Socceroos star Tim Cahill said he wouldn't be going to the World Cup if he had stayed in the English Premier League.

After eight years at Everton, the 34-year-old striker left England for Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls in July 2012.

New Yorker: Tim Cahill is focused on the World Cup. Credit:AFP

Cahill says the heavy EPL playing schedule and lengthy flights home made it too hard to continue juggling club and country commitments as he and the Socceroos attempted to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

''If I stayed in the Premier League I would have had to retire from international football, simple,'' Cahill said.