Cristian Volpato has committed to Australia, switching his international allegiance from Italy ahead of the Socceroos' squad announcement for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 22-year-old midfielder was born and raised in Sydney but moved to Italy in 2020 to join Roma's youth academy, later signing for Serie A club Sassuolo in 2023. Having represented Italy only at youth level, Volpato met the eligibility criteria required by FIFA to switch international allegiance.
Football Australia confirmed it had received a release letter from its Italian counterparts and submitted the necessary paperwork to FIFA to formalise the switch.
From preliminary squad to final 26
Volpato has been included in Australia's preliminary squad and will join a training camp in Los Angeles before manager Tony Popovic names his 26-man squad on Monday, 1 June.
This is not the first time Australia came calling. Popovic approached Volpato earlier this year, and the player had previously turned down the chance to represent the Socceroos at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — citing a desire to avoid a rushed decision and focus on his club career in Italy. At the time, he said he was happy to
