Key events
16 mins: Japan pick up a second ball from a long diagonal headed away by Australia then take their time to work the overlap on the left. The low cross is sent behind by Wheatley. Japan get too cute with the corner.
14 mins: Australia are physical and urgent, winning most challenges where the ball is in dispute. Fowler has been noticeable for her intent – backed up by a couple of excellent through-balls after gaining possession.
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10 mins: Foord should score! Australia are reliant on Catley and Wheatley for their “out” balls and after passing it amongst themselves Wheatley sends the ball through the lines until Fowler wins a 50:50 on the edge of the box and slips through a would-be assist for Foord but the Arsenal striker shoots straight at Yamashita with plenty of room either side.
8 mins: After that early excitement at both ends the game has settled down into more of a strategic battle. Japan are keen to play out from the back, make the pitch as wide and long as possible in order to create as much space for their pass-and-move to operate in. Australia are currently sticking to their task and force a couple of goal-kicks as the visitors overhit crucial passes in the final third.
6 mins: Joe Montemurro cuts the figure of a stressed uncle in his technical area. With his five o’clock shadow, white button down oxford shirt and blue chinos he looks like he’s just hassled a bunch of kids out of his SUV at the school gate before dashing to the office. Clearly an upgrade on Tony G’s Backstreet Boys centre part.
4 mins: But Japan immediately look dangerous with their first attack. The overlapping fullback run on the left leads to a cross to the far post where Fujino drills a cross-cum-shot that is hacked away. Japan recycle possession and come again down the right twice in quick succession but the crosses are poor and Torpey can clear. Again Japan raid down the right with Takahashi prominent, but yet again a poor low cross is dealt with, this time by Arnold, who can hold onto the ball and give her team some breathing space.
3 mins: This is a very good start from the Matildas, denying Japan the ball in midfield and snapping into challenges whenever there’s a loss of possession.
2 mins: One of those training ground moves occurs with Catley finding Fowler on the right. She does well to cut inside and find Kerr in the box but her snapshot is weak and is deflected wide. Catley’s corner is poor and Japan clear at the near post.
1 mins: Australia ping the ball around neatly between defence and midfield, giving just about everyone form the home team an early touch. The first mode of attack is to feed the feet of Cooney-Cross and Kennedy with their backs to goal, looking for the return pass to Wheatley or Catley who can then launch long diagonals to Foord and Kerr.
Kick off!
The final of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup is under way…
Australia go for the full squad huddle, Japan the starters v subs high-10s. We’re all set in Sydney.
A reminder of the two line-ups:
“A sell out stadium, the potential for a spectacularly competitive final and just the fact this is happening are all huge wins for Australian football,” emails Phil Withall. “The op-ed pieces about every game not being sold out and this meaning women’s football has somehow missed something, are proven to be the waffle they are. Go Matildas!”
Out come the two sets of players to deafening cheers. Stadium Australia looks pretty much full as the two teams stand for the national anthems.
Chris Paraskevas is tuning in as the sides line up in the tunnel, waiting to take the field of play.
“Re: attendance “issues” I think there are a whole heap of variables (including economic) that need to be factored in, as well as promotional (Asian Cup doesn’t have the name of the World Cup) mixed in with some natural public “fatigue” with so many Matildas games having been played and televised.
The results and performances since the WC have been a little unconvincing, though the ongoing presence (fitness) of our various match winners and X Factor players means we are a threat when not playing well: Foord, Kerr, Rasso, Fowler, Kennedy (the latter has really taken over as the team’s General on the pitch and added a touch of class to her game over time).
I’m not sure Joe M has evolved our style all that much, or widened our squad talent pool too much either. I suppose minor evolution rather than revolution, though I suspect he agrees with the above re: star power, and first and foremost wants to keep his big guns fit and happy.
Honestly, it can be dull and pragmatic, but it has got them to a final where they are a serious threat to a world class Japan side (serious depth, players at top clubs and in form).
Really hope this golden generation can stamp their legacy with a trophy – there’s a lot on the line here.”
What to look out for tonight? Put simply, this will be a clash of possession v counterattack and collective quality v individual brilliance.
Japan have completed the most passes by far this tournament. They have long prospered by utlising a precise pass-and-move style that has drawn comparison to the Spanish golden age of tiki-taka. Pay close attention to the speed of ball movement, especially the quick one-touch combinations in midfield involving Manchester United’s Hinata Miyazawa, Manchester City’s Yui Hasegawa, and Liverpool’s Fuka Nagano.
Australia, by contrast, have looked most dangerous in transition, so they will be happy to defend in a mid-block and spring forward as quickly as possible. This utilises the blistering speed of Ellie Carpenter overlapping down the right, the hold-up play of Sam Kerr to bring teammates into play, and the vision of Mary Fowler to execute the killer through-ball. The Matildas are likely to rely more on isolated moments than concerted pressure, which is where the big-game performers like Caitlin Foord come into their own, as well as golden boot contender Alanna Kennedy.
G Flip takes the nostalgia back to the late 80s as she moves from the microphone to the drum kit to rattle out a cover of All Fired Up (written by Melburnian Kerryn Tolhurst before it was sent stratospheric by Pat Benatar).
Both teams will be wearing their home strips tonight. Japan in blue, Australia in green and gold.
The Welcome to Country has just been delivered. Now it’s time for the prematch entertainment, G Flip, with some early 00s nostalgia.
This will be the 29th time these two sides have met. Japan hold the upper hand with 12 wins to Australia’s eight.
The most recent clash was almost exactly one year ago at the SheBelieves Cup in Houston with Japan running out 4-0 winners. Nine of Australia’s likely starting XI started that match, but it did come during the interminable interregnum between Tony Gustavsson and Joe Montemurro when the Matildas were in the midst of a run of five defeats in seven outings.
Channel 10 (the host broadcaster in Australia) is describing the match as a sell-out, which is an incredible achievement.
Conditions are not ideal for a showpiece. It is muggy with the potential for thunderstorms later on in the night. There was rain around earlier but it should be dry for the majority of the game. Temperatures are in the mid-20s.
Has this tournament been a success? Objectively yes, but since the incredible 2023 World Cup on Australian soil and resulting heightened expectations, the nuanced answer is not so straightforward.
double quotation mark Although the Matildas have struggled to sell out their matches, they will have attracted about 250,000 attenders over three weeks, and ticket sales for the tournament have beaten the previous Women’s Asian Cup record by a factor of five.Organisers had to spread a tournament of only a handful of elite teams across three states in a compressed schedule, just as Australia’s sporting eyes were turned by the start of the AFL and NRL seasons, as well as the Formula One grand prix in Melbourne.
Japan XI
Japan start with the same XI that dispensed with South Korea in the semi-finals. Riko Ueki leads the line, and with six goals is one strike in front of Australia’s Alanna Kennedy in the race for the golden boot.
1 A. Yamashita, 4 S. Kumagai, 5 H. Takahashi, 6 T. Koga, 7 H. Miyazawa, 9 R. Ueki, 10 F. Nagano, 13 H. Kitagawa, 14 Y. Hasegawa, 15 A. Fujino, 17 M. Hamano
Substitutes: 2 R. Shimizu, 3 M. Minami, 8 K. Seike, 11 M. Tanaka, 12 C. Hirao, 16 Y. Yamamoto, 18 H. Hayashi, 19 M. Tanikawa, 20 M. Matsukubo, 21 M. Moriya, 23 A. Okuma, 24 Y. Narumiya, 25 R. Chiba, 26 M. Hijikata
Australia XI
Joe Montemurro has made one change to his starting XI with Wini Heatley coming in for Clare Hunt, as she did during the second-half of the semi-final against China. Montemurro is a big fan of Heatley’s ball-playing as a right-footed centre-half alongside the left-footed Steph Catley.
This is a team packed with experience. Five of Australia’s starting XI have earned more than 100 caps – and tonight Ellie Carpenter moves to 99. Only Heatley and Kaitlyn Torpey have fewer than 50. They will never be more ready.
But as Martin Pegan writes, despite Australia’s home advantage Japan deserve to start as clear favourites.
double quotation mark The world No 6 arrived at the tournament as the team to beat and have since cemented their place as the favourites across a near-flawless campaign.
Both coaches did their best to avoid favouritism during their pre-match press confereces.
“We are talking about a final in a major tournament. Both teams can win. They have 50% chance of winning,” Nils Nielsen said.
“There’s no favourites in the final, it’s the best team and the one who wants it more and the one who is smart enough to manage the moments,” added Joe Montemurro.
Jack Snape has been following the tournament since day one, and he sets the scene from Sydney.
double quotation mark Unless Kerr and co are embarrassed by Japan on Saturday in a match in Sydney expected to draw in excess of 70,000 fans, the tournament has at least helped repair the Matildas’ reputation after two unsettling years…Saturday also has them looking up for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, wondering again how high they might climb, and what future will be theirs.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Japan v Australia in the final of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Kick-off at Sydney’s Stadium Australia is 8pm AEDT.
This is the most consequential football match on Australian soil since Spain defeated England in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final almost three years ago. It is the most significant fixture involving an Australian national team since Ange Postecoglou led the Socceroos to continental glory in 2015. There has been no shortage of hype around this golden generation of Matildas and they finally have the chance to honour it with silverware.
The hosts will have the majority of a 60,000+ crowd behind them but they will enter the decider as underdogs. Japan have reached at least the semi-finals of every Asian Cup since 1986, winning two out of the past three titles. They haven’t lost a match in 90 minutes in the competition since 2010. That defeat came at the hands of eventual champions Australia. A 90th minute substitute that day: 16-year-old Samantha May Kerr.
A generation on, Kerr is the only surviving member of the class of 2010 and she will captain a side packed full of close friends that blossomed alongside each other into what could prove to be their defining battle.
I’ll be back with all the build up, team news, and insight from Stadium Australia shortly. If you want to join in during the evening, you can reach me at jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com.
