Kai Trewin: World Cup profile | Australia & New York City FC defender | OneFootball

By Cal Meachem

Meet Kai Trewin.

The New York City FC defender will represent Australia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Two fellow MLS players – NYCFC midfielder Aiden O'Neill and Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington – are also with the Socceroos at this summer's tournament.

MLS background

A longtime standout in the A-League, Trewin recorded 4g/3a in 162 combined appearances for the Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City FC.

Ahead of the 2026 season, Trewin joined NYCFC and made an immediate impact.

Whether it's in midfield or alongside the backline, he's started all but one of the Pigeons' matches this season. 

Stats

New York City FC schedule

International experience

A relative newcomer to the senior international stage, Trewin has earned five caps with Australia.

He debuted in a November 2025 friendly vs. Venezuela and has been part of the squad ever since.

This will be Trewin's first World Cup appearance.

World Cup schedule

The Socceroos are in Group D alongside the United States, Paraguay and Türkiye.

The 2026 World Cup has expanded from the usual 32 nations to 48 total. The top two teams advance from each group, and the top eight third-place finishers also make the knockout phase (Round of 32).

The tournament, which is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, spans from June 11 to July 19.

World Cup history

This is Australia's seventh World Cup trip and sixth in a row, qualifying for every tournament since 2006. 

The Socceroos have twice reached the Round of 16, in 2006 and 2022, for their best-ever finish.

How Australia qualified

Australia booked their World Cup ticket by finishing second behind Japan in Group C of the third round of Asian (AFC) World Cup qualifying.

At that stage, the top two teams from each group automatically qualified.