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CommBank Young Matildas Head Coach Leah Blayney has named a talented 23-player squad to take part in the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2024™.

After successfully navigating Rounds 1 and 2 of qualification, Australia were last year drawn in Group A and will feature alongside Korea Republic (3 March), hosts Uzbekistan (6 March), and Chinese Taipei (9 March) during the tournament that runs 3-16 March 2024.

Local A-League Women’s talent dominates the selections with 22 of the 23 squad members currently playing their club football in national competition. Tottenham Hotspur FC academy rising star, Milly Boughton, is the only internationally-based player to make the plane for Tashkent.

Upon announcing the final squad, Leah Blayney said: “This squad has been a result of over 12 months of intensive scouting across the country and internationally. With the significant number of excellent players available, this has been an extremely difficult task to select the final squad.”

“I want to thank the close to 100 players who participated in the process and put their best foot forward in Elite Matches, ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Youth Championships, NTC Challenge games, ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Premier League clashes, A-League Women’s fixtures and CommBank Young Matildas’ camps.

“We are pleased with the final roster not only in terms of depth, but also the versatility, high motivation and form they are all current demonstrating. This is one of the most exciting cohorts that I have worked with over my six years with the national team, and it highlights the fantastic work being undertaken across the Australian football landscape,” Blayney explained.

Among the group are representatives from seven different Member Federations and 10 different A-League Women’s clubs nationally. The roster boasts strong tournament experience where eight members were part of the CommBank Young Matildas’ FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022™ campaign.

Melbourne Victory FC defender Jessika Nash will captain the side for a second year with Melbourne City FC defender Naomi Thomas-Chinnama her deputy. While 2023/24 A-League Women’s Young Football of the Month nominees in Daniela Galic (November), Alana Murphy (December) and Maddie Caspers (January) all feature in Blayney’s squad.

“As we have seen from the 2019 edition that saw the likes of Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Charli Grant and Courtney Nevin star, we see the U20s championship as a vital tournament to assist in developing the next generation of senior CommBank Matildas,” Blayney continued.

“It’s at this age where players start to break into their club teams and take on positions of responsibility in those environments. We look to build on that in the national team to sharpen their already considerable tools and provide them with even more assets for their future career.

“Historically across this age group, and particularly in the past four years, we have shown there is a definite pathway to progress all the way up to the senior team. We are determined to do everything possible to qualify for this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup which will provide further opportunities for this talented group of players,” Blayney concluded.

A top two finish in Group A will not only mean progression to the knockout stage of the tournament, but also qualification for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ from 31 August – 22 September 2024.

The CommBank Young Matildas will gather for a pre-camp from 19 – 28 February which will take place in Sydney and then Dubai, before the team arrives in Tashkent on 1 March for the tournament.

AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ group action will take place from 3 – 9 March 2023, with the semi-finals scheduled for 13 March and the third-place match and Final to take place on 16 March 2024.

Australian fans can catch every CommBank Young Matildas match at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ live and free on 10 Play, thanks to Football Australia’s broadcast partner, Paramount Australia.

MATCH SCHEDULE | GROUP STAGE | AFC U-20 WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP UZBEKISTAN 2024™

Korea Republic v Australia

Date: Sunday, 3 March 2024

Kick-off: 1.00pm (local) / 7.00pm AEDT

Venue: Do’stlik Stadium, Tashkent

Broadcast: 10 Play

Australia v Uzbekistan

Date: Wednesday, 6 March 2024

Kick-off: 4.00pm (local) / 10.00pm AEDT

Venue: JAR Stadium, Tashkent

Broadcast: 10 Play

Australia v Chinese Taipei

Date: Saturday, 9 March 2024

Kick-off: 1.00pm (local) / 7.00pm AEDT

Venue: Do’stlik Stadium, Tashkent

Broadcast: 10 Play

FINAL SQUAD | AFC U-20 WOMEN’S ASIAN CUP UZBEKISTAN 2024™