1. Maty Ryan (GK)
Age: 34
Club: Levante (La Liga)
Market value: AU$3.0 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.97 (out of 10)
Likely role: Certain starting goalkeeper.
Fun fact: Ryan played three games on loan for beloved childhood club Arsenal, who he would get up as early as 4am to watch on TV when growing up in Australia.
2. Miloš Degenek (CB)
Age: 32
Club: APOEL Nicosia (Cyprus)
Market value: AU$786k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: N/A
Likely role: Unused substitute.
Fun fact: The Croatian-born Degenek and his family are lifelong fans of Red Star Belgrade, a club who he signed for in 2018 and helped to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 26 years. He assisted two goals in the space of one minute to get them to the group stage on away goals in a play-off with Austria's RB Salzburg.
3. Alessandro Circati (CB)
Age: 22
Club: Parma (Serie A)
Market value: AU$19.4 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.77
Likely role: Certain starting centre back.
Fun fact: Alessandro's father, Gianfranco, also played professional football as a centre back - representing several Serie B and Serie C clubs as well as Perth Glory in the old NSL.
4. Jacob Italiano (RB)
Age: 24
Club: Grazer AK (Austrian Bundesliga)
Market value: AU$957k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.72
Likely role: Near-certain starting right wing back.
Fun fact: Italiano is the A-League's fifth-youngest debutant and was purchased as a 16-year-old by Borussia Mönchengladbach, who loaned him back to Perth Glory until he turned 18.
5. Jordy Bos (LB/LM)
Age: 23
Club: Feyenoord (Eredivisie)
Market value: AU$20.5 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.30
Likely role: Near-certain starting left wing back.
Fun fact: Bos' Dutch father has supported Feyenoord throughout his entire life, as have other members of his family on the paternal side.
6. Jason Geria (RB)
Age: 33
Club: Albirex Niigata (J2 League)
Market value: AU$620k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: N/A
Likely role: Backup to Jacob Italiano at right back.
Fun fact: Geria had to wait nearly 2,700 days between his first and second international (June 2016 - October 2024) and will be playing his first World Cup.
7. Mathew Leckie (LW/RW)
Age: 35
Club: Melbourne City (A-League)
Market value: AU$450k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.66
Likely role: Potential starter in right midfield, though there are other possible options such as Volpato and Irankunda. He should get minutes either way.
Fun fact: Like many other talented Australian athletes who fell into other sports, Leckie had his eyes set on an AFL career during childhood.
8. Connor Metcalfe (LM/CM)
Age: 26
Club: St. Pauli (Bundesliga)
Market value: AU$2.2 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.47
Likely role: Near-certain starting left side inverted winger
Fun fact: Metcalfe describes himself as akin to an anathema of the "personality" of St. Pauli, which embraces punk rock, alternative fashion and other underground creative subcultures.
9. Mohamed Touré (ST)
Age: 22
Club: Norwich City (Championship)
Market value: AU$12.3 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.38
Likely role: Near-certain starting striker.
Fun fact: Touré is the youngest goalscorer in A-League history, striking for Adelaide United as a 15-year-old in 2020.
10. Ajdin Hrustić (CM)
Age: 29
Club: Heracles (Eredivisie)
Market value: AU$929k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.91
Likely role: Potential substitute
Fun fact: Hrustić is the first Australian to win the UEFA Europa League title, scoring in a penalty shootout win for Eintracht Frankfurt against Rangers in 2021/22.
11. Awer Mabil (LW)
Age: 30
Club: CD Castellón (La Liga 2)
Market value: AU$638k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.85
Likely role: Likely substitute.
Fun fact: Famously born in a Kenyan refugee camp, what is lesser known about Mabil is that he played football with a ball made from old rolled up socks until the age of ten.
12. Paul Izzo (GK)
Age: 31
Club: Randers FC (Danish Superliga)
Market value: AU$809k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.13
Likely role: First backup goalkeeper
Fun fact: Izzo represented Australia at both the FIFA U-17 World Cup (2011) and FIFA U-20 World Cup (2013).
13. Aiden O'Neill (CM)
Age: 27
Club: New York City FC (MLS)
Market value: AU$4.6 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.88
Likely role: Near-certain starting central midfielder
Fun fact: O'Neill owns the world record for the longest time elapsed between goals recorded in the same match (156,956), having scored twice in an A-League Melbourne Derby which was halted in December 2022 and resumed in April 2023. He scored on both days in a Melbourne City win.
14. Cameron Devlin (CM)
Age: 28
Club: Hearts (Scottish Premiership)
Market value: AU$3.28m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.31
Likely role: Substitute central midfielder
Fun fact: Devlin owns the shirt used by Lionel Messi during his 1,000th professional appearance - against Australia at the 2022 World Cup. After the successful shirt swap, Devlin decided to keep it locked away at a bank for utmost security.
15. Kai Trewin (CM/RM)
Age: 25
Club: New York City FC (MLS)
Market value: AU$1.57m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.74
Likely role: He played right back against Switzerland as a potential injury replacement for Italiano, but outside of that it is hard to see him getting much game time.
Fun fact: Trewin's Instagram following exploded by six figures in 24 hours after a football content creator attempted to replicate the phenomenon that got New Zealand's Tim Payne more than 5.6 million followers in the space of a fortnight.
16. Aziz Behich (LB)
Age: 35
Club: Melbourne City (A-League)
Market value: AU$399k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.11
Likely role: Substitute left-back (behind Bos)
Fun fact: Behich is a graduate of the former David Beckham Academy of the mid-to-late 2000s.
17. Nestory Irankunda (RW)
Age: 20
Club: Watford (English Championship)
Market value: $12.76m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.67
Likely role: A potential starter against Turkey, competing with both Mat Leckie and Cristian Volpato for the spot. He could also act as a substitute striker.
Fun fact: Irankunda's fastest clocked sprint speed is 37.02 km/h, which is only slightly slower than the average speed of 37.58km/h registered by Usain Bolt during his world record 100m sprint run of 9.58sec.
18. Patrick Beach (GK)
Age: 22
Club: Melbourne City (A-League)
Market value: AU$1.6m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.80
Likely role: Unused substitute goalkeeper.
Fun fact: Beach was a ballboy for the Western Sydney Wanderers during his preteen years, often preferring to station himself behind one of the two nets so he could analyse goalkeeping techniques.
19. Harry Souttar (CB)
Age: 27
Club: Leicester City (Championship)
Market value: AU$5.6 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.32
Likely role: Near-certain starting centre back.
Fun fact: Harry's brother, John, has been selected to represent the Scotland squad at this World Cup.
20. Cristian Volpato (RM/RW)
Age: 22
Club: Sassuolo (Serie A)
Market value: AU$15.95m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.67
Likely role: Potential substitute against Turkey and potential starter later in the tournament.
Fun fact: Volpato was the first wonderkid signed by Francesco Totti's newly formed talent management agency in 2020.
21. Cameron Burgess (CB)
Age: 30
Club: Swansea (English Championship)
Market value: AU$2.39m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.11
Likely role: Jostling with Herrington for starting role but is expected to have significant input through the tournament as first choice substitute.
Fun fact: Cameron is a third-generation professional footballer, with his grandfather Campbell Forsyth representing Scotland and his father Stuart playing top-flight football in Scotland.
22. Jackson Irvine (CM)
Age: 33
Club: St. Pauli (Bundesliga)
Market value: AU$1.5 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.50
Likely role: Near-certain starting central midfielder
Fun fact: Irvine is a passionate musician and maintains his connection to music by curating a personal vinyl collection and hosting a monthly radio show in Germany called 'Heimspiel' (Home Game).
23. Nishan Velupillay (LW)
Age: 25
Club: Melbourne Victory (A-League)
Market value: AU$1.05m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.76
Likely role: Unused substitute.
Fun fact: Velupillay is the first man of Tamil heritage to be selected in a FIFA World Cup squad.
24. Paul Okon-Engstler (CM)
Age: 21
Club: Sydney FC (A-League)
Market value: AU$1.89m
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.09
Likely role: Fighting with Aiden O'Neill for starting central midfield role, but likely to be used as a substitute if he does not start.
Fun fact: Belgian-born Okon Jr had his professional breakout when playing a youth tournament in Portugal for Belgian club Club Brugge. He was signed on the spot by Benfica on a three-year deal.
25. Lucas Herrington (CB)
Age: 18
Club: Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Market value: AU$2.3 million
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 7.11
Likely role: Likely starter, fighting with Burgess for the third centre back role.
Fun fact: Herrington is the youngest player to have played the maximum number of minutes (1,350) this MLS season.
26. Tete Yengi (ST)
Age: 25
Club: Machida Zelvia (J1 League)
Market value: AU$381k
Average Flashscore league rating in 2025/26: 6.59
Likely role: Yengi's warm-up goal against Switzerland, on his first team international debut, increases his likelihood of being used as a substitute for Touré.
Fun fact: Tete's brother Kusini Yengi also plays in the J1 League (for Cerezo Osaka) but they are yet to go head-to-head.
