Matildas’ next big crowning moment could be coming to Sydney

Sydney is in the box seat to host what could be a long-awaited coronation of sorts for the Matildas after NSW was announced as one of three states which will share the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2026.

NSW, Queensland and Western Australia have been put forward as proposed host states for the tournament, which is expected to be formally awarded to Australia next month after all other rival bidders withdrew their interest.

Football Australia settled on those states after discussions with various governments through an expression of interest process, held before the enormous success of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup - and thus, perhaps at a time when some states weren’t fully convinced of the Matildas’ pulling power.

The national team is on a run of 14 consecutive sell-outs at home, which will continue with their two-game Olympic send-off series against China next month.

It means Melbourne, which controversially did not host matches beyond the round of 16 at the World Cup after failing to secure agreements to use the MCG and Marvel Stadium, will miss out entirely on the Asian Cup. FA chief executive James Johnson said “future opportunities” would be explored with the states which haven’t been included.

Sam Kerr leading the Matildas at last year’s Wormen’s World Cup.Credit: Edwina Pickles

“Hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 offers a golden opportunity to continue the dynamic growth and popularity of women’s football in Australia,” Johnson said.

“Last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup laid a robust foundation, and we are eager to build upon this legacy to further enhance our football landscape both nationally and regionally.”

The World Cup final was held at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, which would appear to be the most likely venue to host the Asian Cup decider in 2026 with its 80,000-seat capacity, compared to the 60,000 at Perth’s Optus Stadium and 52,500 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. FA will not publicly discuss host cities or venues until the AFC makes an official announcement, anticipated at the next AFC Executive Committee meeting in May.

On their current trajectory, the Matildas would be expected to challenge for the Asian title in 2026, but history shows it is never that easy. While they won it in 2010 - their only major honour in international football - they lost both the 2014 and 2018 finals to Japan, and were upset in the quarter-finals of the 2022 edition after losing 1-0 to South Korea.

The tournament is projected to generate up to $260 million in economic output and will create more than 1000 jobs, the FA says.

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