The CommBank Matildas final squad has been named for the Women's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024™ Asian Qualifiers Round 2 (Asian Qualifiers) to take place later this month in Perth, Western Australia.
Australia will start their path to Paris 2024 with Head Coach Tony Gustavsson naming a squad featuring many familiar faces for the training camp and three Asian Qualifiers matches.
Captain and hometown hero Sam Kerr and vice-captain Steph Catley headline the roster of 22 players who will travel to Perth to take on IR Iran (26 October), the Philippines (29 October) and Chinese Taipei (1 November) in Group A action.
Off the back of a historic FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ tournament, the squad features 21 members of the team that captured a nation and claimed fourth place at the global showpiece.
World Cup duo Aivi Luik and Kyah Simon are both unavailable as they return from injury, with U-23 Women’s National Team captain, Amy Sayer, rewarded for her recent strong form in Sweden and with the U-23 Program. Forward Charlize Rule will also travel to Perth with the 20-year-old returning to the senior national team environment for the first time since November 2021 in a train-on / development squad position.
Tony Gustavsson reflected on the return to the pitch for the national team following the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“It’s hard to believe that by the time we take the field in Perth that it would have been over two months since that exhilarating and unifying month of football in Australia,” Gustavsson said.
“While we have had some time to reflect on the impact of this remarkable team on and off the pitch, the special trait of this group is that they are always looking to embrace the next challenge and that is now qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“With just over 285 days to go until that opening kick-off in France, we have called up players that we know are ready to take us forward to the next phase of qualifying, while looking to reward a couple who have performed strongly in the U-23 Program,” he concluded.
U-23 Women’s National Team Head Coach and CommBank Matildas’ Assistant Coach Melissa Andreatta expressed her pleasure at the reward for two members of her Program.
“I couldn’t be more pleased for Amy and Charlie’s return to the CommBank Matildas for this upcoming training camp and Olympic Qualifiers as it is recognition for not only their incredible work in our U-23 Program but also the developmental strides they have both made in the last two years,” Andreatta said.
“Both players have been impressive in the manner they have applied themselves at club football and then brought that same focus at U-23 level. It reiterates the importance of our U-23 Program as a bridge between club football and the senior team.”
This month’s Asian Qualifiers will mark a highly anticipated return of the CommBank Matildas to the West Australian capital for the first time since 2018 and will be the first opportunity for Australians to see the team on home soil since this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Football Australia acknowledges the considerable support of the Western Australian Government through its tourism and major events agency, Tourism WA, in the hosting of the Asian Qualifiers.
The Asian Qualifiers will see six matches played across three different match days with the group winner joining the winners of Group B and Group C, as well as the best-ranked runners-up, in Round 3. Round 3 will take place on 24 and 28 February 2024 with the winners of the two home-and-away series progressing to Paris.
“We are excited about the next chapter and continuing to build on the legacy for this team and it all starts in Perth,” Gustavsson stated.
“We understand the importance of high-quality performances and know these will be challenging matches against teams who will also be committed to continuing their journey to Paris next year,” he concluded.
Tickets for Match Day 1 & 3 at HBF Park have sold out, with in excess of 50,000 tickets sold for Match Day 2 at Optus Stadium on Sunday, 29 October. Remaining tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster.
All Group A Match Day information and fixtures is available here.
All CommBank Matildas AFC Olympic Qualifiers will be broadcast live and free on Network 10, with all their Group A Asian Qualifiers matches from Perth available on Paramount+.
COMMBANK MATILDAS | FINAL SQUAD | 2024 AFC WOMEN'S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
| NAME | POSITION | CLUB | CAPS (GOALS) | JUNIOR CLUB / MEMBER FEDERATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mackenzie ARNOLD | Goalkeeper | West Ham United FC | 42 (0) | Burleigh Heads SC / Football Queensland |
| Ellie CARPENTER | Back | Olympique Lyon | 69 (3) | Cowra and District JSC / Football New South Wales |
| Steph CATLEY (VC) | Back | Arsenal WFC | 117 (5) | East Bentleigh, SE Cougars / Football Victoria |
| Alex CHIDIAC | Midfielder | Tigres UANL Femenil on loan from Racing Louisville | 30 (2) | Croydon Kings/ Football South Australia |
| Kyra COONEY-CROSS | Midfielder | Arsenal WFC | 35 (0) | Bli Bli United FC / Football Queensland |
| Caitlin FOORD | Forward | Arsenal WFC | 116 (30) | Warilla Wanderers / Football New South Wales |
| Mary FOWLER | Midfielder | Manchester City WFC | 43 (11) | Leichhardt FC / Football Queensland |
| Katrina GORRY | Midfielder | Vittsjö GIK | 101 (17) | Mount Gravatt Hawks FC / Football Queensland |
| Charlotte GRANT | Back | Vittsjö GIK | 19 (1) | Cumberland United Women’s FC / Football South Australia |
| Clare HUNT | Back | Paris Saint-Germain FC | 13 (0) | Grenfell Junior Soccer Club / Football New South Wales |
| Alanna KENNEDY | Back | Manchester City WFC | 114 (9) | Campbelltown Cobras SC / Football New South Wales |
| Sam KERR (C) | Forward | Chelsea WFC | 125 (64) | Western Knights SC / Football West |
| Teagan MICAH | Goalkeeper | Liverpool WFC | 14 (0) | Brisbane Blue, Brisbane Central / Football Queensland |
| Courtney NEVIN | Back | Leicester City WFC | 24 (0) | Oakville Ravens SC / Football New South Wales |
| Clare POLKINGHORNE | Back | Vittsjö GIK | 163 (16) | Wynnum Wolves, Capalaba Bulldogs / Football Queensland |
| Hayley RASO | Forward | Real Madrid Femenino | 78 (15) | Banora Point SC / Football Queensland |
| Charlize RULE* | Forward | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 (0) | Queens Park FC / Football New South Wales |
| Amy SAYER | Midfielder | Kristianstads DFF | 6 (0) | Northbridge FC / Football New South Wales |
| Emily VAN EGMOND | Midfielder | San Diego Wave FC | 135 (31) | Dudley Redhead United FC / Northern NSW Football |
| Cortnee VINE | Forward | Sydney FC | 24 (3) | Peninsula Power FC / Football Queensland |
| Clare WHEELER | Midfielder | Everton WFC | 14 (0) | Adamstown Rosebud / Northern NSW Football |
| Lydia WILLIAMS | Goalkeeper | Melbourne Victory FC | 102 (0) | Tuggeranong, Woden Valley / Capital Football |
| Tameka YALLOP | Midfielder | Brisbane Roar FC | 115 (12) | Mudgeeraba SC / Football Queensland |
*Denotes train-on / development squad player who will not be eligible for the three Asian Qualifiers matches
COMMBANK MATILDAS | GROUP A | MATCH SCHEDULE
MATCH DAY 1
Australia v IR Iran
Date: Thurs, 26 October 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm AWST / 10.00pm AEDT
Venue: HBF Park, Perth, Australia
MATCH DAY 2
Philippines v Australia
Date: Sun, 29 October 2023
Kick-off: 3.00pm AWST / 6.00pm AEDT
Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth, Australia
MATCH DAY 3
Australia v Chinese Taipei
Date: Wed, 1 November 2023
Kick-off: 7.00pm AWST / 10.00pm AEDT
Venue: HBF Park, Perth, Australia
Broadcast: All CommBank Matildas AFC Olympic Qualifiers will be broadcast live and free on Network 10, with all the AFC Olympic Qualifier matches from Perth available on Paramount+.