Irankunda, teenager destined for Bayern, wins his first call-up to Australia

He first hopes to make his debut for the Socceroos when they face Bangladesh on June 6 and host Palestine five days later in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

Graham Arnold's team tops the group with four wins from four and is already in the final stages of qualifying for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

After Irankunda suggested he might instead represent Tanzania or Burundi, having been overlooked for a recent Australian Olympic team, coach Arnold said the player was now ready.

The forward represented the Australian under-17 team and Arnold called him up in March to train with the senior team.

“I was surprised (by Irankunda's comments) but the main point was that he said his dream was to play for the Socceroos,” Arnold said on Wednesday, after calling up an expanded squad of 25 players.

“When I spoke to him last week, this was his dream, and his dream will come true.”

The speedy Irankunda recently became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Australian A-League when he scored three times in Adelaide United's 4-1 win over Western United.

The Socceroos will train in Thailand before traveling to Bangladesh.

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