Big blow for Socceroos as Adrian Segecic changes allegiance from Australia to Croatia
adrian segecic has formally changed his international allegiance from Australia to Croatia, a move that was processed on Friday and visible on FIFA’s Change of Association Platform on Saturday. The 21-year-old Portsmouth attacker, who represented Australia at under-17, under-20 and under-23 levels, had been in a senior Socceroos squad but did not play. His switch comes less than three months out from Australia’s World Cup opener and removes him from immediate selection for Australia unless a formal change back is approved by FIFA.
Adrian Segecic: switch confirmed
FIFA’s Change of Association Platform shows the change of association completed on Friday and was visible the following day. The player has previously featured across Australia’s youth teams and received a senior call-up under head coach Tony Popovic for the September window against New Zealand, although he did not enter the field in either fixture and has not been called up since. Club records note Segecic has scored six goals and provided two assists across all competitions for Portsmouth since joining the club; earlier, a 13-goal season for Sydney FC helped prompt his move to the Championship. He also made 19 appearances for three Australian underage sides between 2019 and 2024.
Immediate reactions
Tony Popovic, head coach of the Socceroos, reiterated his long-stated stance on players eligible for multiple countries: “We’re not selling the shirt. ” Popovic added, “There were no ultimatums or any pressure – it was a discussion, and if he wants to play for Australia, whether that’s, let’s say, three months, six months, a year … they’re young men, you have to respect the decisions they have to make. ” FIFA rules mean that once fielded by Croatia Segecic cannot switch back to Australia; if he remains uncapped by Croatia and wished to reverse the decision he would need to submit a formal request to FIFA’s Football Tribunal.
What’s next
It is unclear how soon Segecic could line up for Croatia given the depth available to the world No. 11 national side and scheduled friendlies against Colombia and Brazil this month. For Australia, the timing is a blow to attacking options ahead of warm-up matches against Cameroon and Curacao in Sydney and then Melbourne. The attacker follows midfielder Nectar Triantis, who attended a Socceroos camp before switching to Greece and has since debuted for that nation. Other dual-eligible players remain under consideration for Australia, with Alex Robertson having committed and Cristian Volpato yet to finalise his decision after recent meetings with the coaching staff.
adrian segecic’s decision reshapes selection conversations for both countries as squads head into crucial friendlies and World Cup preparations.
