Mat Ryan has been dropped from Australia's squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil — and this time, it doesn't look like a rotation call. It looks like the end of an era.
The 34-year-old Levante goalkeeper has been in decent club form this season, but losing his starting spot to Patrick Beach during the World Cup appears to have cost him his international standing too. Australia have now handed a call-up to uncapped Jacob Chapman of St Mirren, who joins Beach and Paul Izzo as the three goalkeepers in Tony Popovic's 26-man squad.
Volpato also absent — but for different reasons
Cristian Volpato is the other significant absentee. The midfielder tested positive for cocaine earlier this month and was fined, though the official line is that a hamstring injury is keeping him out. Whether that's the full story or a face-saving exit, he's not in the group either way.
Popovic was direct about what these matches mean: "We will only have two camps and four matches before we select our Asian Cup 2027 squad, so these matches are critical for us." That's the real context here. This isn't just a friendly — it's a 26-man audition for a major tournament.
Australia playing at home for the first time since March adds another layer. Crowd, atmosphere, pressure to perform. Chapman in particular has a narrow window to make his case.
Australia's full squad for the Brazil friendlies
Goalkeepers:
- Patrick Beach (Troyes/FRA)
- Jacob Chapman (St Mirren/SCO)
- Paul Izzo (Randers FC/DEN)
Defenders:
- Kealey Adamson (Queens Park Rangers/ENG)
- Aziz Behich (Melbourne City/AUS)
- Kasey Bos (Excelsior Rotterdam/NED)
- Alessandro Circati (Benfica/POR)
- Milos Degenek (Apoel FC/CYP)
- Jason Geria (Albirex Niigata/JPN)
- Lucas Herrington (Hull City/ENG)
- Jacob Italiano (Grazer AK/AUT)
- Dylan Leonard (Alemannia Aachen/GER)
- Harry Souttar (Leicester City/ENG)
Midfielders:
- Jackson Irvine (Cerezo Osaka/JPN)
- Riley McGree (Middlesbrough/ENG)
- Connor Metcalfe (St Pauli/GER)
- Aiden O'Neill (New York City/USA)
- Paul Okon-Engstler (FC Koln/GER)
- Alexander Robertson (Cardiff City/WAL)
- Patrick Yazbek (Nashville SC/USA)
Forwards:
- Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka/JPN)
- Yaya Dukuly (NK Celje/SLO)
- Nestory Irankunda (Sporting CP/POR)
- Mohamed Toure (Norwich City/ENG)
- Tete Yengi (FC Machida Zelvia/JPN)
- Marcus Younis (Brondby/DEN)
A squad heavy with European and Japanese league players, a goalkeeper controversy, and a coach openly building toward the Asian Cup. Australia's odds of being competitive in 2027 will depend a lot on what these Brazil matches actually reveal — and whether the next generation of Socceroos can handle the step up against the most decorated nation in World Cup history.
