A youth product of the Melbourne Victory academy, Nishan Velupillay has gone on to star for the senior team with 146 appearances, following his debut in 2021. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Indian-origin player Nishan Velupillay is part of the Australian squad that will feature in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

A youth product of the Melbourne Victory academy, Velupillay has gone on to star for the senior team with 146 appearances, following his debut in 2021.

Over his club career, the 25-year-old has gone on to score 25 times, establishing himself as the talisman and Melbourne Victory’s top scorer since his debut. Most conspicuously, in the 2024-25 campaign, he spearheaded the Big V to Australian Cup success, leading by example as the tournament’s top scorer.

Buoyed by this success, the electric winger received a call-up to the Australian team’s World Cup Qualifiers in 2024. There, he hit the ground running, scoring off the bench on his debut against China. In his brief national career so far, Velupillay has gone on to net 3 times in 7 appearances.

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After suffering a hamstring injury in the 2025-26 pre-season with Melbourne Victory and missing the start of the season,  he returned with 5 goal contributions during the (rest) course of the campaign, which sufficed in finding (was enough to secure) him a place in the Australian 2026 World Cup squad. (As a result?) On the back of that, Velupillay could become the first Indian-origin player to play in this edition of the FIFA World Cup.

However, having only featured twice with the national side since his injury, it remains unclear whether the 25-year-old will start for the Socceroos this summer, as the talented Nestory Iranakunda will likely remain the preferred right-wing option for Tony Popovic.

Published on Jun 14, 2026