The Socceroos’ clash against Mexico at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles makes the World Cup countdown feel very real – and if it needed any more hype, will be played less than 48 hours after Cristiano Volpato’s stunning inclusion in the Australia squad on the eve of the tournament.
The Sassuolo midfielder brought the number of Socceroos vying to make the 26-man squad to 30, with the Sydney-born 22-year-old finally ending years of speculation over his international allegiance, between Australia and Italy, on the eve of FIFA’s deadline for the submission of World Cup squads.
That tells you the Serie A player is almost guaranteed to be part of the World Cup campaign, pending paperwork being cleared, which throws a completely different complexity over the mouthwatering clash on Sunday, at midday AEST.
The game will see a massive crowd pack into the Pasadena stadium to watch Tony Popovic’s Australia take on world number 15 Mexico, a match put on the calendar to try and mimic the routine of the Socceroos’ opening World Cup game against Turkiye in Vancouver.
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It is not only a chance to see the Socceroos in action on American soil ahead of their Group D campaign against co-hosts the United States, Turkiye and Paraguay, it is also the day before the national team’s World Cup squad is finalised.
What kind of approach will we see from Popovic? A trial for the players on the edge? A chance for combinations to settle for those he knows he’s going to pick? A combination?
Ahead of the clash, we look at some of the key questions.
Who has the most to lose from Volpato inclusion?
If your head is still spinning from Friday night’s bombshell, you’re not alone. This scribe had a feeling after watching Volpato’s exclusive interview with Football360 in December that the door was ajar, but, he seemingly shut it in March with another interview in the Italian press.
But, here we are.
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TIMELINE: From ‘I’m waiting for Italy’ to a Socceroos call-up
Australia has now got another Serie A footballer on its books. That is a massive plus. A goal scorer, powerful player and someone who can link the midfield and attack and provide cut and thrust in the final third. With Adrian Segecic’s defection and Riley McGree’s injury, you can’t argue, on paper, it’s anything but a massive inclusion.
On the flipside, a player who hasn’t stepped foot into camp before is joining a squad that has been built on camaraderie and worked through a qualifying campaign, just two days out from the squad being named.
There is still enough time for cohesion and combinations to form, albeit late, but it means one player with designs on inclusion will now be working extra hard over the next 24 hours.
Doing the maths, if three of Martin Boyle, Awer Mabil, Nishan Velupillay and Brandon Borello were going to be in the squad, there is probably now another spot at risk that will go to Volpato, unless Popovic is thinking of taking away an extra midfielder and extra defender as well.
His paperwork from FIFA will need to come through in time for him to participate in this match; if it does not, it would mean his selection will come without having been part of any sessions or matches prior to the tournament.
One last bolt?
Popovic’s World Cup squad will be finalised by June 1. The Socceroos boss, though, will have largely settled on the players who will fly the Australian flag in North America.
From Mat Ryan, Mo Toure, Jordy Bos and Alessandro Circati, to Nestory Irankunda, Jackson Irvine and Harry Souttar. There shouldn’t be too many surprises on that front.
But there are still some bolters remaining in the pre-World Cup squad, which has been working away in Sarasota.
IN OR OUT? What’s the case for and against selection of an Aussie veteran?
Tete Yengi and Brandon Borrello are the two big ones.
Yengi has never represented Australia at any level, not even in the youth age groups. But the 25-year-old – the brother of Kusini – has catapulted himself into the conversation thanks to his exploits with Japanese side Machida Zelvia.
On loan from Scottish outfit Livingston, the physically imposing striker helped Machida – the former home of Mitch Duke – reach their first AFC Champions League Elite decider. He was instrumental to that historic continental run with three goals, and five across all competitions.
Borrello is also in the mix. The Western Sydney Wanderers star has certainly flown under the radar but must have impressed in Saratosa.
A 16-time Socceroo with two goals, Borrello was called into the pre-camp by Popovic and the 30-year-old remains in the mix as the clock ticks on Popovic’s decision. Borrello, who scored four goals and supplied two assists for the Wanderers in their wooden-spoon season, can play across the front three positions.
Mathew Leckie could also make his first international appearance since 2024 when the Socceroos go head-to-head with Mexico. He returned for Melbourne City at the back end of the A-League Men season before earning a call-up to the training camp after a mammoth 120-minute elimination final midfield shift against Grand Finalists Auckland FC.
Leckie has never played under head coach Popovic due to recurring soft-tissue injuries. A veteran of three World Cups, the 35-year-old has not featured for the Socceroos since June 2024, with injuries derailing his career in recent years.
Leckie only returned from hip surgery – a procedure to try to rectify his ongoing fitness problems – last month having been sidelined since October. Riley McGree’s recent injury has only amplified his case.
What we need to know about Mexico
Like Australia, Mexico are yet to finalise their World Cup roster.
Javier Aguirre is still weighing up and tinkering with his final selection as El Tri prepare for their World Cup opener against South Africa on June 12. It is followed by Group A meetings with South Korea and Czechia.
Sunday’s matchup provides Guadalajara’s Brian Gutierrez with another chance to cement his place in Aguirre’s starting XI. The US-born 22-year-old actually represented the country of his birth in two 2025 friendlies before switching to Mexico and debuting earlier this year.
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It is also worth keeping an eye on 30-year-old Luis Romo, a 61-cap veteran who has been able to shift from defence into midfield under Aguirre. There are also questions over star Edson Alvarez and whether he can recapture his best form, as well as his best position – a holding midfielder, centre-back, or a versatile option?.
Arguably the biggest storyline is Santiago Gimenez. The Mexican took Europe by storm thanks to his Feyenoord form, scoring 65 goals in 105 games. However, his career has stalled since joining Italian powerhouse AC Milan. He ended 2025-26 with just one goal in 18 appearances.
Eliminated in the group stage four years ago, Mexico enjoyed consecutive Round of 16 trips between 1994 and 2018. The CONCACAF powerhouse have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals, having twice reached the last eight in 1970 and 1986.
Mexico and the Socceroos met in Texas three years ago, with the two nations playing out a 2-2 draw at AT&T Stadium – where Australia had led 2-0. They have clashed six times in total, with the Socceroos earning two wins and a draw to go with three losses.
The Rose Bowl
The famous Rose Bowl.
It has hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final, the 1999 Women’s World Cup Final and the 1984 Olympic Gold Medal Match – making it the only venue in the world to have hosted all three of football’s major championship finals.
Heading into Sunday’s contest, more than 70,000 tickets have already been sold as a pro-Mexico crowd prepares to descend on California.
Socceroos squad (Pre-camp)
Goalkeepers: Mat Ryan, Patrick Beach, Joe Gauci, Paul Izzo
Defenders: Alessandro Circati, Aziz Behich, Jordan Bos, Cameron Burgess, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Jacob Italiano, Harry Souttar, Lucas Herrington, Kye Rowles
Midfielders: Cameron Devlin, Ajdin Hrustic, Jackson Irvine, Mathew Leckie, Connor Metcalfe, Aiden O’Neill, Paul Okon-Engstler, Kai Trewin
Forwards: Brandon Borrello, Martin Boyle, Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure, Nishan Velupillay, Awer Mabil, Tete Yengi, Cristian Volpato
Coach: Tony Popovic
Mexico squad (Preliminary)
Goalkeepers: Alex Padilla (Athletic Club), Antonio Rodríguez (Tijuana), Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna), Carlos Moreno (Pachuca), Guillermo Ochoa (AEL Limassol), Raúl Rangel (Chivas)
Defenders: Bryan González (Chivas), César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow), Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe), Eduardo Águila (Atlético de San Luis), Everardo López (Toluca), Israel Reyes (América), Jesús Angulo (Tigres), Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Jesús Gómez (Tijuana), Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Jorge Sánchez (PAOK), Julián Araujo (Celtic), Luis Rey (Puebla), Mateo Chávez (AZ Alkmaar), Ramón Juárez (América), Richard Ledezma (Chivas), Víctor Guzmán (Monterrey)
Midfielders: Alexei Domínguez (Pachuca), Alexis Gutiérrez (America), Alvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis), Brian Gutiérrez (Chivas), Carlos Rodríguez (Cruz Azul), Denzell Garcia (FC Juarez), Diego Lainez (Tigres), Efrain Álvarez (Chivas), Elias Montiel (Pachuca), Erick Sánchez (America), Erik Lira (Cruz Azul), Gilberto Mora (Tijuana), Isaías Violante (America), Jeremy Márquez (Cruz Azul), Jordan Carrillo (Pumas), Jorge Ruvalcaba (NY Red Bulls), Kevin Castañeda (Tijuana), Luis Chávez (Dinamo Moscu), Luis Romo (Chivas), Marcel Ruiz (Toluca), Obed Vargas (Atlético de Madrid), Orbelin Pineda (AEK), Jesús Angulo (Toluca)
Forwards: Alexis Vega (Toluca), Armando González (Chivas), César Huerta (Anderlecht), Germán Berterame (Inter Miami), Guillermo Martínez (Pumas), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadisiyah), Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), Roberto Alvarado (Chivas), Santiago Giménez (Milan)
Coach: Javier Aguirre
Match Details
Mexico v Socceroos
Date: Saturday, 30 May (Sunday, 31 May AEST)
Kick-off: 12:00pm AEST
Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Broadcast: Paramount+
Upcoming matches
Socceroos v Switzerland
Date: Saturday, 6 June (Sunday, 7 June AEST)
Kick-off: 12:00pm local / 5:00am AEST (Sunday, 7 June)
Venue: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California
Broadcast: Paramount+
FIFA World Cup Group D matches
Socceroos v Türkiye
Date: Saturday, 13 June (Sunday, 14 June AEST)
Kick-off: 9:00pm local / 2:00pm AEST (Sunday, 14 June)
Venue: BC Place, Vancouver, Canada
Broadcast: SBS and SBS On Demand
USA v Socceroos
Date: Friday, 19 June (Saturday, 20 June AEST)
Kick-off: 12:00pm local / 5:00am AEST (Saturday, 20 June)
Venue: Seattle Stadium, Seattle, USA
Broadcast: SBS and SBS On Demand
Paraguay v Socceroos
Date: Thursday, 25 June (Friday, 26 June AEST)
Kick-off: 7:00pm local / 12:00pm AEST (Friday, 26 June)
Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, USA
Broadcast: SBS and SBS On Demand