For the first time in 12 years, the Subway Young Socceroos are bound for a FIFA Under-20 Men’s World Cup thanks to the heroics of a squad brimming with A-Leagues talent gunning for an Asian Cup crown.
The Young Socceroos progressed to the semi-finals of the 2025 AFC U20 Asian Cup with a 3-2 comeback win over Iraq in the quarter-finals on Saturday night. After three wins from three games in the group stage, Australia were pushed to the limit by Iraq who led 2-1 in the second half before succumbing to a stirring comeback.
MATCH REPORT: A-Leagues guns fuel World Cup-bound Young Socceroos to 12-year first
Australia have progressed to the semi-finals of the tournament, where they’ll face Japan on Wednesday night. But as well as securing a spot in the final four, the 3-2 win over Iraq also confirmed Australia’s qualification to the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup, set to take place in Chile between September and October.
Having secured their spot in this year’s World Cup, this special team of 23 Australians, featuring 17 Isuzu UTE A-League rising stars, will now focus attention on securing the nation’s very first Under-20 Men’s Asian Cup title.
Read on to find out more about the 23 Young Socceroos excelling in Asia.
FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: SUBWAY YOUNG SOCCEROOS
Luka Jovanovic
- Club: Adelaide United
- Position: Striker
Adelaide United striker Luka Jovanovic is firing on all cylinders at the U20 Asian Cup. With three goals to his name, the 19-year-old is just one goal shy of the competition’s top scorers, Korea Republic’s Tae-Won Kim and Uzbekistan’s Muhammadali O’rinboyev.
At club level, Jovanovic has cemented himself as one of the Isuzu UTE A-League’s most impressive young strikers. He’s scored four goals in 12 appearances for the Reds this season and has 11 career goals to his name since debuting for the Reds in 2022 as a 17-year-old.
Musa Toure
- Club: Randers FC (Denmark)
- Position: Forward
Musa Toure announced himself on the Australian football scene with a goal for Adelaide United in just his third Isuzu UTE A-League appearance in late 2023.
Younger brother to fellow professional footballers Mohamed and Al Hassan Toure, Musa Toure followed in the footsteps of his siblings to debut in the Isuzu UTE A-League before sealing a move to Europe, where he now plays alongside his brother Mohamed at Danish club Randers.
Toure has made three appearances for the Young Socceroos in the U20 Asian Cup, and scored two goals against Kyrgyz Republic in the group stage.
Panagiotis Kikianis
- Club: Adelaide United
- Position: Defender
Panagiotis Kikianis has enjoyed a breakout season at Adelaide United, and has carried his form into the Asian Cup. The teenage centre-back has become a mainstay in Adelaide’s starting XI, having made 14 starts in 14 appearances this season after just five games for the Reds in his first two seasons among the senior squad.
Kikianis is tied to a club-record five-year contract at the Reds. He has made three starts for the Young Socceroos at the Asian Cup, and scored an equaliser against Iraq that set the stage for fellow A-Leagues youngster Alex Badolato’s match-winner that sent Australia through to the semi-finals.
Daniel Bennie
- Club: Queens Park Rangers (England)
- Position: Forward
Former Perth Glory forward Daniel Bennie has impressed in the Asian Cup with two classy goals in four appearances.
Bennie joined English Championship club Queens Park Rangers in mid-2024, after making 25 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances for Perth Glory.
The 18-year-old scored the sealing goal in a 3-1 win over Qatar just three days after bagging his first goal of the tournament in a 5-1 win over Kyrgyz Republic.
Alexander Badolato
- Club: Melbourne Victory (on loan from Western Sydney Wanderers)
- Position: Midfield
Alexander Badolato is yet to set foot in his new club Melbourne Victory after his loan move from fellow A-Leagues club Western Sydney Wanderers was confirmed in mid-February, during the young midfielder’s stay at the U20 Asian Cup.
Upon his return to Australia, Badolato will arrive at Victory with the experience of a simply superb continental tournament under his belt.
Badolato has scored two goals in three starts for Australia at the tournament – including a spectacular strike against Iraq that broke the deadlock and sealed an historic 3-2 win for the Young Socceroos.
Dean Bosnjak
- Club: Macarthur Bulls
- Position: Forward
Signed on a scholarship deal at Macarthur Bulls, teenage striker Dean Bosnjak has made the most of his opportunities at the Asian Cup, scoring one goal from one start and two substitute appearances.
Bosnjak’s only start of the tournament so far came in a 3-1 comeback win over Qatar in the group stage, in which the Bulls forward scored Australia’s second goal of the contest.
Medin Memeti
- Club: Melbourne City
- Position: Forward
One of the shining lights of Melbourne City’s productive academy, Medin Memeti is becoming a familiar face in the Isuzu UTE A-League this season, having made his first 11 league appearances for the club’s senior side.
Memeti was a goalscoring phenom for City’s academy sides before joining Aurelio Vidmar’s Isuzu UTE A-League squad, and he’s carried that scoring form into the senior group, becoming the club’s youngest-ever scorer with two goals before fellow academy product and 17-year-old Alex Wong broke his record in mid-February.
Memeti has made just one appearance at the U20 Asian Cup in Australia’s 2-1 win over China PR, and scored the opening goal for the Young Socceroos.
Paul Okon-Engstler
- Club: SL Benfica (Portugal)
- Position: Midfield
Paul Okon-Engstler has been a key contributor to Australia’s progression to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup.
Son of Australian footballing legend and former Socceroos captain Paul Okon, Okon-Engstler is signed to Portuguese giants Benfica. He’s played in all four of Australia’s U20 games at the Asian Cup, starting three times.
Having helped Australia qualify for the U20 World Cup in September/October of 2025, the 20-year-old now has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his father who captained Australia to the semi-finals of the 1991 Under-20 World Cup.
Fabian Talladira
- Club: Adelaide United
- Position: Midfielder
Fabian Talladira is one of four current Adelaide United players in the Young Socceroos squad.
The 18-year-old midfielder has made three appearances for Australia at the U20 Asian Cup – all starts. His form at the tournament has continued a special month for the teenager that began with an Isuzu UTE A-League debut for the Reds against Sydney FC on February 1.
Louis Agosti
- Club: AC Perugia Calcio (Italy)
- Position: Midfield
Sydney FC academy product Louis Agosti has made his mark on Australia’s U20 Asian Cup campaign, having scored the winning goal in a 2-1 triumph over China PR in the group stage.
Now signed to Italian Serie C club Perugia Calcio, Agosti expressed the opportunity to represent Australia at the tournament as a priceless opportunity he is eager to seize with both hands.
“It’s always a pleasure to play for my national team,” Agosti told Football Australia after scoring the winning goal against China.
“It’s a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And to score the winning goal, and win against a (home) crowd like this, it’s incredible.”
Adam Bugarija
- Club: Perth Glory
- Position: Forward
Former Western Sydney Wanderers forward Adam Bugarija is one of three Perth Glory youngsters in the Young Socceroos’ Asian Cup squad.
The 20-year-old has made two substitute appearances in the tournament so far, receiving a little over half an hour of playing time off the bench. Bugarija came into the tournament having made his first nine appearances in the Isuzu UTE A-League for Perth; he scored his first-ever A-Leagues goal on debut against Macarthur in October.
Frans Deli
- Club: Macarthur Bulls
- Position: Midfield
Frans Deli is one of several Young Socceroos taking part in the Asian Cup during their debut Isuzu UTE A-League season.
The 19-year-old centre midfielder made his first league appearance for Macarthur Bulls in November against Auckland. Eight Isuzu UTE A-League games later, Deli joined the Young Socceroos in China and has featured in all four of Australia’s tournament fixtures to date.
Sebastian Esposito
- Club: US Lecce (Italy)
- Position: Defender
Towering centre-back Sebastian Esposito is a Melbourne City academy graduate currently on the books of Italian Serie A side US Lecce.
In December of 2023, Esposito made history as the first Australian player signed to Lecce in the club’s near-100-year history. The 19-year-old is a Young Socceroos regular and has worn the captain’s armband in all three of his starts at the tournament.
Steven Hall
- Club: Brighton & Hove Albion (England)
- Position: Goalkeeper
Former Adelaide United goalkeeper Steven Hall has been Young Socceroos head coach Trevor Morgan’s preferred goalkeeper at the U20 Asian Cup, making three starts in four games. Hall has conceded four goals in games against Iraq, Qatar and the Kyrgyz Republic.
Hall earned a move from Adelaide to Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion in early 2024, having become the youngest goalkeeper to debut in Isuzu UTE A-League history at 16 years and 350 days.
Jaylan Pearman
- Club: Perth Glory
- Position: Midfield
Young midfielder Jaylan Pearman has been a shining light in a challenging Isuzu UTE A-League season for Perth Glory.
The 18-year-old only made his league debut for Perth in January, 12 rounds into the 2024-25 campaign. But in his six games for the club, he cemented himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Pearman has made three starts and one substitute appearance at the Asian Cup for the Young Socceroos.
Lucas Herrington
- Club: Brisbane Roar
- Position: Defender
Highly-rated centre-back Lucas Herrington has made his first eight Isuzu UTE A-League appearances this season for Brisbane Roar under head coach Ruben Zadkovich, who labelled the 17-year-old as “the best defender in Australian football” in pre-season.
This month, Zadkovich doubled down on his assessment of the teenager’s potential, revealing his expectation for Herrington to attract a “very, very big” transfer fee in the future.
The Roar coach has heaped immense pressure on the shoulders of the young defender and so far Herrington has responded with a series of impressive performances in the Isuzu UTE A-League, having been played from the start in all eight of his Roar appearances.
Herrington has made one appearance for the Young Socceroos at the U20 Asian Cup: a start against China PR.
Joshua Inserra
- Club: Melbourne Victory
- Position: Defender
Melbourne Victory academy product Joshua Inserra signed his first scholarship contract with the club’s senior team in mid-2023 at the age of 18, having risen through the ranks of Victory’s Under-18, 20 and NPL sides.
Now 20, Inserra has made two Isuzu UTE A-League appearances for the club, with his most recent hit-out in the Isuzu UTE A-League coming against Adelaide United in January.
Inserra has started one game and come off the bench on two occasions for Australia at the Under-20 Asian Cup.
Zach Lisolajski
- Club: Perth Glory
- Position: Defender
Zach Lisolajski has worked hard to make his dream of becoming a professional football come true.
The 18-year-old left-back joined Perth Glory for the 2024-25 season after six appearances for Western United in 2023-24. Prior to his stint at Western he was part of Newcastle Jets’ academy and played state league football in Victoria for Sydenham Park.
Lisolajski helped Australia qualify for the U20 Asian Cup and has made two appearances in the tournament to date.
Tiago Quintal
- Club: Sydney FC
- Position: Midfield
Sydney FC midfielder Tiago Quintal is Sky Blue through and through, having joined his Isuzu UTE A-League club at the age of 11.
Now 18, Quintal has been eased into senior football under Sydney head coach Ufuk Talay, with his first 11 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances coming off the bench this season.
Quintal has been instrumental in guiding the Young Socceroos to the U20 Asian Cup semi-finals. Having come off the bench in Australia’s first group stage game, Quintal earned a start against Qatar, and assisted Macarthur’s Bosnjak for Australia’s second goal of a 3-1 win. He’s been part of the starting XI ever since en route to the semis.
Oliver Randazzo
- Club: Macarthur Bulls
- Position: Midfield
Macarthur Bulls midfielder Oliver Randazzo signed his first scholarship contract at the Isuzu UTE A-League club on the very same day in 2023 as fellow Young Socceroo, Frans Deli.
Having transitioned from the Bulls FC Academy, Randazzo has slowly worked his way into the plans of Macarthur head coach Mile Sterjovski.
Randazzo made his Isuzu UTE A-League debut in November and has made three league appearances in total for the Bulls.
At the U20 Asian Cup, Randazzo has made one appearance so far: a start against China PR.
Alexander Robinson
- Club: Macarthur Bulls
- Position: Goalkeeper
One of four Macarthur teammates in the Young Socceroos squad, Alexander Robinson is yet to make his league debut for the Bulls but has starred for the Bulls FC Academy side since 2023.
At 19 years of age, Robinson is continuing his development as an up-and-coming Australian keeper and has made one appearance for Australia at the U20 Asian Cup, replacing Hall in the starting XI against China PR where he conceded one goal in a 2-1 win.
Jonny Yull
- Club: Adelaide United
- Position: Midfield
Jonny Yull has long been touted as an exceptional talent coming through South Australia’s footballing pipeline, and although the 19-year-old hasn’t quite caught fire in the Isuzu UTE A-League yet, the classy midfielder continues to show glimpses of brilliance in his brief appearances for the Reds.
Yull has received just 330 league minutes from 12 appearances and two starts this season. He’s produced two brilliant assists for winning goals this season; one was for Zach Clough’s decisive strike in a 2-1 win over Western United, with the other coming in the 92nd minute for fellow Young Socceroo Jovanovic in a 2-1 win over Macarthur.
Yull has made two starts and one substitute appearance for the Young Socceroos at the Asian Cup.
Gus Hoefsloot
- Club: Sydney FC
- Position: Goalkeeper
Sydney FC goalkeeper Gus Hoefsloot is the only player in the Young Socceroos squad not to have received minutes in the U20 Asian Cup to date, serving as third choice behind backup Robinson and No.1 Hall.
The 18-year-old grew up playing futsal before joining Sydney’s academy. He signed a scholarship contract with the Sky Blues in 2023 but a knee injury stalled his progress in pushing for an Isuzu UTE A-League debut.
