CommBank Junior Matildas head coach selected 13 up-and-coming Ninja A-League prospects to take part in Australia’s qualification campaign for the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup this month.
The 23-player squad will convene for a pre-camp in Sydney on October 8 before taking on Northern Mariana Islands (October 13) and Singapore (October 17) in Group E for a place at the Under-17 Asian Cup.
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The two qualifiers will take place in Singapore, where Australia will need to top Group E to earn a place at the major tournament.
The qualification phase features eight groups – three groups of four and five groups of three – with the eight group winners joining automatic qualifiers DPR Korea, Japan, Korea Republic and China PR from the 2025 Under-17 World Cup to make up the 12-team line-up for the 2026 Under-17 Asian Cup.
Thirteen Ninja A-League players have been selected for duty in the qualification squad:
Western Sydney Wanderers: Charlotte Bradshaw, Annabelle Croll, Mary Dal Broi, Hayley Muir, Alara Turkkan
Sydney FC: Claire Corbett, Willa Pearson, Rubi Sullivan
Melbourne City FC: Dali Gorr Burchmore, Kaya Jugovic, Izabella Rako, Keira Sarris
Melbourne Victory FC: Leyla Hussein
Junior Matildas head coach Mike Cooper says he’s confident of a strong showing in Singapore as several members of the squad that recently won the ASEAN U16 Girls’ Championship return to help Australia push for Asian Cup qualification – including Melbourne City’s Kaya Jugovic, who was named player of the tournament at the youth tournament.
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“We’re excited to travel to Singapore with this talented squad as we begin our journey toward the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026™.
“Performance levels and attitude in camp have been excellent and we will look to build on these foundations and take them to new heights during the tournament.
“Qualifying for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup is the first step towards our goal and is incredibly important. We’ve selected a group of players to reflect that importance, and we look forward to our matches against Northern Mariana Islands and Singapore.
“Our squad is a blend of players who already have experience winning at international level – having recently lifted the ASEAN U16 Girls’ Championship trophy – and new faces who have earned their spot through performance at national team camp and their club environments.”
Full Junior Matildas squad – Under-17 Asian Cup qualifiers
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| NAME | POSITION | CLUB/MEMBER FEDERATION | |
| Tyra | BAGIANTE | Forward | Macarthur Rams FC / Football NSW |
| Charlotte | BRADSHAW | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers / Football NSW |
| Sienna | CALVANESE | Forward | Football SA NTC / Football SA |
| Claire | CORBETT | Midfielder | Macarthur Rams FC & Sydney FC / Football NSW |
| Annabelle | CROLL | Goalkeeper | Western Sydney Wanderers / Football NSW |
| Mary | DAL BROI | Midfielder | Western Sydney Wanderers / Football NSW |
| Dali | GORR BURCHMORE | Goalkeeper | Melbourne City FC / Football VIC |
| Leyla | HUSSEIN | Forward | Melbourne Victory FC / Football VIC |
| Kaya | JUGOVIC | Midfielder | Melbourne City FC / Football VIC |
| Sakura | LEONG | Defender | Football West Hyundai NTC / Football West |
| Liana | LUONG | Defender | Macarthur Rams FC / Football NSW |
| Chelsea | MCCREDIE | Goalkeeper | Manly United FC / Football NSW |
| Theodora | MOUITHYS MICKALAD | Forward | Football West Hyundai NTC / Football West |
| Hayley | MUIR | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers / Football NSW |
| Maeve | NICHOLAS | Defender | Football SA NTC / Football SA |
| Willa | PEARSON | Defender | Belrose Terrey Hills Raiders & Sydney FC / Football NSW |
| Abbie | PUCKETT | Midfielder | Macarthur Rams FC / Football NSW |
| Izabella | RAKO | Midfielder | Melbourne City FC/ Football VIC |
| Keira | SARRIS | Midfielder | Melbourne City FC / Football VIC |
| Rubi | SULLIVAN | Defender | Sydney FC / Football NSW |
| Aeryn | TARRANT | Defender | Heidelberg United FC/Football VIC |
| Jada | TAYLOR | Forward | Northern Tigers FC / Football NSW |
| Alara | TURKKAN | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers / Football NSW |
