Apostolos Stamatelopoulos was permitted to return to his homeland and join Sydney FC on loan to try and secure a place in the Socceroos World Cup squad. For allowing him to return to Australia, Stamatelopoulos praised the man-management skills of Jens Berthel Askou. The striker admitted, prior to his debut against Adelaide United, that he was delighted to have been allowed to move.

Sydney FC have signed 26-year-old Australian Socceroos forward Apostolos Stamatelopoulos on loan for the remainder of the 2025-26 Isuzu UTE A-League season. Stamatelopoulos returns to Australia on loan from Scottish Premiership side Motherwell, whom he joined in July 2024 on a three-year deal. As part of the deal, Sydney FC also have the option to make Stamatelopoulos’ move a permanent one at the end of the campaign. Before the move, he had scored two goals and provided one assist in six Scottish Premiership appearances this season for Motherwell. Stamatelopoulos has one cap for Australia, and his current market value is €550k, according to Transfermarkt.