Noah Botic will look to continue having an impact in green and gold when he returns to Olyroos camp at the end of the month for AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 qualifiers.
The Olyroos have been placed in Group I for the qualifiers and will face hosts Tajikistan and Laos. DPR Korea was also originally drawn in Group I, but has since withdrawn.
This will be Botic’s first opportunity to represent Australia since his excellent performances at the Maurice Revello Tournament in June.
Starting in three matches in the tournament in France, Botic scored twice as Australia achieved a third-place finish in its tournament debut.
Building from that, Botic has approached pre-season training with Western United intent on taking big steps forward, already scoring his first goal in United’s 4-0 over Edgeworth Eagles in the Australia Cup Round of 32.
Western United General Manager of Football Mal Impiombato praised Botic’s continued progression and urged him to continue putting himself in the frame for more opportunities.
“Noah has been a real success story at our club this year with his attitude and appetite to develop shaping the fantastic domestic form we saw last season,” he said.
“On top of that, we were extremely proud to see his performances with the Olyroos in France and are delighted that he has been rewarded with another opportunity.
“We are looking forward to seeing Noah continue to push himself on and off the pitch and maintain his positive development.”
This qualification campaign not only acts as a ticket to next year’s AFC U23 Asian Cup, but it also kicks off a long journey towards qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Topping Group I will secure qualification for the Asian Cup proper. If Australia can do that, then a place in the final or a third-placed finish will stamp a ticket to Paris, while finishing in fourth place will necessitate an AFC-CAF (Confederation of African Football) play-off to go to the Olympics.
