Williams represented Australia at the 2013 Under-20 World Cup and earned a senior cap for the Socceroos in a 2019 friendly against South Korea, playing 17 minutes.
But now the 32-year-old from Perth, who has an India-born mother and who's now playing in the Indian Super League for Bengaluru, has qualified for an Indian passport after a lengthy process of around two years.
His adopted country does not allow dual citizenship, so Williams had to give up his Australian passport and he's now in line to be called up by India's national team coach Khalid Jamil ahead of the final round of 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
India are set to face neighbours Bangladesh on November 18 when the veteran winger could make his debut
"One of the things my grandfather, who passed away, said was, 'Please go and play in India.' The process of obtaining the passport was difficult, but the decision was not," Williams told The Times of India.
"There's more than just a little bit of history. My mother was born here, my grandparents, my great grandparents too. My grandmother has an old scrapbook with all the pictures ... It feels like a bit of a full circle.
"It's something that my family and I thought about a lot. Making a debut for the national team is the proudest moment for any professional footballer. I've been waiting so long for this moment," Williams said.
13°C