Football Australia names 14-player squad for Women’s Futsal Asia Cup qualifiers
Football Australia has announced its 14-player squad for a historic tournament in Asia next month. See who has been selected and what’s at stake.
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Football Australia has announced its women’s futsal team to create history in the new year.
A 14-player squad has been named to play at the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers in Uzbekistan next month.
The tournament will be the first time Australia has played on the Asian Futsal stage.
The game’s governing body believes entry into the competition comes at the perfect time with the Philippines to host the World Cup in 2025.
Australia will qualify for the Asian Cup, also held next year, if they finish in the top-two of their group or are the best third-placed team across all pools.
The top three teams qualify for the World Cup.
Australia will compete in Group C alongside the hosts, Turkmenistan, Philippines and Kuwait.
The squad was selected after a five-day training camp in western Sydney under new head coach Miles Downie.
“We have been working very hard over the past few months to bring this team to life and unearth a group of players ready to represent Australia and qualify for the Asian Cup,” Downie said.
“The five-day camp gave us a great opportunity to develop key understandings within the extended group and get to know what each player brings to the team. The players’ attitude, competitiveness, and bravery to incorporate new ideas into their game ultimately made my task of choosing the final 14 extremely difficult.
“Our group presents a real challenge with Uzbekistan benefiting from playing on home soil, the Philippines preparing to host the World Cup, a Kuwait side that has been working together for six years, and a strong Turkmenistan team. Each game will offer a unique challenge, and with limited preparation time, the versatility of our playing group will be crucial against these opponents during the Qualifiers.
“We’ve assembled this squad specifically for this qualification campaign and I’m confident these players have the talent and determination to represent Australia proudly on the Asian stage.”
Australia opens its campaign against Turkmenistan on Saturday, January 11pm at 9pm AEDT.
The country’s best players will also be on display when KommunityTV live streams every match of the National Futsal Championships from January 8-12.
The competition will be held at Melbourne Sports Centres in Parkville.
Originally published as Football Australia names 14-player squad for Women’s Futsal Asia Cup qualifiers
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