Australia

The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) since leaving the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006. The team's official nickname is "the Matildas" (from the Australian folk song Waltzing Matilda), having been known as the "Female Socceroos" before 1995.

Australia is a three-time OFC champion, one-time AFC champion and one-time AFF champion, and became the first ever national team to win in two different confederations (before the men's team did the same in 2015 AFC Asian Cup). The team has represented Australia at the FIFA Women's World Cup on seven occasions and at the Olympic Games on four, although it has won neither tournament. Immediately following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Australia was ranked eleventh in the world by FIFA.

Australia will co-host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup along with New Zealand, so the Matildas automatically qualify for this event as co-hosts.

History

Foundation

The Australian Women's Soccer Association (AWSA) was founded in 1974 and a representative Australian team competed at the following year's Asian Women's Championship. This team was officially recognised in 2022, with all 16 members of the squad officially awarded caps. Pat O’Connor captained this team with her husband Joe the coach. They finished third at the tournament which is now recognised as the first Asian Cup. A national team made up primarily of players from New South Wales and Western Australia was sent to the 1978 inaugural World Women's Invitational Tournament, in Taipei, Taiwan. Australia played against club teams at the tournament and none of the players' appearances counted as official caps.

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