CommBank Young Matildas Head Coach Leah Blayney today announced the 21 players selected to represent Australia at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ (U-20 WWC).
The squad will be captained by Jessika Nash and supported by Alexia Apostolakis and Naomi Chinnama in the 24-team global showpiece running from 31 August – 22 September 2024.
For the second consecutive tournament, Australia will begin their U-20 WWC campaign against the host nation, facing Colombia at the Estadio El Campín in Bogotá on Saturday, 31 August (local).
Their Group A schedule – all played at the Estadio El Campín – will see the CommBank Young Matildas tackle their second opponents, Mexico, on Tuesday, 3 September (local) before ending the group phase against Cameroon on Friday, 6 September (local).
Blayney has settled on three goalkeepers, six defenders, five midfielders and seven forwards following two years of domestic camps, Talent Development Scheme matches, international friendlies, qualifiers, and AFC tournament activities. The squad features 19 players who participated in the recent 2023/24 Liberty A-League Women’s season.
While the cohesion and chemistry of the team has been maintained through the inclusion of 15 members of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2024™ roster, it also includes new faces in Ella Buchanan, Amber Luchtmeijer, Tanaye Morris, Emilia Murray, Ella O’Grady, Peta Trimis and Alicia Woods, who have earned their positions through extensive scouting efforts.
The Class of 2024 includes six players with previous youth World Cup experience: Apostolakis, Chinnama, Nash, Jynaya Dos Santos, Kahli Johnson, and Chloe Lincoln. Notably, Shellharbour’s Jynaya and Indiana Dos Santos will become the first sisters to compete together in a FIFA World Cup™ tournament.
Leah Blayney commented on the challenging selection process that resulted in a talented final squad that will take on the world’s best youth players.
“This cycle has taken the team to the Kyrgyz Republic, Vietnam, China, Uzbekistan, New Zealand and now we will complete this two-year journey in Colombia where the players have a golden chance to display their abilities and represent Australia with pride on the world stage,” Blayney said.
“Over this cycle we have seen over 60 players across all Member Federations participate in the process, and every single one of them has contributed to the quality of this team as they showed up to test and challenge each other to keep evolving. I would like to thank all the players, Member Federations, NPL clubs and Liberty A-League Women clubs for their contribution to the final squad.
“We’ve selected a roster that has exhibited strong current form, combined with an important balance across the lines of defence, midfield and attack. The collective of players across those three lines provides us with plenty of variety as they all have different types of playing profiles and attributes.
“Ultimately our team will strive to maintain our attacking playing style with a focus exciting and entertaining football which we hope will capture the Australian public and gain their support. The test that this group craves, is now to pull it all together under tournament conditions.”
With the tournament falling outside of a FIFA Women’s International Window, Liberty A-League Women 2023/24 Young Player of the Year, Daniela Galic, will be unavailable following a recent overseas club move. Excitingly, eight members of the Australian squad will remain eligible for the 2026 cycle.
The U-20 WWC will also provide a preview into the future of the game. Over the past decade the U-20 Women’s National Team and Future Matildas Program nurturing and developing the talents of Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Clare Hunt, Clare Wheeler, Kaitlyn Torpey, Cortnee Vine, Amy Sayer, Charli Grant, Courtney Nevin, Holly McNamara, Remy Siemsen and Alex Chidiac who progressed to not only make their senior debuts but to also represent Australia at AFC Women’s Asian Cups, FIFA Women’s World Cups and Olympic Games.
The CommBank Young Matildas qualified for their fifth appearance at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ by virtue of a bronze medal finish at the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ in March 2024. They will represent Asia alongside former U-20 winners DPR Korea, reigning U-20 silver medallists Japan, and Korea Republic.
The top two nations from each group, and the two best third-place finishers following the completion of group play will progress to the knockout phase. The knockout phase starts with the Round of 16 (11 and 12 September), followed by the semi-finals (Wednesday, 18 September) and the final on Sunday, 22 September 2024.
The team will begin assembling in Sydney next week, ahead of their departure for an acclimatisation pre-camp at the altitude of Bogotá, before the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign commences.
