Jamilla Rankin part of Young Matildas squad ahead of World Cup in Costa Rica.

She has been selected in the Young Matildas under-20 squad taking on the New Zealand Junior Football Ferns in Auckland on Sunday.

Rankin, 19, grew up at Rosebank and played juniors for Eureka.

She has already had a bumper 12 months after she was picked in the national Matildas team that played Ireland last year.

Her inclusion the under-20 Australian side coincides with the Young Matildas first international match in almost three years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"It's exciting to be naming the squad for the next milestone in our FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022," coach Leah Blayney said.

"As we continue to progress, we are establishing a core that is building an understanding of what it takes to perform and be successful at the highest level.

"This is being complemented by the introduction of new players to the set-up whom have impressed and earned the chance to see how they can add to our team.

"We have been keeping a close eye on the players' performances since the commencement of the NPL Women's season.

"The scouting of those matches, combined with the recent domestic camps, have provided us with a good understanding of the players chosen.

"All the girls have worked hard and demonstrated qualities which could be beneficial and, as a result, they made the selection process difficult.

"Facing New Zealand allows us to continue refining the concepts embedded during the training camps in an overseas match environment.

"It also allows us to gain an understanding of the squad's ability to adapt to changing scenarios, particularly with many experiencing international travel for the first time in their careers."

Rankin attended Trinity Catholic College until Year 9, before she moved to Cavendish Road High School in Brisbane as part of the Queensland Academy of Sport Program.

She played for Eureka in the Football Far North Coast junior competition and was also part of the Liverpool Academy at Southern Cross University.

The defender represented the junior Matildas as a 16-year-old and had a standout season playing in the W-League for Brisbane Roar last year.

In the 2019, she played in the AFC under-16 Women's Championship qualification and final tournament.

She featured during two matches of qualification as well as four games in the final tournament, starting each game she played in.

It's a big effort for someone who grew up in a small town playing against boys in the Far North Coast competition.

"It wasn't always the dream growing up, but every year it seemed to get bigger and bigger," Rankin said.

"I just wanted to keep improving; playing against the boys and having coaches that were pushing me in the right direction definitely helped."

The Matildas international cycle next year includes the FIFA Women's World Cup on home soil in and the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Rankin was on the bench for two matches against the United States at Newcastle and Sydney last year.