Melbourne Victory is proud to confirm that Alana Jančevski, Holly Furphy and Sofia Sakalis have been named in the Australian U23 National Team for the ASEAN Women’s Championship.
The tournament, formerly known as the AFF Women’s Championship, will take place at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho and Lach Tray Stadium in Haiphong, featuring eight participating nations from across Southeast Asia.
Australia earned qualification for the tournament directly by winning the AFF Women’s Championship 2022 in the Philippines.
Australian U23s Head Coach Joe Palatsides said the tournament is a really important opportunity for the players to experience international football in a meaningful way.
“It gives them a real taste of what it takes to compete at this international level while coming up against quality opposition in unfamiliar conditions and doing it within a structure that mirrors the expectations of the CommBank Matildas,” Palatsides said.
“Development is a big part of what we’re doing but we’re also going to Vietnam to win. We want our players to embrace the challenge, rise to the occasion, and understand what it means to wear the Australian jersey.”
Jančevski most recently won the Isuzu UTE A-League Goal of the Year for the 2024/25 Ninja A-League season, and played a key role in Melbourne Victory’s Grand Final appearance against the Central Coast Mariners. Melbourne Victory Director of Football, John Didulica, said her selection is well-deserved recognition for an impressive campaign.
“We are very proud of Alana’s progress since she joined Victory. Her selection for this squad is great recognition for the breakout season she had in 2024/25 and, if she continues to build on her progress, is another step toward her becoming a full international in the future,” Didulica said.
Furphy joined Victory this January after a couple of years abroad in the United States’ college system. She signed her contract the day before the club’s Big Blue against Sydney FC and 24 hours later, she came off the bench to make her debut and scored within nine minutes.
“Since joining Victory mid-season, Holly has continued to develop her game and it’s exciting to see her decision to return to the A-League Women rewarded with national recognition. We are sure she has the attributes to do exceptionally well at this level,”
Joining Victory in August 2024, Sakalis will once again be representing Australia on the international stage. Previously donning the green and gold for Australia in 2016 for the U17s squad.
“It’s great to see Sofia recognised at this level. She’s incredibly talented, great to watch and to see her as one of three players from Victory recognised within an Australian team is always exciting for the club”.
MATCH DETAILS:
Myanmar v Australia U-23
Date: Thursday, 7 August 2025
Kick-off: 4.30pm local / 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Việt Trì Stadium, Phú Thọ, Vietnam
Australia U-23 v Philippines
Date: Sunday, 10 August 2025
Kick-off: 7.30pm local / 10.30pm AEST
Venue: Việt Trì Stadium, Phú Thọ, Vietnam
Australia U-23 v Timor-Leste
Date: Wednesday, 13 August 2025
Kick-off: 7.30pm local / 10.30pm AEST
Venue: Việt Trì Stadium, Phú Thọ, Vietnam
