NZ U-20 women's football squad vs Australia named
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
New Zealand Football has announced the women’s U-20 team TO play two internationals against hosts Australia.
The matches are in preparation for September’s 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, with the tournament draw taking place next week.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Both fixtures will be held at AIS Arena in Canberra on Wednesday 20 May and Saturday 23 May, however the matches won’t be livestreamed.
The first match will be played behind closed doors (no friends or family). The second match is open - friends and family are welcome.
The 24-player squad includes 16 members of the New Zealand U-19 squad which qualified for this year’s FIFA World Cup after winning the OFC Women’s U-19 Championship last year in Tahiti.
Head Coach Callum Holmes says this month’s matches are a great opportunity to build on their work from the OFC Women’s U-19 tournament.
“We’re excited about the challenge that comes from playing Australia on their home soil. While they didn’t qualify for this year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Trans-Tasman matches are always testing experiences.
“We’re confident these two matches will allow us to continue fine tuning the work we’ve been making with this side ahead of travelling to Poland for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup later this year.
“We have a strong core group of players which continue to develop off the back of last year’s success in Tahiti at the OFC U-19 Championships and we’re looking forward to get stuck into our work in what’s a massive 2026 for us.”
The 24-player squad for games in Australia:
Mikaela Banglan - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Grace Bartlett - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Laura Bennett - Melville United, New Zealand
Zoe Benson - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Daisy Brazendale - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Lily Brazendale - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Penny Brill - Xavier University, USA
Mary Brown - Melbourne City, Australia
Amber De Wit - North Dakota State University, USA
Freya Des Fountain - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Grace Duncan - Washington Women’s Soccer, USA
Charli Dunn - Middle Tennessee State University, USA
Alyssha Eglinton - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Scarlett Gray - Central Coast Mariners, Australia
Mackenzie Greene - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Ela Jerez - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Emily Lyon - West Coast Rangers, New Zealand
Charley March - Auckland United, New Zealand
Charlotte Mortlock - Northern Tigers, Australia
Brooke Neary - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Poppy O'Brien - Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand
Phoebe Riley - Gladesville Ravens, Australia
Riley Sheldon - Incarnate Word University, USA
Lily Joy Taylor- Bulls FC Academy, Australia
Match 1: Wednesday 20 May
KO: 3:30pm
Venue: AIS
Match 2: Saturday 23 May
KO: 10:45am
Venue: AIS
