Photograph: @Socceroos
Nishan Velupillay has been selected in Australia's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making him the first footballer of Tamil heritage to compete at the tournament.
The 25-year-old winger, who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League, was named in head coach Tony Popovic's final 26-man squad on Monday. Australia are placed in Group D alongside Turkey, the United States, and Paraguay. Their opening match is against Turkey on 13 June at BC Place in Vancouver.
Velupillay's father, Sasinath Velupillay, is of Tamil heritage. His mother, Gillian Velupilly, is Anglo-Indian. Nishan was born and raised in Melbourne, attending Mazenod College in Mulgrave before progressing through the youth ranks at Glen Eira FC and eventually into the Melbourne Victory academy.
He made his senior international debut in October 2024 when Popovic called him up for a 2026 World Cup qualifier against China. Coming off the bench in the 83rd minute, he scored seven minutes later to seal a 3-1 victory. It was a debut that announced him to Australian football and to the Tamil diaspora in equal measure.
Velupillay has gone on to earn seven senior caps, scoring three goals in total. All three goals came in World Cup qualifier matches, underlining the confidence Popovic has placed in him for high-stakes occasions.
Melbourne Victory Director of Football, John Didulica, paid tribute to the player's journey to reach the global stage. "Nish has worked exceptionally hard since he first walked into this club as a junior footballer to put himself in this position," Didulica said.
Seventeen members of Australia's 26-man squad have been selected for a FIFA World Cup for the first time. Velupillay is among them, alongside five other Australia-based players including veteran forward Mathew Leckie, who is set to appear at a record-equalling fourth World Cup.
The Tamil Eelam national football team competes under CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, which governs football for nations and peoples unrecognised by FIFA. Tamil Eelam won the CONIFA Asian Football Cup in both 2023 and 2025. The team, however, has no pathway to the FIFA World Cup under the current structure of international football.
Velupillay's selection therefore represents a significant moment for Tamils in the diaspora, many of whom were displaced by the Sri Lankan state's decades of war against Eelam Tamils, and who settled across Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
Australia begin their 2026 World Cup campaign against Turkey on 13 June.