Malta lose Dylan Scicluna as midfielder opts to play for World Cup finalists Australia

The move was confirmed on Wednesday through FIFA’s Change of Association Platform, ending Malta’s chances of calling up the 21-year-old midfielder.

The switch had been widely expected in recent days, particularly after Scicluna told Australian media that the process was close to being finalised.

“We are almost done with the process of swapping from Malta to Australia,” he said.

“My heart is always going to lie with Australia. I can’t wait for that to get over the line. I would love to represent the Socceroos one day.”

Scicluna, who was born in Melbourne, had previously represented Australia at U20 level before becoming part of Malta’s youth national team setup in 2023.

However, the change of association was possible because he never made a senior competitive appearance for Malta, despite being included in provisional squads in the past.

Australia have already qualified for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, where they will face hosts USA, Paraguay and a UEFA play-off winner from Slovakia, Kosovo, Romania and Türkiye.

The switch therefore keeps the door open for Scicluna to potentially be part of Australia’s World Cup plans in the coming years.

Read: Wolves U-21’s Dylan Scicluna open to idea of representing Malta national team.

In an interview with the Times of Malta in 2022, Scicluna had spoken about his Maltese roots, explaining that although his family moved to Australia, he still has relatives from Żabbar, Sliema and Gozo.

He also confirmed at the time that he held a Maltese passport and was open to representing Malta internationally.

Scicluna has since established himself in Australia’s top-flight, making 20 appearances and registering three assists this season for Western Sydney Wanderers.

He was also part of the Malta U19 squad that hosted the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2023.

His brother, Lucas Scicluna, currently plays for Newcastle Jets in the A-League.

He made 14 appearances for Malta at U19 level and one appearance for the U21 national team but has never received a senior national team call-up.