Matildas: Qualifying for the Olympics, Homecoming, and New Faces
The Matildas will play three games in Perth this week, aiming to potentially qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Most of the squad is returning from their club duties overseas to face Iran, the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei, hoping to build on their success at the recent World Cup on home soil.
The Matildas return to home soil tonight as they play the first of three sold out qualifier games for the 2024 Paris Olympics. They will face Iran at HBF Park in Perth at 10PM (AEST) as part of the second round of qualifiers. Our group consists of the Matildas, Chinese Taipei, Iran, and the Philippines. However, the Matildas cannot underestimate this group of competitors, as each team dominated the first round, comfortably topping their respective tables by at least 3 points. The Matildas had a bye in the first round, which took them straight through to Round 2.
This marks the first return of the team since their success in the Women's World Cup earlier this year. Not only did we witness success in the team's results, performances, and players, but we also observed significant improvements in the support for women's sport, beyond what we could have imagined. The tremendous level of support is expected to continue during their time in Perth, prompting the relocation of their game against the Philippines to Optus Stadium, which can accommodate an additional 40,000 fans compared to HBF Park.
All three games are officially now a sellout, making that 11 consecutive sold out games for the Matildas - the hottest ticket in Australian sport right now, and the foreseeable future.
In squad news 20 of the 23 players will return from their international clubs, with Cortnee Vine, Lydia Williams, and Tameka Yallop only having a short trip to Perth from their neighbouring cities. Most of the team will not only be dealing with jet lag but will also have to navigate three games within six days - a tough assignment for any team. Although this presents a significant challenge for the players, it is where Tony Gustavsson and his staff will strategically manage the team to maximise their success in the tournament.
In exciting news we get to see two fresh faces in this month's squad who narrowly missed out on the previous selections for Tony's World Cup team. Amy Sayer, 21 years old, currently captains the U23s National team while playing in the Swedish first division. She will travel to Perth alongside Brighton's new signing, Charlize Rule. Rule, the 20-year-old former Sydney FC player, will earn her first cap for the Matildas when she steps onto the field this week, in contrast to Sayer's six caps. Both will be looking to establish themselves on the national stage in preparation for next year's Olympics, which the Matildas are determined to qualify for.
It will also be an exciting tournament for Sam Kerr as she returns to her hometown. "Everyone knows how proud I am to be from Perth and WA, so being able to come home again with my teammates will be a truly special moment," she said in her Matildas interview when the games got announced back in May. Fans may have concerns about her physical health, given her recent calf injury that kept her out of much of her World Cup campaign. However, Australia has nothing to worry about, as our skipper is excelling comfortably in her Premier League side, Chelsea, with no mention of a troublesome calf. In their most recent win against Brighton (4-2), Sam managed to assist in 2 out of 4 goals during her 79 minutes of play, shortly after Chelsea manager Emma Hayes publicly stated, "She's rusty" a few weeks earlier.
Not lucky enough to watch the games live in Perth? Anyone else around Australia can catch all the action live and free via Channel 10 (NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS & SA) and 10 Bold (WA, QLD & NT).
Fixtures: (EST)
- Australia vs IR Iran, 26th Oct 10PM, HBF Park.
- Philippines vs Australia, 29th Oct 6:10PM, Optus Stadium.
- Australia vs Chinese Taipei, 1st Nov 10PM, HBF Park.
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