 Alston was instrumental in Australia's progress during the qualifying rounds for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals in the group stage and once during the final play-off match against Iran as Australia qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history.During the qualification stages, the team embarked on a gruelling world tour that included playing matches in Vietnam during the Vietnam war where they were forced to travel to U.S. army bases to eat.He was named to the squad for the tournament in West Germany by manager Rale Rasic.