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Updated May 29, 2026 — 8:55pm,first published 7:54pm
Cristian Volpato has made a shock, 11th-hour decision to switch allegiances, choosing Australia over Italy just days before the Socceroos squad is finalised for the World Cup.
Football Australia made the announcement on Friday, saying it had lodged paperwork with FIFA to ratify the Sydney-born Volpato’s decision to switch after he represented Italy as a youth and turned down the chance to be part of Australia’s squad at the tournament four years ago.
He will join the Socceroos training camp in Los Angeles, ahead of coach Tony Popovic naming his final 26-man World Cup squad by Monday. Volpato’s inclusion puts the current squad at 30 players, but the 22-year-old’s last-minute arrival into the national set up suggests he is almost a certainty to make the cut.
The defection of Volpato, who plays club football in Italy for Serie A side Sassuolo, is an attacking boost for the Socceroos and a scenario that seemed most unlikely even two months ago, when he again indicated a desire to represent the Azzuri at the senior level.
“Football Australia has received a release letter from the Italian Football Federation. Once cleared, Volpato will be eligible to officially represent the Socceroos,” Football Australia said in a statement.
Having turned down a spot in the Socceroos’ 2022 World Cup squad for Qatar under Graham Arnold, Popovic visited Volpato in February, after the attacking midfielder indicated he was open to representing Australia.
“There were no ultimatums or any pressure. It was a discussion,” Popovic said at the time.
“And if he wants to play for Australia, whether it’s [in] three months, six months, a year – they’re young men, you have to respect the decisions they have to make.
“He’s a quality young player [who] has a lot of potential. He hasn’t played a lot of football … but he has potential, and now that he’s indicated he’s open to the idea, the rest is just for him to decide. We’ll see whether that happens or doesn’t.”
The trip appeared to have been in vain. A month later, Volpato told reporters he was “waiting for Italy”.
Popovic, who declared he would “never sell the shirt” to an unsure player when he took on the national job, then refused to say if he would consider selecting Volpato again.
“If that’s the choice he’s made, then I wish him well,” Popovic said in March. “You have to want to play for the country – and if you do, then you will accept whatever is put in front of you and whatever journey it takes to get to that level, if you even get there, because that’s where you want to be. I think it’s quite simple.”
The Socceroos will play a friendly against World Cup co-hosts Mexico in front of 60,000 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Sunday (AEST), with Popovic required to finalise his 26-man squad straight after.
Born and raised in Sydney, Volpato passed through the academies of both Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers before popping up unexpectedly at AS Roma, making his debut in the 2021-22 season as a teenager under Jose Mourinho while playing for Italy at the under-19 and under-20 levels.
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