Majority of Aussie sports fans would be aware, the AFC Women's Asian Cup is being held on home soil in March 2026. The CommBank Matildas have played their final two friendlies before the tournament kicks off. In these two friendlies, the Matildas got two wins at home over New Zealand's Football Ferns: a 5–0 win on the Central Coast and a 2–0 win in Adelaide as the Ferns farewelled their captain Annalie Longo.

With the Matildas now playing no more matches together as a team until the Asian Cup kicks off, there's one question on everyone's mind: who -when the squad is announced in late February- will (or should) make the squad picked by Joe Montemurro? Only 23 (or possibly 26, as there are rumours it could expand like the men's tournament) players can make it; three of which must be goalkeepers.

Will we keep the older players who are past their prime but have valuable experience, or will we go for younger talents who could see us go further in the future? All in all, there is only one goal for this tournament, to win it. After the country fell in love with the Matildas at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup on home soil, it will be truely monumental if we do lift the Asia Cup for just the second time in history.

In this article I give my takes on the 52 players I think could make the final squad. And trust me, it's a hard squad to pick from.

Note: this article is multiple pages long.