeat to United Arab Emirates in the Asian Cup in January, and an inexperienced line-up then lost by the same score in a friendly against South Korea in June.

Coach Graham Arnold came in after last year's World Cup in Russia, where Australia tumbled out after the group stage, and now is the time the former Sydney FC boss must deliver.

This was perhaps not the match to judge him by, with Australia giving a perfunctory performance against limited opponent which resorted in the second half to dishing out some rough treatment.

Australia snatched a seventh-minute lead with a scrappy goal, Jackson Irvine's undercooked left-footed volley striking team-mate Adam Taggart first and then bouncing into the net off Leckie.

The Socceroos were facing a side that beat Nepal 7-0 in their opening second-round Group B qualifier last week - begging the question of how many Australia might score when they come to face the Himalayan side next month.

Kuwait worked hard but carried little threat, and Irvine and Taggart both spurned chances before the second goal arrived for Australia on the half-hour mark.

Aaron Mooy's corner from the right found Irvine beyond the far post, and he nodded down towards the six-yard box for Leckie to smash home from close range for his second goal.

Irvine whistled a shot just wide from 15 yards when he perhaps should have done better, before Mooy grabbed the third goal for the Socceroos in the 38th minute, rifling a 22-yard shot into the top right corner as the home side failed to clear their lines.

The second half was rather a non-event, Hussain Al Moussawi and Yousef Naser threatening consolation goals for Kuwait but unable to find a way past Mat Ryan.