Italian youngster set to join Australia at the World Cup.

Cristiano Volpato has the opportunity to play in the 2026 World Cup with Australia after his dream of wearing the Italian national team jersey officially ended.

Volpato (Number 7) once refused to represent Australia.

Cristiano Volpato's journey could become one of the most remarkable stories leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

The Sassuolo midfielder, who turned down the opportunity to play for Australia at the World Cup four years ago, now has the chance to participate in the biggest football event on the planet in the colors of his own national team.

Coach Tony Popovic has included Volpato in Australia's preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup. The official 26-player list will be announced on June 1st.

Volpato was born and raised in Sydney and holds dual Australian and Italian citizenship. In the early years of his career, he chose to play for Italy's youth teams from U19, U20 to U21, hoping one day to be part of the Azzurri national team.

Therefore, before the 2022 World Cup, Volpato had previously rejected an invitation from Australia. At the time, the player born in 2004 stated that he did not want to make a hasty decision regarding his international playing future.

However, what happened afterward changed everything. Italy continued to experience disappointment, failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The four-time world champions lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in the play-off round in April, thus missing out on the World Cup for the third consecutive time.

Meanwhile, Australia qualified for the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This opened up an opportunity for Volpato to realize his World Cup dream through a different path.

If he is retained in the final list, Volpato will compete with Australia in Group D alongside Paraguay, the United States, and Türkiye.

A decision that has been delayed for years could now become the biggest turning point in the career of the player who rose through the ranks of Italian football.

Source: https://znews.vn/sao-tre-italy-sap-du-world-cup-cung-australia-post1655438.html