Australian Tamil footballer Nishan Velupillay made a stunning international debut for Australia during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match against China, as he bagged a goal in his first international match.
Photograph: @Socceroos
Australian Tamil footballer Nishan Velupillay made a stunning international debut for Australia during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match against China, as he bagged a goal in his first international match.
The 23-year-old Melbourne player, of Tamil heritage, scored a crucial goal in Australia’s 3-1 victory over China, keeping the nation’s World Cup hopes alive.
Born in 2001, Velupillay is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Melbourne Victory team and the Australian National team. He was born in Melbourne and attended Mazenod College in Mulgrave. He began his career in the youth academy at Glen Eira FC.
At this recent match against China, Velupillay was called up by Tony Popovic ahead of their matche against China and Japan. He came off the bench in the 83th minute to replace Mitchell Duke to mark off his debut, 7 minutes later, he scored a goal to sealed a 3–1 win over China.
