Nineteen of the Isuzu UTE A-League’s brightest up-and-coming talents were selected for duty in the 23-player Olyroos squad travelling to China for three AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers in September.
Head coach Tony Vidmar’s 23-player squad will to take on Northern Mariana Islands, Timor-Leste and China PR between September 3-9.
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Australia must finish as one of 11 group winners or one the four best second-placed teams in their four-team group to advance to the tournament set to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2026.
The 19 Isuzu UTE A-League players selected come from nine clubs:
Adelaide United: Ethan Alagich, Yaya Dukuly
Central Coast Mariners: Nathan Paull, Dylan Peraic-Cullen
Macarthur FC: Alexander Robinson
Melbourne City: Patrick Beach
Melbourne Victory: Josh Rawlins, Jing Reec, Jordi Vaadon
Newcastle Jets: Ben Gibson
Perth Glory: Nathanael Blair, Kaelan Majekodunmi
Western Sydney Wanderers: Aydan Hammond, Anthony Pantazopoulos, Oscar Priestman, Aidan Simmons
Western United: Matthew Grimaldi, Rhys Bozinovski, Abel Walatee
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Olyroos head coach Tony Vidmar said: “With the exception of Kealey Adamson (Queens Park Rangers FC), Giuseppe Bovalina (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), and Jed Drew (TSV Hartberg) we have representation from multiple clubs in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
“The selected players represent the view the team and I have had, in the lead up to this competition, that we wanted to work with new and existing talent across a range of leagues and clubs to build greater depth across the squad.
“We have also worked hard to develop the squad and create opportunities for players to show us their individual qualities over the last six months and provide experiences that will set them up for the Asian Cup Qualifiers this September.
“Having a mix of players from overseas and Australia, who have been getting plenty of minutes at their respective clubs, has meant we are taking a strong and competitive squad to the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers in China PR.
“This is a great tournament to be a part of and will provide an excellent experience for the group.
“I’m excited by the group we have named today, and I am looking forward to seeing them perform on the pitch.”
Match details – 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
Australian v Northern Mariana Islands
Date: Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Kick-off: 15:30pm (local time) / 17.30pm AEST
Location: Xi’an Sports Training Centre, Xi’an, China PR
Australian v Timor-Leste
Date: Saturday, 6 September 2025
Kick-off: 15:30pm (local time) / 17.30pm AEST
Location: Xi’an Sports Training Centre, Xi’an, China PR
Australian v China PR
Date: Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Kick-off: 19:35pm (local time) / 21:35pm AEST
Location: Xi’an International Football Centre, Xi’an, China PR
Australia Under-23 squad – 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
| Name | Position | Current Club | Junior Club / Member Federation |
| Kealey ADAMSON | Defender | Queens Park Rangers, England | Lindfield FC / Football NSW |
| Ethan ALAGICH | Midfielder | Adelaide United, Australia | Valley View SC / Football SA |
| Patrick BEACH | Goalkeeper | Melbourne City, Australia | Glenmore Park FC / Football NSW |
| Nathanael BLAIR | Forward | Perth Glory, Australia | Marrickville FC / Football NSW |
| Giuseppe BOVALINA | Defender | Vancouver Whitecaps, Canada | Croydon FC / Football SA |
| Rhys BOZINOVSKI | Midfielder | Western United, Australia | Spring Hills Stallions FC / Football VIC |
| Jed DREW | Forward | TSV Hartberg, Austria | Meltham Athletic FC (England) |
| Yaya DUKULY | Forward | Adelaide United, Australia | Para Hills Knights SC / Football SA |
| Ben GIBSON | Forward | Newcastle Jets, Australia | Collaroy Cromer Strikers FC / Football NSW |
| Matthew GRIMALDI | Forward | Western United, Australia | Watsonia Heights FC / Football VIC |
| Aydan HAMMOND | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia | Fairfield Hotspurs / Football NSW |
| Kaelan MAJEKODUNMI | Defender | Perth Glory, Australia | Carramar Cougars Junior FC / Football West |
| Anthony PANTAZOPOULOS | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia | Brunswick City SC / Football VIC |
| Nathan PAULL | Defender | Central Coast Mariners, Australia | Heathcote Waratah FC / Football NSW |
| Dylan PERAIC-CULLEN | Goalkeeper | Central Coast Mariners, Australia | Woden Valley SC / Capital Football |
| Oscar PRIESTMAN | Midfielder | Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia | Seaforth FC / Football NSW |
| Joshua RAWLINS | Defender | Melbourne Victory, Australia | Dianella Junior SC / Football West |
| Jing REEC | Forward | Melbourne Victory, Australia | Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC / Football NSW |
| Alexander ROBINSON | Goalkeeper | Macarthur FC, Australia | Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC / Football NSW |
| Aidan SIMMONS | Defender | Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia | St George FC / Football NSW |
| Jordi VALADON | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory, Australia | Glen Eira FC / Football VIC |
| Kane VIDMAR | Defender | Unattached | West Torrens Birkalla SC / Football SA |
| Abel WALATEE | Forward | Western United, Australia | North Sunshine Eagles FC / Football VIC |
