6/6/24
Above: The Young Matildas squad together at the U20 Asian Cup earlier this year. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Football Australia.
The Young Matildas have been drawn in Group A for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, and will take on hosts Colombia in the opening game of the tournament on 31st August.
Australia will also face Mexico and Cameroon during the round-robin stage of the competition that features 24 nations for the first time. The biennial global youth showcase will take place from 31 August – 22 September across four venues in Colombia.
Today’s draw took place at Hall 74 Centro de Eventos in the Colombian capital, Bogotá. Australia was drawn out of pot three which also included Korea Republic, Ghana, Canada, Paraguay, and Argentina.
Australia will call Estadio El Campín in Bogotá home with all three of their group stage matches to be held in the 39,000-capacity stadium.
They will open their campaign and the tournament against Colombia on Saturday 31st August (local) before taking on Mexico on Tuesday 3rd September (local), finally completing their group play against Cameroon on Friday 6th September (local).
Young Matildas’ Head Coach Leah Blayney, who was in attendance for the draw, expressed her delight at opening the tournament against the hosts and discovering their opponents for the group stage.
“We are very pleased with the draw today and extremely excited to come to Colombia and play in the opening match of U20 Women’s World Cup,” Blayney said.
“After featuring in the opening match back in 2022, we know what an occasion this will once again be for our playing group with the passionate Colombian crowd in attendance. We expect the atmosphere to be second to none and for it to be an incredible opportunity we will be looking to fully embrace.”
“Drawing Colombia, Mexico, and Cameroon is an enticing prospect and will provide our team with a diverse range of playing styles to tackle. This exposure to a mix of football systems and cultures will provide so many fantastic learning and developmental moments and be beneficial for their long-term careers.
“Our preparation for our group stage rivals will have to encompass playing against those similar playing types and formations. We are very fortunate that we’ve got a versatile playing group and tactically we feel like we’re in a good place around our flexibility. That’s going to be something that we’re going to look to test ourselves at this World Cup,” concluded Blayney.
This will mark Australia’s fifth appearance at the tournament with the Young Matildas qualifying for the tournament by taking home bronze at the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in Uzbekistan earlier this year. They will represent Asia alongside former winners North Korea, reigning U20 silver medallists Japan, and Korea Republic.
Entering its 11th edition, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup sees the 24 competing countries divided into six groups of four teams. The top two nations from each group, and the two best third-place finishers following the completion of group play will progress to the knockout phase.
A round of 16 will take place for the first time in tournament history and is scheduled for 11th and 12th September, with the quarterfinals contested on Sunday 15th September. The semi-finals will be held on Wednesday 18th September with the final to be played on Sunday 22nd September 2024.
DRAW FOR GROUP STAGE OF U20 WORLD CUP:
Group A: Colombia, Australia, Cameroon, Mexico.
Group B: France, Canada, Brazil, Fiji.
Group C: Spain, USA, Paraguay, Morocco.
Group D: Germany, Venezuela, Nigeria, Korea Republic.
Group E: Japan, New Zealand, Ghana, Australia.
Group F: North Korea, Argentina, Costa Rica, Netherlands.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Facebook: @impetuswomensfootball Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 