On the verge of becoming the first Young Socceroos outfit to qualify for an under-20 World Cup in 12 years, Australia's next big things aren't letting the occasion get to them.

Instead, they have their sights firmly fixed on sealing qualification - then an under-20 Asian Cup triumph in China.

A quarter-final win over Iraq on Saturday night at the Bao'an Sports Centre Stadium in Shenzhen would book a spot in the final four, and with it, qualification for the World Cup in Chile in May.

It's a golden opportunity for a team studded with current and former A-League Men young guns, including the likes of Luka Jovanovic, Musa Toure, Medin Memeti, Tiago Quintal and Daniel Bennie.

"It's obviously the biggest honour in football. I mean, who doesn't want to go to a World Cup?" defender Sebastian Esposito said.

"But we're just focused on the next game. We've still got to get there. So we just take it game by game.

"And we're not only looking to get to the World Cup, but we want to win this tournament. That's the goal for this game."

"It's obviously a big game and a big opportunity for us, and we're just ready to go."

The Young Socceroos hammered the Kyrgyz Republic 5-1, then came from behind to beat Qatar 3-1 and reach the quarter-finals, then were able to rest players on yellow cards for their 2-1 win over hosts China.

Coach Trevor Morgan backed his level-headed charges to seize their opportunity again.

"I'll back us against anybody. We're definitely confident going into the match that we have the quality to win," he said.

"Iraq, they've progressed to the quarter-final, which means they've earned the right to be there.

"Their games have been challenging for them, and they had to fight to win and to progress. So they're going to take strength out of that, that they're a team that has been through some tests.

"Their playing style is becoming clearer and clearer for us. We tried to watch a broad number of possible opponents, and we're going to focus on them and make sure we're on top of our game plan."

The players also know that performing at this level can elevate them towards future Socceroos prospects, and potentially big club moves.

"Everyone's got the same goal - if you speak to the boys, it's the dream to play for the Socceroos," former Melbourne City defender and US Lecce signing Esposito said.

"But we can only focus on ourselves. We know how strong of a group we are, and we just want to perform and show how good we are.

"That's the platform the national teams gives you - you play well, and you never know who's watching."