Football Australia is pleased to announce the 26-player CommBank Young Matildas squad set to compete in the PacificAus Sports Four Nations Tournament, to be held in Canberra from 17 - 26 February 2025.
Australia will face the senior women's national teams of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, along with the Thailand U-20 Women's National Team in a round-robin format at Viking Park and Deakin Stadium, providing a valuable opportunity for player development ahead of the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup™ qualifiers later this year.
The camp, held at the Australian Institute of Sport, marks the first matches of the year with interim Head Coach Kory Babington, assistant to former Head Coach Leah Blayney, selecting a star-studded squad featuring some of Australia's best young talent.
Babington expressed his eagerness for the squad coming together since the conclusion of the previous cycle, stating: "After some time away from each other and with the start of a new exciting two-year cycle, the PacificAus Sports Four Nations Tournament presents an exceptional opportunity to assemble a talented group of young Australian footballers for invaluable international experience."
"They have been on a football development journey for many years with their local grassroots clubs, Ninja A-League clubs and CommBank Junior Matildas, with the ultimate goal of being elite senior footballers capable of being CommBank Matildas.
"This squad is a strong mix of players, many with experience at the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup™ and FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup™, paired with rising talents identified through the National Youth Championships, Member Federations, and the Ninja A-League, where many of them are already making key contributions for their respective clubs.
"This tournament marks the beginning of an important two-year journey towards the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Poland 2026™ and provides all players with the opportunity to showcase their technical, tactical, and physical qualities against senior opponents.
"Our immediate focus is to create an environment where these footballers come together as a cohesive unit that plays dynamic, fluid football while embracing the winning mentality that Australians are renowned for," Babington concluded.
Australia's Four Nations Tournament squad sees a total of 25 Ninja A-League players selected, representing 10 clubs and five Member Federations.
Entry for all three match days is free for the public.
