Cristian Volpato to switch allegiance from Italy to Australia in time for World Cup | Australia

The Socceroos have been handed a huge boost on the eve of the World Cup with young attacker Cristian Volpato to join up with the training squad before a friendly against Mexico in Los Angeles.

The 22-year will make a shock switch of allegiance from Italy to Australia four years after turning down the opportunity to represent the country of his birth at the tournament in Qatar.

Football Australia is still awaiting confirmation from Fifa that the formalities surrounding Volpato’s change of heart can be completed before Socceroos coach Tony Popovic names his 26-player World Cup squad by 1 June.

FA has lodged all requisite paperwork to Fifa and is now waiting for the governing body to ratify Volpato’s decision to switch allegiance to Australia after representing Italy at the youth level.

Volpato was born and raised in Sydney and played his junior football at Sydney United 58, Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, before moving to Italy. He represented Italy at the Under-19 and Under-20 level from 2022.

The attacker joined the youth set up at Roma and rose through the ranks to make a senior debut under José Mourinho during the 2021-22 Serie A season. He made 14 appearances and scored two goals across all competitions for I Giallorossi before moving to Sassuolo in 2023.

Volpato has played 72 times and scored seven goals, with 11 assists, across all competitions for Sassuolo, and helped the club immediately return to Serie A after being relegated to the second tier at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. He scored twice, and added four assists, in 24 appearances during the current Serie A season.

But Volpato snubbed multiple previous attempts to lure him from Italy and across to the Socceroos, including when then head coach Graham Arnold invited him to join up with the squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Australia’s persistence appears to have paid off, with Volpato not included in the young Italy sides for friendlies against Luxembourg and Greece scheduled for the June international window, while the senior team missed out on qualifying for a third successive World Cup.

Popovic has said in the past that he would never “sell the shirt” but Volpato is unlikely to make the trip to Los Angeles without being in line for a late call-up to the Socceroos squad for the World Cup, especially with first-choice attacker Riley McGree ruled out this week due to a hamstring injury.

The Socceroos now have 30 players included in their train-on unit, with Popovic needing to reduce the number to 26 before a World Cup squad is named by 1 June.

Volpato will not be part of the Socceroos side that faces World Cup co-hosts Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles California on 31 May (AEST), but is in the frame to be considered for their first game of the tournament against Turkey on 14 June.