Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Dylan Scicluna is reportedly moving closer to switching his international allegiance from Malta to Australia, in what would be a significant blow for the Maltese national team setup.
Australian outlet Football360, citing Stan Sport and SEN Football host Adam Peacock, reported that the 21-year-old is “almost” through the clearance process to switch from Malta to the Socceroos. Peacock described Scicluna as “one of the best in ALM this season”.
The story has also gained traction in Australian football circles after A-League’s social channels highlighted the possibility of Scicluna targeting a future in green and gold, underlining how highly the midfielder is currently rated across the competition. Football360 went further, calling him one of the A-League’s standout players this season.
For Malta, the situation is especially frustrating because Scicluna had already moved into the senior picture. In November 2024, the Malta FA included him in the senior squad for the first time after noting that he had already represented Malta at Under 19 and Under 21 level. However, he was then forced to pull out through injury before linking up with the squad, meaning he did not make his senior debut.
The MFA had earlier described Scicluna as one of the key figures of Malta’s U19 side at the European Championship finals on home soil, before he was also brought into the U21 setup. That progression had appeared to place him firmly on Malta’s pathway towards senior international football.
That is why the current Australian reporting matters. Because Scicluna has not yet played a senior international for Malta, a switch remains possible subject to FIFA approval and the formal change of association process. FIFA has a dedicated change of association platform for such cases, while Football360 specifically reported that Scicluna said he was close to receiving the necessary clearance.
From a football point of view, Malta would be losing a player with real upside. A-Leagues coverage has already highlighted his rise, with former Wanderers coach Alen Stajcic saying Scicluna has the qualities to become “one of the best midfielders in the league”. The same reporting noted his growing influence in midfield and the strong impression he has made in Australia since returning from England, where he spent years in the academy systems of Aston Villa and Wolves.
For now, nothing is official from either federation. But if the Australian reports prove correct, Malta may be about to lose one of the most promising diaspora midfielders it had managed to bring into its national team structure.
