The Isuzu UTE A-League will be front in centre at the upcoming West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Under-23 Championship after the Olyroos announced their squad.
An extended 26-man squad has been named for the fifth edition of the WAFF tournament, which will be held in Saudi Arabia between March 18-26 as Australia continue to prepare for April’s AFC U23 Asian Cup.
Of the 26 players, 16 are from the Isuzu UTE A-League – Thomas Waddingham (Brisbane Roar), Jacob Farrell (Central Coast Mariners), Alou Kuol (Central Coast Mariners), Lachlan Brook (Western Sydney Wanderers), Nicolas Milanovic (Western Sydney Wanderers), Jake Girdwood-Reich (Sydney FC), Jordan Courtney-Perkins (Sydney FC), Corey Hollman (Sydney FC), Jake Hollman (Macarthur FC), Nishan Velupillay (Melbourne Victory), Ryan Teague (Melbourne Victory), Giuseppe Bovalina (Adelaide United), Lucas Mauragis (Newcastle Jets), Mark Natta (Newcastle Jets), Patrick Beach (Melbourne City) and Cameron Cook (Perth Glory).
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The Championship will feature Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and United Arab Emirates with the eight participating teams broken up into four groups, while opponents beyond the first match dependant on results.
Australia have been drawn alongside Iraq in Group D and will face either Egypt or the UAE before the schedule opens up ahead of the Olyroos’ final fixture.
“This window is an extremely important part of our preparation for the Asian Cup and with the extra game than we’d usually have, we’re able to provide ample opportunity across the squad ahead of selecting our final 23,” said head coach Tony Vidmar.
“We’re facing quality opposition in similar conditions to what we’ll see in Qatar, so in terms of acclimatising for the Asian Cup it covers a lot of important bases.
“As a group we’ve set clear expectations about what we want to achieve over the next six months, and this is the first step in that journey.”
Vidmar added: “Unfortunately, the Asian Cup falls outside of a designated FIFA Window, which presents challenges in players seeking releases from their respective clubs to join us in Qatar.
“It’s certainly disappointing not to have access to all those who are eligible for the Asian Cup, and on a personal level, I feel for those players who won’t have the opportunity to experience the tournament and reap the benefits in terms of their continued development.
“It was something we always knew would be a possibility, so there has been a lot of planning that has gone into our preparation over the last 12 months, built on the understanding of the circumstances we could face regarding Asian Cup selection.
“We’ve been able to create some great depth across the program, while maintaining continuity within the squad through a core group of key players. This situation now provides the opportunity for a couple of new faces to come in for this window and show how they can integrate within our team culture and style of play.”
Match schedule
Olyroos v Iraq U-23
Thursday, 21 March 2024
Kick-off: 8.00pm AST / 4am AEDT (Friday, 22 March)
Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium, Saudi Arabia
Olyroos v TBC
Saturday, 23 March 2024
Kick-off: TBC
Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium, Saudi Arabia
Olyroos v TBC
Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Kick-off: TBC
Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium, Saudi Arabia
Olyroos squad
| Name | Position | Club | Junior Football Club |
| Patrick BEACH | Goalkeeper | Melbourne City | Glenmore Park FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Hosine BILITY | Defender | CD Mafra | Croydon Kings FC (Football South Australia) |
| Giuseppe BOVALINA | Defender | Adelaide United | Croydon Kings FC (Football South Australia) |
| Lachlan BROOK | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers | Gawler Eagles FC (Football South Australia) |
| Cameron COOK | Goalkeeper | Perth Glory | Vikings FC (Football Northern Territory) |
| Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS | Defender | Sydney FC | Newmarket SFC (Football Queensland) |
| Louis D’ARRIGO | Midfielder | Lechia Gdansk | West Torrens Birkalla SC (Football South Australia) |
| Jacob FARRELL | Defender | Central Coast Mariners | Wyoming FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Jake GIRDWOOD-REICH | Defender | Sydney FC | Sydney Olympic FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Steven HALL | Goalkeeper | Brighton Hove & Albion FC (Youth) | Para Hills Knights SC (Football South Australia) |
| Corey HOLLMAN | Midfielder | Sydney FC | Seaforth FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Jake HOLLMAN | Midfielder | Macarthur FC | Seaforth FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Jacob ITALIANO | Defender | Borussia Monchengladbach II | Inglewood United FC (Football West) |
| Alou KUOL | Forward | Central Coast Mariners | Shepparton SC (Football Victoria) |
| Garang KUOL | Forward | FC Volendam | Goulburn Valley Suns FC (Football Victoria) |
| Lucas MAURAGIS | Defender | Newcastle Jets | Merimbula Grasshoppers FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Nicolas MILANOVIC | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers | Sydney United 58 FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Mark NATTA | Defender | Newcastle Jets | Sutherland Sharks FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Jahce NOVELLO | Forward | Cosenza Calcio | South West Phoenix FC (Football West) |
| Alexandar POPOVIC | Defender | Gwangju FC | Adelaide Comets FC (Football South Australia) |
| Adrian SEGECIC | Forward | FC Dordrecht | Lidcombe Waratah Junior SC (Football New South Wales) |
| Ryan TEAGUE | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory | Maroubra United FC (Football New South Wales) |
| Nishan VELUPILLAY | Forward | Melbourne Victory | Endeavour United SC (Football Victoria) |
| Thomas WADDINGHAM | Forward | Brisbane Roar | Edge Hill United FC (Football Queensland) |
| Patrick YAZBEK | Midfielder | Viking FK | Austral SC (Football New South Wales) |
| Rhys YOULLEY | Midfielder | KVC Westerlo | Marconi Stallions FC (Football New South Wales) |
