Australia women's national soccer team

Australia women's national soccer team
The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006. The team's official nickname is "the Matildas" (from the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda"); they were known as the "Female Socceroos" before 1995.
Australia is a three-time OFC champion, one-time AFC champion and one-time AFF champion. The team has represented Australia at the FIFA Women's World Cup on eight occasions (once as co-host in 2023) and at the Olympic Games on four, although it has won neither tournament.
History
Foundation
The Australian Women's Soccer Association (AWSA) was founded in 1974 and a representative Australian team competed at the 1975 AFC Women's Championship. This team was officially recognised in May 2023, with all 16 members of the squad officially awarded caps. Pat O’Connor captained this team, and her husband Joe was head coach. After finishing runner-up in their group which featured Thailand and Singapore, the Australians would lose 3–2 in the semi-final against New Zealand. A 5–0 win against Malaysia in the third-place playoff meant that the national team came third in the first Asian Cup.
A national team made up primarily of players from New South Wales and Western Australia was sent to the 1978 inaugural Women's World Invitational Tournament, in Taipei, Taiwan. Australia, coached by Jim Selby, played against club teams at the tournament and none of the players' appearances counted as official caps. Prior to May 2023, Australia's first official international match was considered to be against New Zealand at Seymour Shaw Park in Miranda, New South Wales, Australia on 6 October 1979, as it was billed as the "1st Australian Women's International Soccer Test". Jim Selby remained as coach. A lack of resources meant Australia's subsequent seven official matches were all against New Zealand.
The 1980s: Development in Oceania
Australia played in the first Oceania Cup in 1983 in New Caledonia, losing the final to New Zealand in extra time. It was the first time the Australians faced a team other than the "Football Ferns" of New Zealand. A team would not be assembled again until the next edition of the tournament in 1986 tournament in New Zealand, which featured Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan, as well as New Zealand's B team. Australia lost in the final again, beaten 4–1 by Taiwan.
Throughout the 1980s, the team did not have an official playing kit of its own. The only playing kits available were hand-me-downs that had been donated or discarded by men's teams. Although the players were proud to be wearing an Australian strip, they were never supplied with a kit that fitted them properly. Moreover, on the eve of one international tour, several players famously had to sew the team crest onto their tracksuit jackets with a needle and thread.
The late 80s had Australia encountering the American and European teams for the first time in the 1987 Women's World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan, and the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in China. For the latter tournament, the players had to sew themselves the own Australian crests onto the team tracksuits. Two years later, Australia hosted the 1989 Oceania Cup in Brisbane with Australia entering two teams in Australia A and B. After originally being separated in the two groups, neither team made to the final with Chinese Taipei defeating both Australia B and Australia A to force the Australians to take on each other for the third-place playoff which would be rained out.
The following edition in 1991 tournament doubled as qualifiers for the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, and the winner was determined by the best results from a group. Australia finished level on points with New Zealand, but had scored fewer goals, which resulted in New Zealand progressed to the World Cup as OFC representative.
The 1990s: Continued growth
Between 1991 and 1994, the Matildas played internationally during a tour of Russia in 1994. The Oceania tournament in 1994 again doubled as World Cup qualifiers in the same round-robin format. Again, Australia finished even with New Zealand on points but this time had a superior goal difference, and qualified for their first FIFA Women's World Cup.
Before 1995, the nickname for the women's team was just "Female Socceroos", derivative of the male squad. Thus in 1995 the Australian Women's Soccer Association joined with Special Broadcasting Service to broadcast a naming competition for the female team. Out of five names, the popular vote chose "Matildas", from the song "Waltzing Matilda". The players themselves did not approve of the name, and took years to use the moniker to describe the team.
At the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden, Australia were grouped with the United States, China and Denmark. During their opening match against Denmark, they lost 5–0. During the team's second match, a 4–2 loss to China, Angela Iannotta scored Australia's first goal at a World Cup. In the final group match against cup holders the United States, Australia scored first but went on to lose 4–1.
In 1996, the team entered into its first kit sponsorship deal, with rising sportswear brand Asics. The deal was initiated during a chance conversation between team manager Tom Sermanni, the CEO of the AWSA, Peter Hugg, and an Asics' representative, Lawrie McKinna, who had become a fan of women's football due to his acquaintance with former team member Janine McPhee. Asics and team management jointly developed the design of the first sponsored strip; it incorporated new technology that made it lighter and more comfortable for the players than their previous kit.
The Matildas would assert their Continental strength at the 1998 Oceania Cup, which doubled as a World Cup qualifying tournament. Australia thrashed their Pacific island opposition in their group games and semi-final, before defeating hosts New Zealand in the final 3–1 (the only goal conceded for the tournament), and qualifying for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup in USA. At the tournament, Australia was grouped with Sweden, China and Ghana. In their opening match, they secured their first non-loss in a World Cup match with a 1–1 draw against the Ghanaians. Their following group matches were both 3–1 losses, finishing third in the group.
Australia still did not have much attention and respect, with the Matildas forced to train with second-hand equipment from the Socceroos, not getting paid and with few games to play. In 1999, to promote themselves and raise funds for the team, most of the Matildas posed for an AWSA board-approved nude calendar, which sold over 40,000 units.
2000–2004: First Olympics appearances
The profile built for the sport carried into 2000, where the Matildas had a guaranteed spot for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. While in January a friendly match against the Czech Republic in Melbourne's Bob Jane Stadium attracted only 1,500 spectators, a crowd of 10,000 came to the Matildas' game against China at the Sydney Football Stadium in June. Much anticipation surrounded the team's Olympic performance on home soil, but a 3–0 loss to Germany in their opening game brought those hopes down. A draw with Sweden and a final loss to Brazil ended their tournament in the first round. While the on-field performance was disappointing, attendances at matches were high for women's soccer in Australia, raising the profile of the game.
The team were the host nation for an annual invitational tournament called the Australia Cup, from 1999 to 2004 inclusive, winning it twice.
Following the Olympics, many problems halted the Matildas' schedules. As Ernie Merrick backed out on his intentions to coach the team, Adrian Santrac only took over as manager in November, and Australia played no games in 2001. The following year the team argued over the calendar proceeds with the promoter, and AWSA went into liquidation with debts of over $70,000; all of its other assets were absorbed by Soccer Australia (current Football Federation Australia). In-between, many players opted to retire from the national team.
In 2003, they competed in the Oceania Cup with the team winning all four matches to the combined score of 45 goals to nil with the closest being a 2-0 win over New Zealand. Qualifying for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Australians were drawn in Group D with China, Ghana and Russia, the Australians only scored a single point at the World Cup with a 1–1 draw against China. Though two losses against Russia and Ghana meant that they finished bottom of the group.
The team won the 2004 OFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Fiji to return to Olympic tournament in Athens 2004. The Matildas won their first Olympic game ever against Greece, and managed to qualify for the quarterfinals, losing to Sweden 2–1.
2005–2009: Move to Asia
In 2006, Australia moved from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation, with the following month seeing the country getting hosting rights for the 2006 AFC Women's Asian Cup. The Australians were drawn in Group B with Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea and Thailand. During the group stage, the Matildas scored eleven goals during the group stage which included a 4–0 win against South Korea but would go on to finish in second place in the group by goal difference. In the semi-final, goals from Caitlin Munoz and Joanne Peters gave Australia a 2–0 win over tournament favorites Japan. This win also meant that the national team qualified through to the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup which was held in China. The Matildas would go to lose in the final by penalties to China with the Chinese coming back from two goals down from half time.
During early 2007, Australia competed in the qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics which was held in China. After sweeping their group with nine points from nine, the Australians would only finish second in the final round group behind North Korea winning both matches against each other by a score of 2–0.
Two months later, Australia draw for the World Cup was revealed with the nation being placed in Group C with Canada, Ghana and Norway. The opening match of the 2007 World Cup saw Australia record their first victory in a World Cup with two goals from Lisa De Vanna assisted Australia to a 4–1 victory over Ghana in Hangzhou. This was followed up with two draws against Norway (1–1) and Canada (2–2) with a late goal from Cheryl Salisbury booking Australia spot into the quarter finals for the first time in team history. In the knockout stage, the Australians came back from two goals down early in the first-half to level the match at two-all with goals from De Vanna and Lauren Colthorpe. But a 75th minute goal from Brazilian striker, Cristiane gave Brazil a 3–2 win which ended the World Cup run at the quarter-final stage.
In 2008, the Matildas competed in the 2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup. They were drawn in Group B, placing second in the group with relative ease behind Japan, who they would eventually face in the third place playoff. With the Matildas progressing from the group stage to the semi-finals, they were paired up against North Korea. North Korea won the match 3–0 and went on to win the tournament. This led them on to the third place playoff, facing Japan for a second time in the tournament and again losing, leaving the Matildas in fourth place.
2010–2013
2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup, China
In 2010, the Matildas qualified for the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup in China. They beat Vietnam (2–0) and South Korea (3–1) before losing to China 1–0 which made them advance in second place and advance to the Semi-finals where they beat Japan 1–0. The final which was played in wet conditions was history making itself with it being the first senior soccer team (men or women) to make a final in the AFC. They created more history by being the first ever Australian soccer team to win in Asia after beating the team of Korea DPR in penalties during the final, 5–4, after a regular time score of 1–1 (Australia's lone and equalising goal being scored by Sam Kerr). The title gave the Matildas a berth at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, Germany
The following year the team contested the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in Germany, being sorted into Group D. Despite losing 1–0 to Brazil in the opening game, victories of 3–2 and 2–1 over Equatorial Guinea and Norway respectively qualified the Matildas to the quarterfinals. At the knockout stage, the team lost 3–1 to Sweden. Caitlin Foord was awarded Best Young Player of the tournament, and defender Elise Kellond-Knight was chosen for the All-Star Team.
2014–2019: Stajcic era
After operating as interim head coach of the Matildas in late April and May 2014 for the Matildas’ Asian Cup campaign. In 2014, Alen Stajcic was appointed permanent head coach of the squad in late 2014.
2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup, Vietnam
In 2014, the Matildas qualified for the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup in Vietnam. They drawn in Group A alongside Japan, Vietnam and Jordan, earning 2 victories and a draw with Japan which earnt them second place on goal difference. They were drawn against South Korea in the semi-finals, defeating them 2–1, but ultimately lost 1–0 to Japan in the final.
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Canada
During the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in Canada, they became the first Australian team, men's or women's, to win a knockout stage match at a World Cup when they defeated Brazil by a score of 1–0. The goal was scored by Kyah Simon after a shot by Lisa de Vanna was blocked and redirected by goalkeeper Luciana. In the quarterfinals, the Matildas lost to defending champions Japan in a late goal by Mana Iwabuchi.
2016 Olympic Games, Rio
The following year, they contested in qualifiers for the 2016 Summer Olympics where they finished on top of the group after defeating all of the opponents bar China, to get to the Olympic Games. Drawn in Group F, Australia lost to Canada, conceded a draw to Germany, and defeated Zimbabwe in a blowout to finish as the best third placed team. The adversary in the quarterfinals were hosts Brazil, who avenged the defeat one year prior in the penalty shootouts as goalkeeper Bárbara saved Alanna Kennedy's kick.
Post 2016 Olympics
At the 2017 Tournament of Nations event, the Matildas recorded their first ever win over the United States after 27 attempts, defeating them 1–0 in Seattle. The Matildas went on to defeat Japan 4–2 and Brazil 6–1 to finish as the inaugural tournament champions. Following the Tournament of Nations, the Matildas scheduled a series of two friendlies hosting Brazil, with the first match at Penrith Stadium being sold-out, and an even larger crowd of nearly 17,000 attending the next match 3 days later in Newcastle.
In December 2017, Matildas were awarded the Public Choice Team of the Year at the Australian Institute of Sport Awards.
2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup, Jordan
At the 2018 AFC Asian Cup, held in Jordan, Australia reached the final after defeating Thailand in the semi-final on penalty kicks. They would lose 1–0 to Japan in the final, but nonetheless secured a spot at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Post 2018 Asian Cup
Later that year at the 2018 Tournament of Nations Australia once again went undefeated, finishing the tournament with two wins and one draw. They were tied with the United States with 7 points, but the US had a superior goal differential and were crowned tournament champions.
2019–2020: Milicic era
Despite entering 2019 on the back of good form and with their highest ever placement on the FIFA ranking list (4th), the Matildas coach Alen Stajcic was sacked from the role in January 2019 by Football Federation Australia (FFA), whose chief executive David Gallop said the decision was based on confidential surveys and conversations with players and staff. The decision proved to be very controversial, as the FFA refused to discuss any further specifics as to the reasoning for the decision and was made only months out from a World Cup appearance. Some players, such as Sam Kerr, Lydia Williams and Elise Kellond-Knight spoke in support of Stajcic and voiced their surprise at his sacking. Former men's national team assistant Ante Milicic was later appointed coach.
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, France
For the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, held in France, Australia was drawn in Group C with Italy, Brazil, and Jamaica. A 2–1 injury time loss to Italy was followed by a 3–2 win against Brazil. This victory was notable for 3 reasons – Australia came back from a 2–0 deficit, these were the first goals conceded by Brazil in the group stage in 16 years and it was their first group stage loss for 24 years. The final group game was a 4–1 win over Jamaica with Sam Kerr scoring all four goals, becoming the first Australian player — male or female — to score a hat trick at a World Cup tournament. The result saw Australia finish second in the group and proceed to play Norway in the round of sixteen. The game finished one-all after both regulation time and extra time with Norway winning the penalty shoot-out 4–1.
2020–present: Gustavsson era
In September 2020, Football Federation Australia named Swede and former United States Women's National Soccer Team assistant coach Tony Gustavsson as the Matildas' new head coach, signing him on a deal running through 2024 (up to and including the 2024 Olympics in Paris).
2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo
In 2020, the Matildas qualified for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics where they finished top of all competing nations during the 2020 Asian Football Confederation's Qualifying Tournament. They were placed in Group G with countries Sweden, the United States, and New Zealand, nicknamed the 'Group of Death.' After beating New Zealand, losing to Sweden, and drawing with the United States, they were ranked third in their group and progressed to the quarter finals against Great Britain. The match saw Australia open the scoring with a 1-goal advantage, before Great Britain surpassed them with a 1-goal advantage in the second half. An 89th-minute goal by captain Sam Kerr saw Australia equalise before advancing to extra time. During the extra 30 minutes of play, Mary Fowler and Kerr scored an additional two goals to bring the score to 4–2, before Ellen White completed her hat trick. The game ended with a 4–3 scoreline, resulting in Australia's first entry into an Olympic semi-final, playing against Sweden for the second time in the tournament. Despite a strong performance and a disallowed goal by Kerr, they lost 1–0, relegating them to a bronze medal match playoff against the United States. The semi-final match against Sweden broke women's sport TV viewing records in Australia, with 2.32 million viewers tuning in. In the bronze medal match, they lost 4–3 to the United States, resulting in the Matilda's 7th loss of the year. Finishing fourth, the 2020 Olympics were the Matildas' most successful performance at the Olympics, having previously never progressed beyond the quarter-finals since its inception in 1996.
Post 2020 Olympics
After their Olympics bronze medal defeat, Australia played their first ever match against the Republic of Ireland on 21 September 2021, with it being Sam Kerr's 100th cap. In October, they played a series of home friendlies against Brazil, their first matches on home soil since 2019, recording a win and a draw. In November, in their final matches of the 2021 calendar year, they played another series of home friendlies against World Number 1 side the United States, recording a defeat and a draw. These two matches broke attendance records in Australia – the first match played on 27 November in Stadium Australia, Sydney, broke the all-time standalone Matildas home attendance record set in 2000, with 36,109 spectators. The second game broke the attendance record of any Matildas game played at Newcastle, with 20,495 spectators. 2021 also saw a record number of Matildas' debutants, with 13 players making their first senior international caps, and a record number of players reaching the 100th cap milestones, including Emily Van Egmond, Kyah Simon, Sam Kerr, Alanna Kennedy and Tameka Yallop.
2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, India
The Matildas began 2022 by participating in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, held in India. They were drawn into Group B, against Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand. They played their opening match against Indonesia, beating them 18–0, a record win for the team against any opponent within the Asian confederation. The game also saw Sam Kerr scoring 5 goals, whereby equalling and surpassing Tim Cahill's previous Australian international goal-scoring record of 50 goals, making Kerr the all-time leading scorer for Australia, both male or female. Australia finished top in their group undefeated, conceding just one solitary goal, however the team crashed out in the quarter-finals to eventual runners-up South Korea 0–1.
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Australia co-hosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup along with New Zealand, after the bidding decision was announced on 25 June 2020. As hosts, Australia were drawn into Group B, a group which also contained Canada, Nigeria, and debutant Ireland.
Before the tournament, Australia participated in the 2023 Cup of Nations alongside Spain, Jamaica, and the Czech Republic. Australia has already defeated Czech Republic 4–0 in their opening game and Spain 3–2 in their second game, only needing a draw in their game against Jamaica to win the tournament. Australia beat Jamaica 3–0 to lift the Cup of Nations on 22 February 2023.
Australia started the tournament with a 1–0 victory over Ireland by Stephanie Catley, with the only goal scored from a penalty kick. Part of this was due to the news that captain Sam Kerr was going to miss the first two if not all of the group games. They followed this up with a 3–2 loss against Nigeria. In danger of elimination, they defeated reigning Olympic champion Canada 4–0. Not only was this Australia's biggest ever win at a World Cup match, Australia topped their group at a World Cup for the first time.
In the Round of 16, Australia defeated Denmark 2–0 with a goal in each half. It also marked Sam Kerr's first appearance in the tournament. This was just the second time Australia won a knockout match at the Women's World Cup.
Australia went on to defeat France 7–6 on penalty kicks, with the Matildas becoming the first senior Australian team to make a world cup semi-final. The quarter-final match between Australia and France also saw the longest penalty shootout in the history of the FIFA Women's World Cup, with 20 total kicks.
The Matildas were defeated 3–1 by England at the FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-finals on 16 August. The Matilda's campaign ended with a 2–0 loss to Sweden to finish fourth. This marked the highest-ever finish of any Australian soccer team in senior level.
Team image
Regarded as Australia's most beloved national sporting team in 2019, the Matildas have grown its fanbase over recent years, due to increased exposure, successful tournaments and skilled players coming on to play both internationally and at club level, including captain Sam Kerr, widely regarded as one of the world's best soccer players.
Kits
Nicknames
The team's official nickname is "the Matildas" (from the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda"), sometimes shortened to Tillies by fans. They were known as the "Female Socceroos" before 1995.
Naming rights
Under a naming rights deal with Scentre Group and its predecessor, Westfield Group, the team was branded as "Westfield Matildas" from 2008 to 2021. The team is currently branded as "CommBank Matildas", based on a multi-year financial investment in the team by the Commonwealth Bank.
Media coverage
Australian matches are broadcast by Paramount+ and on free-to-air by Network 10. In 2021, during the broadcast of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Matildas broke TV viewing records of any women's team sport in history. The record was initially broken during their second group stage match against Sweden, drawing in 1,468,000 viewers. The record was broken again during their quarter-final clash against Great Britain, drawing in 2.27 million viewers, before recording the all-time record of 2.32 million viewers watching them compete against Sweden in the Olympic semi-final.
In the 2023 Womens World Cup, the Quarterfinal game between Australia and France averaged over 4 million viewers and peaked at 7.2 million viewers on Channel 7, which was the most watched sporting event since Cathy Freeman's 400 meters gold medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics in Australia. This statistic does not include Live viewings, Pubs, Stadiums and Parties where the game was shown.
Attendance
The current home attendance record for a Matilda's stand-alone match is 59,155, set on 29 October 2023 during their 2024 AFC Olympic qualifying match against Philippines.
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Legend
2022
2023
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
Manager history
.
Players
Current squad
The following 23 players were named to the squad for the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament second round.
Caps and goals are current as of 1 November 2023 after the match against
INJ
TOP
Notes:
INJ Withdrew due to injury.
TOP Train-on player.
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up to the squad within the last 12 months.
Notes:
INJ Withdrew due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad / on stand-by.
Player records
Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.
Most caps
Most goals
Most clean sheets
Captains
Competitive record
Australia has played matches against international opponents on a consistent basis since 1978. To date, they have played 55 different nations and governing bodies, across FIFA World Cups, invitational tournaments, the OFC Women's Nations Cup (until 2004), the AFC Women's Asian Cup (from 2006) and international friendlies.
FIFA Women's World Cup
Olympic Games
OFC Women's Nations Cup
AFC Women's Asian Cup
AFF Women's Championship
Honours
Major tournaments
OFC Women's Championship
Champions: 1994, 1998, 2003
Runners-up: 1983, 1986, 1991
AFF Women's Championship
Champions: 2008
AFC Women's Asian Cup
Champions: 2010
Runners-up: 2006, 2014, 2018
Minor tournaments
Champions: Australia Cup – 1999, 2001, 2002
Champions: 2013 Centenary Cup
Champions: 2017 Tournament of Nations
Champions: 2019 Cup of Nations
Champions: 2023 Cup of Nations
Champions: Torneio Cidade de Uberlândia (Brazil) – 1995
See also
Australia men's national soccer team
Sport in Australia
Soccer in Australia
Women's soccer in Australia
A-League Women – Current Australian women's national league
Women's National Soccer League (WNSL) – defunct Australian women's national league
Australia women's national soccer team results (1975–99)
Australia women's national soccer team results (2000–09)
Australia women's national soccer team results (2010–19)
Matildas: The World at Our Feet
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
FIFA profile
Match Tracker – Andrew Howe – FFA Statistician
Oceanian women's national association football teams
Asian women's national association football teams