Bayern Munich-bound teenager Nestory Irankunda received his first call-up to the Australian squad on Wednesday for next month’s World Cup qualifiers.
The 18-year-old winger, who was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania after his parents escaped the fighting in his native Burundi, will move to Germany next season.
Firstly, he hopes to make his Socceroos debut when they face Bangladesh on June 6 and host Palestine five days later in 2026 World Cup qualifying.
Graham Arnold’s team leads the group with four wins out of four and is already in the final qualifying phase for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
After Irankunda suggested he could represent Tanzania or Burundi, having been overlooked in Australia’s recent Olympic squad, coach Arnold said the player was now ready.
The forward has previously represented Australia’s under-17 team and Arnold called him up in March to train with the senior team.
“I was surprised (by Irankunda’s comments) but the main thing is he said his dream was to play for the Socceroos,” Arnold said on Wednesday after naming an expanded 25-player squad.
“When I spoke to him last week, that was his dream, and his dream will come true.”
The speedy Irankunda recently became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in Australia’s A-League when he netted a hat-trick in Adelaide United’s 4-1 victory over Western United.
The Socceroos will train in Thailand before traveling to Bangladesh.
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