Cristian Volpato, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder for Serie A club Sassuolo, has officially switched his international allegiance from Italy to Australia ahead of the 2026 World Cup, pending FIFA approval of the change of association [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Volpato previously represented Italy at youth levels including under-19, under-20, and under-21 but never played for Italy’s senior national team [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7].
Football Australia has received a release letter from the Italian Football Federation and lodged the required paperwork with FIFA to register the switch [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7]. Volpato declined to represent Australia at the 2022 World Cup to focus on his club career and was initially waiting for an Italy senior call-up [1, 2, 6, 7]. However, Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in March 2026, influencing his decision to join the Socceroos [2, 5].
Volpato has joined Australia's training camp in Los Angeles ahead of the 2026 World Cup and may feature in a friendly against Mexico on May 31, 2026 [3, 6, 7]. His addition is seen as an important boost to Australia’s attacking options after Riley McGree suffered a hamstring injury ruling him out [1, 2, 5, 6, 7]. Volpato has played 72 matches for Sassuolo, scoring 7 goals and providing 11 assists [5].
Australia coach Tony Popovic praised the decision, saying, "當你擁有一名天賦異稟的球員時，我不懂這會有什麼風險" (When you have a player with such talent, I don’t see any risk) [6]. He added, "我們從未去求他改變心意。一旦他下定決心代表澳洲，我們唯一的優先考量就是行政流程能否趕上世界盃。這點要非常感謝澳洲足球協會的全力協助。" (We never pressured him to change his mind. Once he decided to represent Australia, our only priority was whether the paperwork could be completed in time for the World Cup. We are very grateful for Football Australia’s full support) [6].
Australia's 2026 World Cup group includes Turkey, the United States, and Paraguay. Their first match will be against Turkey on June 13, 2026, in Vancouver [1, 4, 5]. Tony Popovic is set to announce the final 26-man squad for the tournament on or by June 1, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 5]. Volpato’s inclusion will be confirmed as part of that squad announcement.
