Cristian Volpato's dramatic last-ditch switch from Italy to Australia has been rewarded with selection for the World Cup before the attacker even makes his Socceroos debut.
Sassuolo playmaker Volpato headlines Australia's 26-man squad along with 25-year-old uncapped striker Tete Yengi, while skipper Mat Ryan and veteran Mathew Leckie head to a fourth World Cup.
But it was heartbreak for veteran Martin Boyle, defender Kye Rowles, forward Brandon Borrello and goalkeeper Joe Gauci, who were all cut by coach Tony Popovic.
"A range of factors has gone into selecting this final World Cup squad," Popovic said in a statement.
"Some difficult decisions had to be made — that's the nature of major tournaments."
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Socceroos' 2026 FIFA World Cup squad
Goalkeepers
- Patrick Beach* (Melbourne City)
- Paul Izzo* (Randers FC)
- Mathew Ryan (Levante)
- Aziz Behich (Melbourne City)
Defenders
- Jordan Bos* (Feyenoord)
- Cameron Burgess* (Swansea City)
- Alessandro Circati* (Parma)
- Milos Degenek (APOEL FC)
- Jason Geria* (Albirex Niigata)
- Lucas Herrington (Colorado Rapids)
- Jacob Italiano* (Grazer AK)
- Harry Souttar (Leicester City)
- Kai Trewin* (New York City FC)
Midfielders
- Cameron Devlin (Heart of Midlothian)
- Ajdin Hrustic (Heracles Almelo)
- Jackson Irvine (FC St. Pauli)
- Connor Metcalfe* (FC St. Pauli)
- Aiden O'Neill* (New York City FC)
- Paul Okon-Engstler* (Sydney FC)
Forwards
- Nestory Irankunda* (Watford)
- Mathew Leckie (Melbourne City)
- Awer Mabil (CD Castellón)
- Mohamed Toure* (Norwich City)
- Nishan Velupillay* (Melbourne Victory)
- Cristian Volpato* (US Sassuolo Calcio)
- Tete Yengi* (FC Machida Zelvia)
(* First World Cup selection)
The squad features 17 players making their World Cup debut, including 18-year-old defender Lucas Herrington.
The Socceroos play a friendly against Switzerland in San Diego on Saturday, then group games against Türkiye, the United States and Paraguay.
- All the FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on our World Cup page
- How to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 on SBS
- Watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at our On Demand hub
Sassuolo winger Volpato, 22, only arrived in camp on Saturday morning (local time) — too late to feature in that night's 1-0 loss to Mexico — after switching his allegiance.
Volpato knocked back Graham Arnold's pitch to join Australia's 2022 World Cup squad, then in March said he was waiting for a call-up from Italy's senior team, before his change of heart.
Yengi, younger brother of fellow Socceroo Kusini Yengi, was selected despite not playing against Mexico.
Harry Souttar and Leckie make the squad after their first Socceroos appearances since 2024 against Mexico.
Rowles, a starter in 2022, misses out, as does Boyle, who was injured ahead of Qatar and again falls agonisingly short of reaching a World Cup
How many players are in the Socceroos World Cup squad?
The Socceroos have 26 players in their World Cup squad. All teams have to pick between 23 and 26 players and submit their final list to FIFA by 1 June.
FIFA will then confirm and publish the official squads on Tuesday.
When do the Socceroos play their first World Cup game?
The Socceroos will play their first group game against Türkiye on 14 June in Vancouver.
They will then play the United States in Seattle on 20 June and Paraguay on 26 June in Santa Clara, near San Francisco.
— With reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
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