From Down Under to Dominance: Australia’s Quest for Glory in the 2023 Women’s World Cup
The 2023 Women’s World Cup is the eighth time Australia has participated in the competition and the first time they have contributed as co-hosts along with New Zealand. The story of their rise to success and bumps along the way has brought them once again to the worldwide stage, and with a fair shot of taking home the trophy. We’ll look at Australia’s slow and steady rise to the top over the past ten years, from a star player to new coaching and more.
History of The Matildas
The Australian Women’s National Team named The Matildas, first qualified in the WWC in 1995, with qualifications following in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. The team was officially established in 1978 and, throughout its ups and downs, is back at it again to play at the WWC.
Their World Cup history shows gradual improvements each time in their goal differences. Their first appearance in the tournament yielded a -10 goal difference, their second appearance yielded a -4 difference, and their third yielded a -2 difference. By their fourth appearance in 2007, they had their first positive goal difference won with a 4-1 score over Ghana, leading them to the quarterfinals, where they lost 2-3 to Brazil. This was just the start of their WWC appearances, and they held up as a competitive team in the tournament in the following years.
In 2022, The Matildas competed in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and made it to the quarterfinals, where they shockingly lost to Korea Republic by 1 point. Australia had previously been runners-up in this tournament for the previous two appearances. The loss for Australia led to Korea’s qualification for the WWC, and Australia still had their automatic qualification because they were set to be co-hosts.
The shockingly early exit from the Women’s Asia Cup, coupled with the fact that the team came in fourth place at the Olympics in 2020, might not make much sense. The team is good enough to qualify for major tournaments, but it is difficult to tell whether they will be able to take it all the way or not.
The Development of a Star Player
Sam Kerr has a history playing in the NWSL and for Chelsea and has been the captain of the Matildas since 2019. In the U.S., Kerr has played with the Western New York Flash, the New Jersey Sky Blue FC, and the Chicago Red Stars and has been named by some as one of the world’s best center-forward players. She averages a goal every other game for Australia and has been an instrumental player in the team’s success.
Kerr made her first appearance as a substitute for the Matildas in 2009 at age 15. She has proved herself on the team and worked up to the captain position. The Athletic claims that the team is the most out of any to position their team to revolve around one singular player. However, she has sat out of the Group Stage games in the WWC because of a calf injury she sustained right before the tournament began.
New Coach: Tony Gustavsson
The Matildas’ new coach as of 2020, Tony Gustavsson, has a lot of experience coaching both men and women and has led teams to major title wins. He helped the USWNT win the WWC two times in a row as an assistant coach to Jill Ellis. Additionally, he was an assistant coach to Pia Sundhage during the USWNT’s 2012 Olympic gold medal victory.
His expertise in global soccer tournaments has seemed to boost The Matildas’ record, as well as Kerr entering as captain in 2019.
Building an Attacking Team
Australia has many quality players who play worldwide during the league season. And the team was not dependent on Sam Kerr to score goals or lead the team on the field. Players like Hayley Raso, Caitlin Foord, and Mary Fowler have had tremendous performances so far.
2023 Women’s World Cup for The Matildas
The Matildas ended up in first place of Group B in the WWC and made it out to the Round of 16 with a 4-0 win against Canada. They won the game even without top player Sam Kerr on the field. This game secured their spot to move forward and not only proved their worthiness but their dominance in the tournament as a team. Before the match against Canada, they were in third place in Group B, but the big win led them to the top.
The Australian Women’s National Team’s first competitor in the knockout rounds was Denmark which placed second in Group D. The odds were slightly more in favor of Australia over Denmark since Australia’s goal difference was four and Denmark’s was two going into the match. Whether Sam Kerr would play was unknown, but she was subbed in during the second half.
Australia came away with a 2-0 victory over Denmark. Now in the quarterfinals, Australia will play against France. Only time will tell if the tournament hosts can go all the way.
Featured image via Getty Images
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