Glory duo Nathanael Blair and Kaelan Majekodunmi have both been named in the Australia squad for next month’s AFC Under-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in China.
Head Coach Tony Vidmar has selected a group of 24 players to compete in Group D alongside China PR (host), Northern Mariana Islands and Timor-Leste in Xi’an, China PR during the 1-9 September FIFA window.
Qualifiers for the 7th edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup – to be held in Saudi Arabia – will feature 44 teams, who will be divided into 11 groups.
Each group within qualifying will be contested in a centralised league format, with teams seeded into pots based on a points system derived from their final rankings across the previous three editions of the Finals, which saw Australia drawn from Pot 1.
The squad will need to finish as one of the 11 Group winners or the four best second-placed teams to advance to the Finals and Vidmar is relishing the prospect of watching his young charges adapt to tournament conditions.
“Having a mix of players from overseas and Australia, who have been getting plenty of minutes at their respective clubs, has meant we are taking a strong and competitive squad to the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers in China PR,” he said.
“The selected players represent the view the team and I have had, in the lead up to this competition, that we wanted to work with new and existing talent across a range of leagues and clubs to build greater depth across the squad.
“This is a great tournament to be a part of and will provide an excellent experience for the group.
“I’m excited by the group we have named today, and I am looking forward to seeing them perform on the pitch.”
Striker Blair made 14 A-League appearances for Glory during what was his first season with the club last year, while local defender Majekodunmi has featured on 15 occasions after debuting in Round 11 of the 2023/24 campaign.
Subway Australian U-23s match details are as follows:
Australia v Northern Mariana Islands
Date: Wednesday, 3 September 2025
Kick-off: 3:30pm (local time) / 3.30pm WST
Location: Xi’an Sports Training Centre, Xi’an, China PR
Australia v Timor-Leste
Date: Saturday, 6 September 2025
Kick-off: 3:30pm (local time) / 3.30pm WST
Location: Xi’an Sports Training Centre, Xi’an, China PR
Australia v China PR
Date: Tuesday, 9 September 2025
Kick-off: 7:35pm (local time) / 7:35pm WST
Location: Xi’an International Football Centre, Xi’an, China PR
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Glory duo named in Australia U23 squad for AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers
