Australia men's national under-20 soccer team

In their first foray into Asia in 2006 the team lost the quarterfinals of the AFC Youth Championship, to South Korea,[1] despite being considered one of the stronger teams. This was the first time the Young Socceroos had failed to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup since 1989. Subsequently, on 5 February 2007 the FFA decided not to renew Ange Postecoglou's contract as head coach,[2] he was replaced by former Socceroo, and current AIS head coach of soccer, Steve O'Connor.[3]

On 24 June 2008 Jan Versleijen was appointed as the new U-20 coach ahead of the 2008 tournament, with the FFA eager to avoid a repeat of 2006, and qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt.[4] In preparation for the tournament, Australia competed in the 2008 ASEAN Youth Championships in Thailand alongside China, Korea Republic and Thailand.[5] A competition they ultimately won through a penalty shoot-out against South Korea.[6] The 2008 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Saudi Arabia. Australia topped Group D with wins over Thailand and Jordan and a 1–1 draw with Uzbekistan. Australia then needed an extra time winner from Mitch Nichols to overcome North Korea in the quarter-final before losing 3–0 to UAE in the semi-final. However, making it through to the semi-final was enough to qualify for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Australia qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt after finishing in the final four of the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship. Despite a late James Holland penalty, Australia lost their opening game to the Czech Republic 2–1 before Costa Rica defeated the 'Young Socceroos' 3–0. In the final group game against Brazil, Aaron Mooy gave Australia an early lead however the final result saw Brazil win 3–1 and Australia was eliminated without a point.

To qualify for the tournament, Australia travelled to Bandung, Indonesia in November 2009 for the qualification group and proceeded after finishing second in a group of six nations. Wins over Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Singapore proceeded to a 0–0 draw with the hosts, Indonesia and a loss to Japan.

Australia competed in the 2010 AFC Under 19 Championship Finals held in Zibo, China.[7]

The tournament was held from 3 to 17 October 2010 in Shandong province. The matches were played at the Zibo Sports Complex Stadium and Linzi Stadium.

Wins over Yemen and Iran followed by a 0–0 draw with South Korea meant Australia topped the group on goal difference. In the quarter-final against United Arab Emirates, Australia twice led before UAE equalised and took the game to extra time. Two extra time goals for Australia set up a semi-final with Saudi Arabia, which Australia won 2–0 thanks to a Kerem Bulut double. The final was played on 17 October 2010 against North Korea. Despite leading in the first half, Australia couldn't hold on and lost the final 3–2. Kerem Bulut was the tournament's top scorer with 7 goals. Australia qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Colombia.

Australia qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia after finishing in the final four of the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship. Australia was drawn in a group comprising Spain, Ecuador & Costa Rica.

Australia failed to progress out of the group after finishing last with one point. The first fixture resulted in a one all draw with Ecuador after Tommy Oar scored a late equaliser. The next game saw Costa Rica defeat Australia 3–2. In the final game against Spain, Australia was down by four goals after just 18 minutes. In the 27th minute Kerem Bulut grabbed a goal back before Spain made it 5–1 with a 31st-minute penalty. This was to be the final score.

To participate in the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship the Young Socceroos first had to qualify. The confederation was geographically separated and Australia was grouped with other East Asian nations, China, Indonesia, Singapore and Macau. These five nations met in Malaysia in November 2011 and Australia proceeded through the group by winning all four games, scoring 20 goals and conceding just 1.

The 2012 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by United Arab Emirates in November. Australia was seeded for the tournament along with the hosts and South Korea and North Korea. Australia's opening game was against Qatar. The only goal of the game came in the 11th minute for Australia when Corey Gameiro scored. Gameiro was on the scoresheet in both of the following group games when his 81st-minute equaliser against Syria and his 91st-minute equaliser against Saudi Arabia meant both games finished 1–1. The critical late goal to Saudi Arabia meant Australia not only proceeded on to the next stage at the expense of the Saudis but also topped the group.

Australia took on Jordan in the quarter-final and it was Gameiro scoring all three goals in a 3–0 win that put Australia through to the semi-final and secured qualification to the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. Two second half goals to Iraq meant Australia were eliminated from the tournament. Gameiro's six goals were one short of the top goalscorer award.

Paul Okon[8] coached Australia in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey where they failed to win a game despite scoring the first goal in all 3 fixtures. Daniel De Silva gave Australia the lead before Colombia levelled the game at 1–1. Joshua Brillante scored early before El Salvador scored twice before halftime and Jamie Maclaren scored in the 52nd minute but again Australia couldn't hold on with the hosts, with Turkey scoring twice. These results mean Australia has failed to win in any of their last 13 U-20 World Cup fixtures with the last victory coming over Brazil on 4 December 2003.

Australia started the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship campaign by participating in the qualifiers in October 2013. They travelled to Malaysia where they were joined by Vietnam, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei. Mongolia had withdrawn. The first game was an easy 7–0 win over Hong Kong. Peter Skapetis scored four goals. They then defeated Chinese Taipei 3–0 before a humiliating 5–1 loss to Vietnam. Despite this, Australia was to proceed to the finals tournament as one of the best second placed teams.

The 2014 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Myanmar in October 2014. Paul Okon again was head coach of the Young Socceroos for the tournament. The opening game was against United Arab Emirates. Brandon Borrello gave Australia a late lead but an 85th-minute penalty to the UAE saw the score end in a draw.[9] The second match was a 1–0 win over Indonesia through a Jaushua Sotirio goal. The final group game had Australia leading Uzbekistan in the 66th minute thanks to Stefan Mauk. However, an 82nd-minute equaliser would prove devastating for Australia as this, and the result in the concurrent game placed UAE, Uzbekistan and Australia all on five points with Australia having the inferior goal difference and hence elimination from the tournament. Many observers sighted Australia's lack of desire to score more goals against Indonesia as the contributing factor to the elimination. Australia failed to qualify for the New Zealand 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This is just the second time since 1989 that Australia hasn't competed in the biennial event.

Australia qualified for the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship that was held in Bahrain in October 2016. In the qualifiers hosted by Laos, they finished runner-up in their group and progressed on goal difference as one of the five best second placed teams. Comfortable wins over Philippines and Laos were followed by a heavy 3–0 loss to Japan. Steve Kuzmanovski finished as Australia's top scorer with three goals. This was the sixth consecutive U-19 Championship that Australia qualified for.

Australia was coached by Ufuk Talay for the tournament and was drawn into Group D. The opening fixture was a 1–0 victory against China through a goal to Mario Shabow. The second game was against Uzbekistan. The Uzbeks led by three until they suffered a send off. Australia then responded through two second half penalties to Liam Youlley and George Blackwood however the final result was a 3–2 win for Uzbekistan. Australia needed to win against Tajikistan in the final group game to progress. Anthony Kalik had an early penalty saved and was later sent off for two yellow cards. The game finished 0–0 and Australia were eliminated from the tournament. As a consequence, they also failed to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This is the first time that Australia has failed to qualify for two consecutive U-20 World Cups.

The 2018 AFC U-19 Championship was hosted by Indonesia in October and November. Australia commenced their qualification for the tournament in Vietnam.[10] The matches had originally been scheduled to be played in Shepparton, Victoria however the Australian government refused entry to the North Korean squad.[11] As a result, the matches were moved to neutral Vietnam although the costs associated with the shift in venue saw Northern Mariana Islands withdraw. This left just two opponents in the group, North Korea and Hong Kong. In Australia's first match against Hong Kong, Ramy Najjarine scored early and then a late double from Moudi Najjar gave Australia a 3–0 win.[12] They then defeated North Korea 4–1 with goals again to Najjarine and Najjar as well as Fabian Monge and Denis Genreau.[13]

With Ante Milicic now in charge, Australia started the tournament against South Korea in Bekasi. The Koreans scored first in the 55th minute however Najjarine curled in an 89th-minute equaliser to share the points.[14] The second match was against Vietnam which Australia won 2–1 through goals to Angus Thurgate and Ben Folami.[15] Reports emerged after the game that many of the Australian squad had been suffering from illness.[16] In their last group match against Jordan, Australia needed at least a draw to advance and they finished 1–1, with Oliver Puflett scoring the goal in the 10th minute.[17] In the quarter-final, Australia lost 3–1 to Saudi Arabia, with Nathaniel Atkinson scoring their only goal. Elimination at the quarter-final stage meant that Australia failed to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup for a record third consecutive time.[18]

The following 23 players were called up for 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup matches from 1 to 18 March 2023.[19]

Caps and goals correct as of the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup game against Uzbekistan on 11 March 2023.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Jack Warshawsky	(2004-08-08) 8 August 2004	8	0	Western Sydney Wanderers
12	1GK	James Nieuwenhuizen	(2004-01-17) 17 January 2004	1	0	Melbourne City
18	1GK	Alexander Robinson	(2005-03-09) 9 March 2005	0	0	Macarthur FC
2	2DF	Joshua Rawlins (captain)	(2004-04-23) 23 April 2004	7	0	Jong Utrecht
3	2DF	Nectarios Triantis	(2003-05-11) 11 May 2003	10	1	Central Coast Mariners
4	2DF	Chris Donnell	(2004-01-24) 24 January 2004	8	1	Perth Glory
5	2DF	Matt Dench	(2003-12-08) 8 December 2003	4	0	Charlton Athletic
13	2DF	Panashe Madanha	(2004-08-05) 5 August 2004	4	0	Adelaide United
14	2DF	Kaelan Majekodunmi	(2004-02-21) 21 February 2004	5	0	Perth Glory
15	2DF	Joseph Forde	(2003-12-28) 28 December 2003	5	0	Perth Glory
6	3MF	Rhys Bozinovski	(2004-03-07) 7 March 2004	3	0	Western United
8	3MF	Alessandro Lopane	(2004-04-09) 9 April 2004	8	0	Western Sydney Wanderers
10	3MF	Adrian Segecic	(2004-06-01) 1 June 2004	9	4	Sydney FC
16	3MF	Jake Girdwood-Reich	(2004-05-26) 26 May 2004	2	0	Sydney FC
17	3MF	Aidan Simmons	(2003-05-26) 26 May 2003	3	1	Western Sydney Wanderers
20	3MF	Alexander Badolato	(2005-02-23) 23 February 2005	7	2	Western Sydney Wanderers
23	3MF	Jonny Yull	(2005-03-05) 5 March 2005	1	1	Adelaide United
7	4FW	Bernardo Oliveira	(2004-03-16) 16 March 2004	4	2	Adelaide United
9	4FW	Gabriel Popovic	(2003-07-28) 28 July 2003	6	5	Rudeš
11	4FW	Raphael Borges Rodrigues	(2003-09-11) 11 September 2003	5	1	Melbourne City
19	4FW	Archie Goodwin	(2004-11-07) 7 November 2004	5	1	Newcastle Jets
21	4FW	Jed Drew	(2003-08-29) 29 August 2003	4	0	Macarthur FC
22	4FW	Jing Reec	(2003-06-12) 12 June 2003	2	0	AGF

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months and remain eligible for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Steven Hall	(2005-01-16) 16 January 2005	1	0	Adelaide United	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
GK	Taiga Harper	(2005-05-31) 31 May 2005	0	0	Kashiwa Reysol	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
GK	Lawrence Caruso	(2004-09-15) 15 September 2004	0	0	unattached	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
DF	Jordan Perez	(2003-01-03) 3 January 2003	3	0	AEK Larnaca	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
DF	Kane Vidmar		3	0	Adelaide United	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
DF	Nathan Geyer		0	0	Brisbane Roar	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
DF	Franco Lino		0	0	Melbourne Victory	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
DF	Anthony Pantazopoulos		0	0	Oakleigh Cannons	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
DF	Ben Van Dorssen		0	0	Newcastle Jets	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
MF	Presley Ortiz	(2003-03-04) 4 March 2003	1	0	Belenenses	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
MF	Max Caputo	(2005-08-17) 17 August 2005	1	1	Melbourne City	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
MF	Sam Klein	(2004-03-15) 15 March 2004	1	0	Brisbane Roar	v.  England, 28 September 2022
MF	Dylan Scicluna	(2004-06-10) 10 June 2004	1	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	v.  England, 28 September 2022
MF	Paul Okon-Engstler	(2005-01-24) 24 January 2005	0	0	Benfica	v.  England, 28 September 2022
MF	Emin Durakovic	(2005-07-28) 28 July 2005	0	0	Melbourne City	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
MF	Matthew George		0	0	Perth Glory	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
MF	Peter Grozos		0	0	Newcastle Jets	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
MF	Luka Kolic		0	0	Melbourne Knights	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
MF	Alexander Menelaou		0	0	Melbourne Victory	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
FW	Yaya Dukuly	(2003-01-17) 17 January 2003	4	0	Reims B	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
FW	Garang Kuol	(2004-09-15) 15 September 2004	3	1	Heart of Midlothian	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
FW	Alexander Menelaou		1	0	Western Sydney Wanderers	2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification
FW	Mohamed Toure	(2004-03-26) 26 March 2004	0	0	Reims B	v.  England, 28 September 2022
FW	Jayden Gorman	(2003-01-25) 25 January 2003	0	0	Perth Glory	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
FW	Nathan Nguyen	(2004-06-11) 11 June 2004	0	0	Brisbane Roar	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022
FW	Justin Paolilli		0	0	Melbourne City	Talent Identification Camp, 7 August 2022

At the end of August, Football Australia withdrew the team from the Asian Cup qualification tournament, citing safety reasons and travel advice.[20] They organised to play at the Costa Cálida Supercup in Spain instead. However, they were reinstated[21] when Iraq lost hosting rights due to the 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis,[22] with the matches rescheduled and relocated to Kuwait City.[23]

Australia  v  Morocco

22 September 2022 (2022-09-22) 2022 Costa Cálida Supercup	Australia	0–1	Morocco	San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
18:00 CEST		Report	Labib 3'	Stadium: Pinatar Arena

Australia  v  Chile

24 September 2022 (2022-09-24) 2022 Costa Cálida Supercup	Australia	1–3	Chile	San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
21:00 CEST	Badolato 21'	Report	Guajardo 30' Fuentealba 44', 57'	Stadium: Pinatar Arena

England  v  Australia

27 September 2022 (2022-09-27) 2022 Costa Cálida Supercup	England	3–0	Australia	San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
17:00 CEST	Jebbison 32' Ramsey 38' Edozie 51'	Report		Stadium: Pinatar Arena

Australia  v  Kuwait

14 October 2022 (2022-10-14) 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Australia	4–1	Kuwait	Kuwait City, Kuwait
19:30 AST	Segecic 24' (pen.) Popovic 32' (pen.), 40' Triantis 88'	Report	Al-Azmi 52' (pen.)	Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Referee: Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)

India  v  Australia

16 October 2022 (2022-10-16) 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification	India	1–4	Australia	Kuwait City, Kuwait
16:30 AST	G. Singh 62'	Report	Kuol 12' Yumnam 32' (o.g.) Segecic 86' Caputo 90+2'	Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Referee: Ali Reda (Lebanon)

Australia  v  Iraq

18 October 2022 (2022-10-18) 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification	Australia	1–0	Iraq	Kuwait City, Kuwait
16:30 AST	Popovic 59'	Report		Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium

As of 3 June 2012

Players in bold are still available for selection.

As of 23 June 2013

Players in bold are still available for selection.