The prospect of Australia hosting a FIFA Women’s World Cup with New Zealand looms on the horizon, and Matildas fans are eagerly anticipating the rescheduled Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.

With a squad boasting proven talents like Sam Kerr, Hayley Raso, Steph Catley and Clare Polkinghorne, the current generation of Matildas is not lacking for star power, but the future of Australian female football is also in safe hands.

These five women, all aged 21 or under, will come to dominate the Australian footballing landscape in the 2020s.

Hana Lowry

The youngest player on this list, Hana Lowry, is not as well-known as her Matildas-capped counterparts, but the talented Western Australian has already established herself as a star for the Junior Matildas.

Lowry’s first major accolade came when she was named Player of the Tournament in the Junior Matildas successful qualification for the 2019 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship.

She followed those performances with a starring role in the Junior Matildas’ tour of the pacific, netting a hat-trick in the victory over Vanuatu U19s. This performance prompted Junior Matildas Head Coach Rae Dower to describe Lowry as a “prodigious young talent.”

Playing as a number ten at the 2019 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship in Thailand, Lowry led Australia for goals scored with three, as Australia reached the semi-finals for the first time in over a decade.

Her success on the youth international stage has led to increased opportunity domestically.

A Football West NTC product, Lowry was awarded a scholarship to train with Perth Glory throughout the 2018-19 W-League season. She built on that experience securing her first full W-League contract with the club in 2020.

Lowry repaid Glory’s faith scoring her first W-League goal on starting debut against Newcastle Jets. Her powerful header from just outside the six-yard box showed that she could hold her own against older and more experienced bodies.

The 2019-20 season culminated in her winning the 2020 WA Female Footballer of the Year, still aged only 16.

With the bulk of her career ahead of her, the creative playmaker still has years left at youth international level during which senior opportunities will almost certainly present.

Mary Fowler

Mary Fowler comes from a family brimming with sporting talent.

Her brother Caoimhin and sister Ciara, both soccer players, have made appearances for Ireland at youth level. Indeed, there has been tension between FFA and the Football Association of Ireland as to which country would secure the prolific young striker’s services.

After debuting for the Matildas at the 2018 Tournament of Nations and going on to be selected in the Australian squad for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Fowler is wholly committed to representing her home nation.

The 2019-20 season saw Fowler get her first taste of the W-League, and she relished the opportunity scoring three goals from seven appearances for Adelaide United.

Then came the January 2020 transfer window and, as was the case with several of her Matildas teammates, a European opportunity beckoned.

Fowler signed for French club Montpellier playing in the French Division 1 Féminine. Fowler made one appearance off the bench before the season was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Sam Kerr only aged 26, it would be a little premature for Australia to be seeking a successor to their star striker. The more likely outcome is that fans can look forward to the Matildas sporting a two-pronged attack in years to come, with Fowler lining up alongside her captain.

Alex Chidiac

Alex Chidiac made her debut for Adelaide United in 2014, and later that same season scored her first W-League goal.

She moved to Melbourne City for the 2015-16 season and was a member of their unbeaten Premiership/Championship winning side, before returning to Adelaide for the following two seasons.

Her second stint at Adelaide was punctuated by her winning the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) Young Women's Footballer of the Year in both 2017 and 2018.

Following the 2018 campaign, Chidiac became one of the first of the current crop of Matildas to sign for a European powerhouse in Atlético Madrid Femenino.

Chidiac’s domestic success did not go unnoticed. She has already made 17 appearances for the Matildas in tournaments spanning the Algarve Cup, Tournament of Nations and more recently the 2019 Cup of Nations

An ongoing ankle complaint has led to an absence from the pitch at both international and domestic level during the 2019-20 season.

As she recovers from this setback and returns to play when football resumes after the COVID-19 pandemic, expect the productive attacking midfielder to return to national team contention and establish herself as a top playmaker for the Matildas’ potent forward line.

Karly Roestbakken

Karly Roestbakken has established herself as an emerging leader. On the back of winning the PFA Young Women's Footballer of the Year in 2019, she captained the Young Matildas squad that finished fourth at the 2019 AFC U-19 Women’s Championship in Thailand.

Then, despite being only 18 years of age at the time, Roestbakken was elected co-captain of Canberra United ahead of their 2019-20 campaign. She would lead a team filled with veteran Australians like Leena Khamis and exciting international prospects Simone Charley and Katie Stengel.

Roestbakken was given these responsibilities after making her first senior appearance for the Matildas at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. She took her opportunity after being selected in the squad as a late injury replacement for Laura Brock.

Roestbakken has recently signed with LSK Kvinner in the Norwegian Toppserien in her father’s country of birth. She will be joining fellow Matildas Clare Polkinghorne, Katrina Gorry and Teagan Micah in the league which is confirmed to resume in July.

Playing primarily as a full-back, Roestbakken faces plenty of competition at international level from Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter but she will continue to push for selection at the postponed Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.

Ellie Carpenter

Considering the breadth of her footballing experience it's sometimes hard to believe that Ellie Carpenter has only just turned 20 years old. The record-setting Australian already has a plethora of achievements under her belt.

She has been a staple of the W-League since 2015, playing for three clubs and winning back-to-back NAB Young Footballer of the Year Awards.

She has also become an increasingly important presence at international level. After making her senior Matildas debut at the age of 15, Carpenter then became Australia’s youngest Olympian at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. She was still a teenager when she represented Australia at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.

On turning 18 she joined NWSL club Portland Thorns, becoming the youngest debutant in league history. The pacey full-back then became the youngest scorer in the history of the league when she pushed forward to score against Washington Spirit.

Ahead of the 2020 season, Portland Thorns signed Carpenter to a multi-year contract extension, signalling their determination to retain her services at a time when so many of her Matildas teammates are pursuing new opportunities in Europe.

When the new NWSL campaign kicks off later this month she will be looking to build on the form that saw her named Melbourne City’s Player of the Year during her loan stint over the Australian summer.

It is a scary proposition for opponents that Carpenter may not be entering the peak years of her career for another half a decade, given the success she has enjoyed so far.