Former Italy under-21 international Cristian Volpato has decided to represent Australia and will join the Socceroos' training camp in Los Angeles ahead of the World Cup. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, a dual citizen born and raised in Sydney, currently plays for Sassuolo in Serie A.
Football Australia has received a release letter from the Italian Football Federation and has lodged paperwork with FIFA for change of association clearance to ratify the decision. Volpato is eligible to make the switch because he never played a competitive game for the senior Italy team, while Italy has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third straight edition. The move comes four years after he declined an invitation to represent the country of his birth at the 2022 tournament while playing for Roma under Jose Mourinho.
The addition provides a boost to the team after playmaker Riley McGree was ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for Middlesbrough. Coach Tony Popovic will name his final 26-man squad on Monday, following a training camp that includes a friendly against Mexico in Los Angeles.
Australia will compete in the World Cup from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Socceroos open their Group D campaign against Turkey on June 13 in Vancouver, followed by matches against the United States on June 19 in Seattle and Paraguay on June 25 in San Francisco. The top two teams in the standings, as well as the third-place team, can advance to the round of 32.