EFL star called up to World Cup squad despite playing just two games since 2024

Harry Souttar has been selected in Australia’s squad for the World Cup, completing a remarkable comeback from a ruptured Achilles.

The towering Leicester City centre-back sustained the horrific injury in December 2024 while on loan at Sheffield United.

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He did not play a single minute of senior football in 2025 and only made his return to action in the Foxes’ 1-1 draw against Millwall on April 24, where he scored a late header.

Souttar retained his place in Leicester’s starting line-up for their season-ending fixture against Blackburn Rovers, which they won 1-0.

Following the end of the 2025/26 season, Souttar linked up with the Socceroos for their pre-World Cup camp in Florida in a bid to prove his fitness to coach Tony Popovic.

Souttar then played the full 90 minutes for Australia in a friendly against Mexico on May 31, which ended in a 1-0 loss at the Rose Bowl.

The 27-year-old’s inclusion means he will now be headed to his second World Cup having featured in 2022, where he played every minute of the Socceroos’ stunning run to the round of 16.

In strangely similar circumstances, Souttar overcame a long-term injury to feature at the 2022 World Cup.

He tore his ACL in November 2021 but made the cut despite playing just 90 minutes of senior football prior to the tournament.

Given Souttar was one of the Socceroos’ best performers at the 2022 World Cup, Popovic will expect similar displays for the defender who stands a whopping 198cm.

Cris-mas in June

Among the other notable inclusions in Popovic’s squad for the tournament is attacking midfielder Cristian Volpato.

The Sassuolo star announced his intention to represent the Socceroos just days before Popovic whittled down the group to 26.

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Volpato’s inclusion sent shockwaves through the Australian football community given he’d previously turned down a call-up to the national team ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

The 22-year-old had also stated his desire to represent Italy on the international stage and played for a number of their youth teams.

Volpato’s switch of international allegiance has since been cleared by FIFA, paving the way for him to play for the Socceroos on the world’s biggest stage.

He could be one of two potential stars to debut for Australia, with 25-year-old striker Tete Yengi included in the 26-man squad.

Off the Boyle

However, it was heartbreak for Joe Gauci, Kye Rowles, Brandon Borrello and Martin Boyle.

The quartet were the unlucky group not spared the axe at the final hurdle.

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It was especially devastating for Boyle, who looked all but certain to play a vital part for the Aussies at the 2022 World Cup, only to be ruled out just days before it was due to commence because of a knee injury.

“Left it all out there. Heart and soul,” Boyle wrote on Instagram following the snub.

The Socceroos will compete in Group D at the World Cup alongside Turkiye, Paraguay and tournament hosts United States.

Australia’s first match is against Turkiye and kicks off at 5am BST on June 14.