The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to feature dozens of football’s biggest stars, but one of the tournament’s more intriguing stories involves a player who has changed international allegiance just weeks before kick-off.Cristian Volpato, a former Italy Under-21 international and current Sassuolo midfielder, has officially switched his eligibility from Italy to Australia and is now in contention to play for the Socceroos at this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.The move comes four years after Volpato declined an invitation to join Australia’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, insisting at the time that he did not want to make a “rushed decision” regarding his international future.
Volpato’s World Cup dream revived despite Italy’s qualification failure
Italy’s hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup ended in disappointment after the four-time champions lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in the UEFA play-offs, condemning the Azzurri to a third consecutive World Cup absence.While Italy will not be travelling to North America, Volpato could still find himself at the tournament after officially changing his international allegiance to Australia.According to Football Australia, the Sydney-born midfielder has been added to the Socceroos’ training camp in Los Angeles ahead of the announcement of Tony Popovic’s final 26-man squad on June 1.The Australian governing body confirmed it had “received a release letter from the Italian Football Federation”, a key requirement before FIFA could approve the switch.BBC Sport reported that FIFA ratified Volpato’s decision on Friday, clearing the way for him to represent Australia at senior level.
From Sydney to Serie A via Italy’s youth system
Volpato was born and raised in Sydney, New South Wales, but holds dual Australian and Italian citizenship.In 2020, he moved to Italy to join Roma’s academy before completing a transfer to Serie A side Sassuolo in 2023.The 22-year-old has represented Italy at Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels, making nine appearances for the Italy Under-21 side and scoring one goal. His most recent appearance for Italy’s youth setup came at the Maurice Revello Tournament in June 2024.Since joining Sassuolo, Volpato has registered seven goals and 11 assists in 72 appearances for the club.AP reported that the midfielder is eligible to make the switch because he never played a competitive match for Italy’s senior national team.
Why Volpato rejected Australia before the 2022 World Cup
Volpato’s decision is particularly notable because he previously turned down the opportunity to represent Australia at the 2022 World Cup.At the time, he was playing under José Mourinho at Roma and opted to focus on establishing himself in Italian football rather than committing immediately to the Socceroos.BBC Sport reported that Volpato felt accepting the invitation would have been a “rushed decision” that could “risk being extremely premature.”Instead, he chose to keep the door open for Italy, saying he was prepared to “wait for Italy” after being approached by Popovic earlier this year.The landscape changed dramatically after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third straight edition. Following the unsuccessful campaign, Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso and Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina both left their positions, with replacements yet to be appointed.
Australia preparing for Group D challenge
Volpato’s arrival comes as Australia finalise preparations for the World Cup.The Socceroos have been drawn in Group D alongside Türkiye, the United States and Paraguay.Australia open their campaign against Türkiye on June 13 in Vancouver before facing the United States in Seattle six days later. Their final group-stage match will be against Paraguay on June 25 at the San Francisco 49ers’ stadium.The group has already suffered one setback, with Middlesbrough playmaker Riley McGree ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a hamstring injury during the Championship play-off final.Volpato will now hope his long-awaited international decision ends with a place in Australia’s final squad and a first appearance on football’s biggest stage.
How FIFA’s nationality-switch rules work
Volpato’s case is one of several examples of players changing international allegiance under FIFA regulations.Players with dual nationality can freely switch if they have only represented their previous country at youth level.Even players who have made senior appearances can still switch under certain circumstances, provided they hold another nationality, have not played more than three senior matches, have not represented their original nation at a major tournament, were under 21 at the time of those appearances, and at least three years have passed since their last match.High-profile examples include England midfielder Declan Rice, who played three senior friendlies for the Republic of Ireland before switching allegiance, and Jack Grealish, who represented Ireland at youth level before going on to become an England international.Volpato’s situation is more straightforward, however, with the midfielder never making a competitive senior appearance for Italy, allowing him to complete the move just in time for a potential World Cup debut with Australia.
