History

The historic first Australian women's team was established in 1978 to take part in the first World Women's Invitational Tournament in Chinese Taipei. Australia was the only national team in the tournament with the other 12 countries represented by club or district teams.

Matildas History

The Pioneers

Australia's squad for the 1978 tournament, selected by first Australian women's team coach Jim Selby, consisted of players mainly from NSW and Western Australia. Captain Connie Byrnes had the honour of captaining the first Australian senior national women’s team.

In the first round of matches Australia was missed sixth place only on goal difference. The Australians then competed in the second round for teams placed seventh to thirteenth, ultimately finishing eighth in the tournament.

Australia's results of the 1978 World Women's Invitational Tournament in Chinese Taipei: W1-0 v Austria, D1-1 v USA, L0-1 v Sweden, D0-0 v Denmark and W5-0 v Thailand. Young Australian Anna Senjuschenko (who tragically died in a car accident in 1979 aged 17) was voted a star player of the tournament by the media, while Connie Byrnes was awarded ‘Miss Football’ for Australia.

The women’s team played on sporadic occasions throughout the 1980s, with only a limited number of major international competitions enticing much attention to the team.

The introduction of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and women’s football at the Olympic Games in the 1990s, combined with a surge in participation levels throughout the country, sparked renewed interest in the national women’s team, now called the Commonwealth Bank Matildas.

World Cups

After barely being beaten out of a place at the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in China in 1991 on goal difference (by New Zealand in the Oceania qualifiers), the Australian women’s national team has never failed to qualify for the World Cup, finishing as top team in Oceania in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 Oceania World Cup qualifiers.

The Commonwealth Bank Matildas qualified for the 2007 finals via Asia for the first time, after reaching the final of the 2006 AFC Asian Women’s Championship in Adelaide. Australia qualified for the following year’s World Cup after defeating Japan in the semi-final 2-0 (top three nations in the tournament qualified for the World Cup); the final however saw the Commonwealth Bank Matildas go down to China only after a penalty shoot-out, to finish runners-up in the tournament. The Aussies went that one better in a memorable 2010 AFC Asian Women’s Cup in China, defeating the highly-fancied Korea DPR side on penalties in the final following a 1-1 scoreline after 120 minutes of play and earning the country another shot at the World Cup.

Australia appeared to gradually learn and improve throughout each of its first few World Cup forays, as the aggregate goal differences over each World Cup shows: a goals for-and-against record of 3-13 (minus 10) in its 1995 World Cup matches reduced to minus 4 in 1999, and went down to minus 2 in the 2003 campaign. By the 2007 tournament, a positive goal difference over the four matches, which included Australia’s first World Cup finals win (4-1 over Ghana) and quarter-final appearance (a 2-3 loss to Brazil) displayed how far the Aussie women’s team had come over the previous 12 years. Further testament to the team was provided when coach Tom Sermanni was named 2007 AFC Coach of the Year.

Australia line up against Sweden at the 2011 Women's World Cup
Australia line up before taking on Sweden at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

In 2011 Australia put in arguably their best FIFA Women’s World Cup performance to date with a strong showing in Group D where the team came out of the group with six points following wins against Equatorial Guinea and Norway as well as a narrow 1-nil loss to Brazil. In a tournament where Australia had the third youngest team, with an average age of 22, the team performed strongly and received many plaudits for their style of play and character. Australia were knocked out in the quarter final by eventual third-placed Sweden, losing 3-1 to the world’s fifth ranked nation.

2015 saw Australia start their FIFA Women's World Cup campaign against eventual winners the United States in their opening Group D clash.  Playing some scintillating football, the Commonwealth Bank Matildas pushed the Americans all the way before losing 3-1.

Next up was Nigeria, and a Kyah Simon double was enough to earn Australia a crucial 2-0 win, setting up a clash with Sweden, the side that had knocked them out four years earlier. Despite a 1-1 draw Australia finished second in their group and would face an imposing Brazil side in the Round of 16.

WATCH: The Commonwealth Bank Matildas make history by beating Brazil at the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada

That match in Moncton would go on to become part of Australian football folklore, as the Commonwealth Bank Matildas shocked the more-fancied Brazilians. Another Kyah Simon goal, this time in the 80th minute, sealed a memorable result.

A quarter-final against eventual runners-up Japan would prove a bridge too far, with the Green and Gold going down 1-0 in Edmonton.  

Drawn in Group C, the Commonwealth Bank Matildas began their FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 against the fast improving Italy.  It was a bright start for Australia as captain Sam Kerr opened her FIFA Women's World Cup account with a penalty conversion in the first half. However, it wasn't enough for victory as the Italians recorded a late winner to take the three points.  

A familiar opponent was next for Australia as, for the fifth major tournament in a row, they were to met Brazil.  It was a match befitting the rivalry built between the two nations with the Commonwealth Bank Matildas coming back from a 2-0 deficit to claim a famous 3-2 victory in Montpellier.  

A superstar prior to the tournament, Kerr made Australian history in the final group match against Jamaica.  The prolific striker netted all of Australia's goals, becoming the first Aussie to score a FIFA World Cup hattrick, in their 4-1 win over the Reggae Girlz to set up a Round of 16 clash with Norway.  


After Norway took a first half lead in the Round of 16 encounter, Australia worked their way into the match and put pressure on the Norwegians.  That pressure finally told in the second half with Elise Kellond-Knight scoring straight from a corner to bring the Commonwealth Bank Matildas level.  A back and forth struggle resulted in penalties with Australia ending their tournament in Nice.   

2023 will see the Commonwealth Bank Matildas compete in a home FIFA Women’s World CupTM.  Co-hosted with New Zealand, the tournament will be the first in the Southern Hemisphere, the first in the Asia-Pacific region, the first co-confederation FIFA tournament and the first time Australia will host a senior FIFA tournament.  

It is set to be a festival of football! 

Olympic Games

Women’s football was introduced to the Olympic Games for the 1996 tournament, where only the top eight teams of the 1995 World Cup qualified (Australia had finished 12th in the 1995 World Cup).

The Australian women’s team qualified for the Olympic Games finals tournaments in 2000 (as host nation), and again in 2004 as winner of the Oceania qualifying tournament, where Papua New Guinea and Fiji stood in the way of direct qualification.

Following Australia’s entry into the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006, qualification for the Olympic Games was made much more challenging, especially for the Beijing 2008 Games where hosts and AFC member China were granted an automatic spot.

This meant only two more Olympic Games spots were available for the entire continent, Australia eventually finishing second behind winners DPR (North) Korea who gained the qualification spot from Group B.

Similar to the improvement shown over its first few World Cups, the Australian women’s team commenced its Olympic Games experience modestly, losing two and drawing one at Sydney 2000, before improving markedly in the 2004 tournament, where a 1-0 win over host nation Greece and a 1-1 draw with powerhouses USA enabled the Aussies to reach the quarter-final stage for the first time in a major women's international tournament.

Matildas captain Lisa De Vanna shakes hands with Brazil's Marta at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Matildas captain Lisa De Vanna shakes hands with Brazil's Marta at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

After a 12-year absence, Australia returned to the Olympic Games football tournament at Rio 2016, qualifying by topping their group.

After a 2-0 loss to Canada and a 2-2 draw with Germany, the Matildas triumphed 6-1 over Zimbabwe in their final Group F match to qualify for the knockout stages. 

WATCH: Australia hit Zimbabwe for six at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

The Aussies would again come face-to-face with Brazil in a high-octane quarter-final. Unfortunately for the Green and Gold it would not end the same way as a year previously in the World Cup, with the hosts triumphing 7-6 on penalties after a scoreless match.

In 2020 Commonwealth Bank Matildas commenced their quest for a fourth Olympics appearance at home when the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifiers came to Sydney.  Drawn in Group B, Australia opened their group stage with a 7-0 win over Chinese Taipei with Caitlin Foord netting a hattrick.  

Another hattrick, this time from Emily van Egmond, saw Australia move past Thailand 6-0 in the second match setting up a group decider with China.  The two continential powers went head to head in an absorbing encounter at Bankwest Stadium.  After the Steel Roses went ahead 1-0 late in the piece, Van Egmond proved the hero with a 92nd equaliser to keep the Commonwealth Bank Matildas top of Group B.  

Winning the group set up a home and away clash with Vietnam for a place at Tokyo.  Held in Newcastle, the home leg saw captain Kerr's brace lead Australia to a comfortable 5-0 win.  On the road the Commonwealth Bank Matildas came away with a 2-1 victory and a well earned qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.  

 

While Tokyo Olympics has been shifted to 2021, the Commonwealth Bank Matildas firmly have their sights set on making an impression at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.