The Illawarra Stingrays rising star was on Monday morning confirmed as the Young Matildas skipper for the tournament, which kicks off in Costa Rica on August 10. Shellharbour teenager Jynaya Dos Santos was also included in the final 21-player squad.

Head coach Leah Blayney said Gallagher, 20, was rewarded for her performances and leadership, on and off the field.

"Sheridan is one of our most hardworking players. In terms of how she conducts herself around the group, she is extremely supportive of all the players and the girls know that - that is who you want in your corner when things are difficult," Blayney said.

"The other part of Sheridan Gallagher is that she never takes a backward step and that is the epitome of us as a team."

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The Young Matildas' initial squad of 23 was trimmed to 21 following a 10-day pre-tournament camp in Mexico. The team is now set to depart for Costa Rica on Monday, with a final pre-World Cup clash against Columbia looming on Thursday.

The Aussies will open their Cup account against host nation Costa Rica on August 11.

"As we anticipated when we named the extended squad, selecting the final 21 players has been made extremely difficult due to the quality of play and application displayed by the playing group," Blayney said.

"While it is a young final squad that we have selected, it is a talented squad with a mix of high technical ability, ever-increasing tactical maturity and the heart and desire that are indicative of Australian teams. This is a squad that has the opportunity to demonstrate their quality on the global stage."

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