It's official: the CommBank Matildas' squad for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup on home soil is finally here! While overall not too surprising, there's always something to talk about in a squad for any team, and Aussie squads are no exception!
For Francophones, feel free to check out the French version of this article, the first Green & Gold FC article in a language other than English!
The official squad list
Here's the final 26-player squad list!
Manager: Joe MONTEMURRO
Who missed out?
Compared to the 2024 Olympics squad, Clare Polkinghorne has of course retired, Sharn Freier and Tameka Yallop are both injured, while Cortnee Vine is out. If we count the extended squad players, Charli Grant is injured while Lydia Williams has retired.
If we compare it to the World Cup squad, things get even more different. Clare Polkinghorne and Lydia Williams have retired from football altogether, Aivi Luik and Kyah Simon are de facto retired from internationals, Charli Grant and Tameka Yallop are injured, and Cortnee Vine wasn't picked.
Other young talents who missed out on Joe Montemurro's first international tournament squad include Alexia Apostolakis, Jacynta Gala, Dani Galić, Izzy Gomez, Alana Murphy, Jess Nash and Annalise Rasmussen amongst others. Grace Kuilamu is injured and thus was unable to be picked.
What would I change?
Personally, knowing the injuries we have and the game time of each player, I would only make two changes to the squad, replacing two of our senior players with two of the younger more brighter prospects. I would replace veteran Michelle Heyman up front with Annalise Rasmussen, a wonderkid who just moved from Central Coast Mariners to Juventus. I would also replace veteran midfielder Emily van Egmond with Daniela Galić, a talented young attacking midfielder who plays for Vittsjö GIK.
Knowing the luck we have with injuries, it’s quite possible that one of the 26 players picked is replaced before the tournament, opening the door for more A-League Women players to be selected.
What can we expect from the tournament?
The Matildas will be the heavy favourites to win Group A, which consists of Iran, the Philippines and South Korea. We play the Philippines in Perth, Iran on the Gold Coast and then South Korea in Sydney. The top two teams from each group plus the two best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage. It's almost certain that either China or North Korea will win Group B and that Japan will win Group C.
Assuming we win Group A, we will face the third placed team from Group B or C in the quarter-finals, and then likely face Japan (by far our toughest opponent) in the semi-finals. If we progress to the final, we will most likely face either China or North Korea. Our side of the bracket has every knockout stage match held in Sydney, while the other side is held in Perth. The final will be held at Stadium Australia (Accor Stadium) in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park.
Overall, we must go in the tournament with one goal: win it. The crowds will be enormous on home soil, and after our fourth-place finishes at the 2021 Olympics (in Japan) and the 2023 World Cup (on home soil), we need to go a step further and win the trophy.
What would be my starting 11?
My default starting lineup for the Matildas would look like this:
Conclusion
And there you have it, there's the Matildas' official squad for the 2026 Asian Cup! You can expect more articles like this for any Matildas or Socceroos major tournament squad, as well as for the A-League All Stars and the Olyroos, and of course I will be continuing the Matildas Abroad series! Comments and insights are welcome. Thanks for reading!
GO MATILDAS!
For Francophones, feel free to check out the French version of this article, the first Green & Gold FC article in a language other than English!
The official squad list
Here's the final 26-player squad list!
| Pos. | Player | Club | Age | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Mackenzie ARNOLD | Portland Thorns | 31 | 61 | 0 |
| GK | Teagan MICAH | OL Lyonnes | 28 | 28 | 0 |
| GK | Jada WHYMAN | AIK Stockholm | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | Ellie CARPENTER | Chelsea | 25 | 93 | 5 |
| DF | Steph CATLEY | Arsenal | 32 | 141 | 7 |
| DF | Wini HEATLEY | Roma | 24 | 13 | 0 |
| DF | Clare HUNT | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | 39 | 1 |
| DF | Alanna KENNEDY | London City Lionesses | 31 | 142 | 12 |
| DF | Courtney NEVIN | Malmö FF | 24 | 40 | 1 |
| DF | Jamilla RANKIN | TSG Hoffenheim | 22 | 7 | 0 |
| DF | Charlize RULE | Brighton & Hove Albion | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| MF | Alex CHIDIAC | FC Como | 27 | 37 | 2 |
| MF | Kyra COONEY-CROSS | Arsenal | 24 | 63 | 2 |
| MF | Katrina GORRY | West Ham United | 33 | 118 | 18 |
| MF | Amy SAYER | Malmö FF | 24 | 19 | 4 |
| MF | Emily VAN EGMOND | Leicester City | 32 | 165 | 32 |
| MF | Clare WHEELER | Everton | 28 | 34 | 2 |
| FW | Caitlin FOORD | Arsenal | 31 | 140 | 39 |
| FW | Mary FOWLER | Manchester City | 23 | 63 | 16 |
| FW | Michelle HEYMAN | Canberra United | 37 | 85 | 33 |
| FW | Kahli JOHNSON | Calgary Wild | 22 | 3 | 1 |
| FW | Sam KERR | Chelsea | 32 | 131 | 69 |
| FW | Holly MCNAMARA | Melbourne City | 23 | 16 | 1 |
| FW | Hayley RASO | Eintracht Frankfurt | 31 | 103 | 24 |
| FW | Remy SIEMSEN | FC Rosengård | 26 | 14 | 0 |
| FW | Kaitlyn TORPEY | Newcastle United | 25 | 21 | 2 |
Manager: Joe MONTEMURRO
Who missed out?
Compared to the 2024 Olympics squad, Clare Polkinghorne has of course retired, Sharn Freier and Tameka Yallop are both injured, while Cortnee Vine is out. If we count the extended squad players, Charli Grant is injured while Lydia Williams has retired.
If we compare it to the World Cup squad, things get even more different. Clare Polkinghorne and Lydia Williams have retired from football altogether, Aivi Luik and Kyah Simon are de facto retired from internationals, Charli Grant and Tameka Yallop are injured, and Cortnee Vine wasn't picked.
Other young talents who missed out on Joe Montemurro's first international tournament squad include Alexia Apostolakis, Jacynta Gala, Dani Galić, Izzy Gomez, Alana Murphy, Jess Nash and Annalise Rasmussen amongst others. Grace Kuilamu is injured and thus was unable to be picked.
What would I change?
Personally, knowing the injuries we have and the game time of each player, I would only make two changes to the squad, replacing two of our senior players with two of the younger more brighter prospects. I would replace veteran Michelle Heyman up front with Annalise Rasmussen, a wonderkid who just moved from Central Coast Mariners to Juventus. I would also replace veteran midfielder Emily van Egmond with Daniela Galić, a talented young attacking midfielder who plays for Vittsjö GIK.
Knowing the luck we have with injuries, it’s quite possible that one of the 26 players picked is replaced before the tournament, opening the door for more A-League Women players to be selected.
What can we expect from the tournament?
The Matildas will be the heavy favourites to win Group A, which consists of Iran, the Philippines and South Korea. We play the Philippines in Perth, Iran on the Gold Coast and then South Korea in Sydney. The top two teams from each group plus the two best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage. It's almost certain that either China or North Korea will win Group B and that Japan will win Group C.
Assuming we win Group A, we will face the third placed team from Group B or C in the quarter-finals, and then likely face Japan (by far our toughest opponent) in the semi-finals. If we progress to the final, we will most likely face either China or North Korea. Our side of the bracket has every knockout stage match held in Sydney, while the other side is held in Perth. The final will be held at Stadium Australia (Accor Stadium) in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park.
Overall, we must go in the tournament with one goal: win it. The crowds will be enormous on home soil, and after our fourth-place finishes at the 2021 Olympics (in Japan) and the 2023 World Cup (on home soil), we need to go a step further and win the trophy.
What would be my starting 11?
My default starting lineup for the Matildas would look like this:
Conclusion
And there you have it, there's the Matildas' official squad for the 2026 Asian Cup! You can expect more articles like this for any Matildas or Socceroos major tournament squad, as well as for the A-League All Stars and the Olyroos, and of course I will be continuing the Matildas Abroad series! Comments and insights are welcome. Thanks for reading!
GO MATILDAS!
