Timor-Leste Call-up for Jess Soares

Jessica Soares has received a call-up to the Timor-Leste national women's football squad.

Soares will be heading to Vietnam for the ASEAN Women's Championship MSIG Serenity Cup 2025. The tournament kicks off on the 6th of August in Haiphong, as Thailand take on Indonesia in Group A. That game will be followed by Vietnam and Cambodia.

In Group B, with Timor-Leste, are the Philippines, Myanmar, and an Australia U23s team. In their first game, Timor-Leste will take on the Philippines at 13:30 UK time. The top two teams from each group advance to semi-finals, with the final taking place on the 19th of August.

The ASEAN Football Federation is an organisation that sits within the Asian Football Confederation. The organisation runs regional football, futsal, and beach soccer tournaments for South East Asian nations. The ASEAN Women's Championship is held every frequently, with often only one or two years between tournaments. Timor-Leste have qualified on four previous occasions, competing in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022. The 2025 edition is their fifth consecutive participation in the tournament, and we are hoping the team can progress beyond the group stages for the first time.

This will be the first time Jess Soares has been included in the squad. Read her interview here.

Jess plays football for Southampton Women FC, who are the city's largest female only football club. The team spent the previous season playing in the FA Women's National League - Division One South West, competing against the AFC Bournemouth of Amber Treweek, and the Moneyfields of Rebekah Tonks.

Soares joined the Aztecs halfway through the 24/25 season, making her debut during a 2-1 win away to Chiltern in the cup. Her first Aztecs goal was the opener during a 9-1 victory at home to Maidenhead in the cup.

Jess has made six competitive NFS appearances for the Aztecs, and the team has never lost a game in which she has played. She has also played internationally with the Aztecs, gracing the courts of Nantes at the Mondial Futsal Femenin 2025 in France.

Having recently graduated from Solent University, this is a very successful summer for the former Portsmouth U23 footballer. Completing a bachelor's degree in sport and exercise physiology, Jess was also part of the Solent Sport Excellence Programme, a prestigious initiative that supports some of the university's top athletes as they strive forward in their careers both on and off the pitch.

The message from everyone at the Aztecs is belted out in unison. Jess thoroughly deserves this opportunity. It is a great recognition of her achievements and ability. We will all be rooting for her as loud as we can, and we are immensely proud of her. Good luck in Vietnam!