Melbourne City defender Kai Trewin has opened up on what it means to receive his maiden Socceroos call-up ahead of two crucial FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualifiers.
After a standout first season with City, the centre-back was called up by Tony Popovic for the Socceroos crucial qualifiers against Indonesia and China.
“It was on Thursday morning, actually at 8.30 I got the message from Joel [Team Manager]. And, yeah, very, very happy,” Trewin said.
“It was a great feeling. I can’t really put it into words, to be honest.
“I didn’t really know I had much of a shot until after that game on Wednesday. A few of the coaches from City said: ‘When do you find out about the team?’ Then I thought, maybe I’m in with a shot.”
It doesn’t get much bigger than a first call-up ahead of two key fixtures, but it’s a challenge Trewin is very much looking forward to.
“Just sort of integrating with the team properly, putting my best foot forward in training [is what I want to do]. If I do get a chance to get on the pitch, just giving everything and helping the team get a good result on Thursday,” the 23-year-old said.
“I feel like I can step up to plate, I have a lot of confidence in my own ability and under pressure I feel like I’ll definitely be fine.”
Since joining City ahead of the 2024/25 A-Leagues season, Trewin has been one of the team’s best – a constant in the heart of defence, while also showcasing his ability to play in midfield.
The defender reflected on how his move to Melbourne gave him the belief that he was ready to represent the national team.
“Sort of since the start of the season, my teammates in Melbourne and the coaches gave me a lot of confidence and I feel like I’ve been playing quite well until this point,” Trewin said.
“I wouldn’t say there was one sort of moment [when I knew I was ready], but just this season as a whole has been quite good for me and I feel like I’ve really stepped it up a bit this year.”
Joined in the squad by City teammates Aziz Behich and Marco Tilio, Trewin turned to his skipper for some advice ahead of camp.
“I’m lucky I get to train with a guy like him [Aziz Behich] every day,” he said. “He has almost 80 caps for the Socceroos now. So he gave me the heads-up on a few things coming into camp. I’ve been very lucky that I’ve been able to play and train alongside him for a while now [at Melbourne City].”
“He just says be yourself and be confident. When I come to training and am around the other players, just be yourself. I’ll definitely try and do that.”
The Socceroos take will take on Indonesia in Sydney this Thursday, before travelling to face China in their second qualifier of the window.
“I think it comes with being a Socceroo really, the expectation of winning all your games and playing well,” Trewin said. “This is the biggest step for football in Australia, and I think that the expectation just comes with that.”
“They’ll [Indonesia] be a great team, obviously. I’ll just focus on trying to contribute as best as I can to the team, and however that is, I’ll just give it my best and try and help.”
MATCH DETAILS
Socceroos v Indonesia
Thursday 20 March 2025
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 8:00pm AEDT
Broadcast: 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
China PR v Socceroos
Tuesday 25 March 2025
Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou
Kick-off: 7:00pm local / 10:00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Paramount+
