The countdown to our first competitive match of the 2026/27 campaign is officially on… which means it’s time to lock in this season’s squad numbers!
As Aurelio Vidmar’s side prepares for our Australia Cup Round of 32 clash against Weston Bears FC, several familiar faces will be sporting a new look, while our latest arrivals have also selected their numbers for the season ahead.
Let’s take a look at the biggest changes.
New arrivals settle in
Following Patrick Beach’s move to Troyes in France’s Ligue 1, experienced goalkeeper Macklin Freke will take over the number one shirt.
Meanwhile, Quinn MacNicol has selected number 19 for his first season in City blue, and exciting young attacker Roland Ballah will wear number 39 as he begins his professional career.
Academy graduates step into new numbers
There are plenty of fresh looks among City’s Academy graduates, with several players moving into lighter shirt numbers ahead of the new campaign.
Defender Besian Kutleshi makes the biggest leap, swapping number 44 for 14, while fellow defenders Peter Antoniou (22), Ryan Kalms (26) and Mathew Baker (36) have all selected new numbers.
After reaching the 50-game milestone last season, Kavian Rahmani moves from 47 into number 24.
Young goalkeeper Lachie Charles has also changed from 60 to 42, while Akeem Gerald will wear number 37 after making history last season as the youngest player ever to appear in AFC competition.
Lucky 77
Perhaps the biggest talking point comes courtesy of Takeshi Kanamori.
The Japanese midfielder has swapped his number 10 shirt for number 77 ahead of the new campaign, becoming the first player in Melbourne City history to wear the number. It’s also the highest number a senior player has worn in Club history.
We’ll also confirm the squad numbers of any new signings as they’re announced throughout the remainder of the transfer window.
Check out the confirmed squad numbers for the 2026/27 campaign below!
| # | PLAYER |
| 1 | Macklin FREKE |
| 2 | Harrison DELBRIDGE |
| 4 | Liam BONETIG |
| 7 | Mathew LECKIE |
| 13 | Nathaniel ATKINSON |
| 14 | Besian KUTLESHI |
| 15 | Andrew NABBOUT |
| 16 | Aziz BEHICH |
| 17 | Max CAPUTO |
| 19 | Quinn MACNICOL |
| 20 | Ben MAZZEO |
| 21 | Alessandro LOPANE |
| 22 | Peter ANTONIOU |
| 24 | Kavian RAHMANI |
| 26 | Ryan KALMS |
| 34 | Jayden NECOVSKI |
| 35 | Medin MEMETI |
| 36 | Mathew BAKER |
| 37 | Akeem GERALD |
| 38 | Beckham BAKER |
| 39 | Roland BALLAH |
| 40 | James NIEUWENHUIZEN |
| 41 | Lawrence WONG |
| 42 | Lachlan CHALRES |
| 77 | Takeshi KANAMORI |
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