How every Matilda fared at the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup

Alanna Kennedy

Position: Midfielder

Tournament impact rating: 10

Games/starts: 6/5

Goals/assists: 5/0

What a tournament it was for Australia’s defender turned midfielder turned top scorer. Kennedy started on the bench for the first game against the Philippines, but was a revelation thereafter, striking braces against Iran and South Korea before hammering home expertly against North Korea in the quarterfinal. In build-up play, Kennedy was disciplined and assured at the base of midfield, often dropping between Australia’s two central defenders to shore up the back-line and allow the fullbacks to advance. A perfect score for Australia’s unlikely goal poacher and player of the tournament.

Sam Kerr

Position: Forward

Tournament impact rating: 9

Games/starts: 6/6

Goals/assists: 4/1

Australia’s captain led by example throughout the tournament, putting in a courageous shift after a couple tough years with injury. She started all six of Australia’s games, scoring her first international goals since 2023 and providing Matildas fans with their moment of the tournament against China, striking from the narrowest of angles to send her side to the final. Kerr also registered her side’s winning goal against North Korea, a left footed rocket from the edge of the penalty area. However, she did tend to drift in and out of games, and was starved of meaningful openings in the tournament decider.

Ellie Carpenter

Position: Defender

Tournament impact rating: 9

Games/starts: 6/6

Goals/assists: 0/1

It was a typically confident, unerring three weeks of football from Australia’s most consistent player. Carpenter ran tirelessly throughout the tournament, winning tackles at a rate over 70 per cent, while providing a constant attacking threat from right back. She was heavily involved in the move that led to Caitlin Foord’s picture-perfect semifinal strike against China and was one of the Matildas’ best in the final.

Katrina Gorry

Position: Midfielder

Tournament impact rating: 8.5

Games/starts: 5/5

Goals/assists: 0/0

“Mini” was absolutely massive for the Matildas in the centre of the park, busting a lung and getting through a mountain of work in all five of her appearances. She was particularly excellent in the semifinal victory over China and rose to the occasion against Japan, making sure her team wasn’t over-run by a technically excellent Nadeshiko midfield.

Mackenzie Arnold

Position: Goalkeeper

Tournament impact rating: 8.5

Games/starts: 4/4

Clean sheets: 0

After missing the first two games of the tournament through injury, Arnold slotted in for the Matildas’ final group game against South Korea. She was immense in Australia’s quarterfinal victory over North Korea, making a staggering nine saves as her side was outplayed in Perth. She was also prominent against China, but did give away a penalty in a difficult situation, bringing down Zhang Linyan in the box. And there was not much she could have done about Maika Hamano’s wonder strike in the final.

Kaitlyn Torpey

Position: Defender

Tournament impact rating: 8

Games/starts: 4/3

Goals/assists: 0/0

Probably the Matilda with her reputation most enhanced after the tournament, Torpey was an unlikely starter throughout the knockout stages. Only in the team after Steph Catley’s concussion and Courtney Nevin’s shaky cameo against South Korea, Torpey was brilliant at left back in the quarterfinal and semifinal, defending exceptionally against tricky wingers Chae Un Yong and Zhang Linyang. However, Aoba Fujino caused her a few problems in the final, in which she also missed a golden chance to equalise.

Mary Fowler

Position: Forward

Tournament impact rating: 7.5

Games/starts: 6/5

Goals/assists: 1/2

Having only just recovered from an ACL injury in the weeks before the tournament, it was a remarkable comeback from Fowler. She started her first international game in over 300 days and picked up a goal in the group stage against Iran, before going on to feature in the Matildas’ starting XI for the remainder of the tournament. Her influence fluctuated during the knockout stage — she was largely anonymous against China but was one of the Matildas’ best in the final, playing a more withdrawn role at the point of midfield. All in all, a thoroughly successful return to the world stage for Fowler.

Steph Catley

Position: Defender

Tournament impact rating: 7.5

Games/starts: 4/3

Goals/assists: 0/0

It was something of a stop-start tournament for Catley. Starting the tournament in typically reliable fashion at left back, the Matildas stalwart was rested against Iran before suffering a concussion in the final group game. After missing the quarterfinal, Catley returned to the team in central defence due to the fine form of Kaitlyn Torpey, but the Arsenal player was unsurprisingly reliable at centre back, adding a level of assuredness to the Australian defence in the semifinal and final.

Wini Heatley

Position: Defender

Tournament impact rating: 7.5

Games/starts: 5/4

Goals/assists: 0/0

A solid showing from one of the younger players in the Australian squad. Heatley is a very good distributor from the centre of defence, and showed it during the Asian Cup, making 319 successful passes at an accuracy of almost 90 per cent. She started the tournament next to Hunt and ended it partnering Catley, and looked composed alongside both.

Caitlin Foord

Position: Forward

Tournament impact rating: 7

Games/starts: 6/6

Goals/assists: 1/3

It was something of a mixed bag for Foord at the 2026 Asian Cup. She was typically tenacious and hardworking in the final third, and provided a moment of real quality to put the Matildas ahead in the semifinal against China. However, her finishing did let her down at times throughout the tournament. She was culpable for a number of big misses in the final, despite being one of her side’s best in build-up play.

Clare Hunt

Position: Defender

Tournament impact rating: 7

Games/starts: 5/5

Goals/assists: 0/0

The breakout star of the Matildas’ 2023 run to the World Cup semifinals, it was another solid tournament showing from Hunt at the Asian Cup. Her misjudgement allowed Zhang to win a penalty against China in the semifinal, but she was impressive with the Matildas under pressure against North Korea in the quarters. A knock kept her out of the final against Japan.

Kyra Cooney-Cross

Position: Midfielder

Tournament impact rating: 6.5

Games/starts: 4/2

Goals/assists: 0/0

Cooney-Cross was eased into the team due to a lack of football in the lead-up to the tournament. After promising cameos against South Korea and North Korea, she added another dimension to the Australian midfield when she started in both the semifinal and final, her passing range and ball carrying abilities welcome additions to the Matildas’ engine room.

Chloe Lincoln

Position: Goalkeeper

Tournament impact rating: 6.5

Games/starts: 2/2

Clean sheets: 2

Not selected in Joe Montemurro’s initial 26-player squad, Lincoln was parachuted into camp after a goalkeeping injury crisis before the opening game. With Jada Whyman, Teagan Micah and Arnold all sidelined, the Brisbane Roar custodian made all of two saves across group stage games against the Philippines and Iran, but asserted herself well enough nonetheless.

Amy Sayer

Position: Midfielder/forward

Tournament impact rating: 6

Games/starts: 5/1

Goals/assists: 1/0

A promising group stage never amounted to much for 24-year-old Sayer. That’s through no fault of her own though — she just didn’t spend enough time on the pitch. Sayer scored in and played the entire 90 minutes against Iran, but featured in just an hour of football across the rest of the tournament. Montemurro may well have under-utilised the attacker a touch, especially considering how weary Fowler looked in the semifinal against China.

Clare Wheeler

Position: Midfielder

Tournament impact rating: 6

Games/starts: 5/2

Goals/assists: 0/0

The Everton midfielder started two of the three group games, but the return of Cooney-Cross meant Wheeler dropped to the bench for the knockouts. She was a good introduction off the bench against North Korea, helping her side get a foothold in the centre of the park, but just couldn’t quite establish herself in Australia’s first-choice midfield three.

Emily van Egmond

Position: Midfielder

Tournament impact rating: 6

Games/starts: 6/3

Goals/assists: 0/1

Van Egmond’s legendary status was further underlined during the tournament, coming off the bench in the semifinal to become Australia’s most capped player in international football. Her set-piece delivery was excellent throughout the tournament, but she did struggle at times to assert herself at the point of midfield.

Hayley Raso

Position: Forward

Tournament impact rating: 5

Games/starts: 3/1

Goals/assists: 0/0

A really unfortunate tournament for Raso, who succumbed to concussion in the second group game against Iran and wasn’t seen again until the dying embers of the final. She had a goal ruled out for offside against the Philippines, but other than that didn’t have too much to show for her 137 tournament minutes.

Courtney Nevin

Position: Defender

Tournament impact rating: 5

Games/starts: 2/1

Goals/assists: 0/0

Nevin began the tournament as Australia’s second-choice left back but fell further down the pecking order after a tough evening against South Korea. Taking the place of the concussed Catley in the first half, Nevin conceded a penalty and was run ragged by tricky winger Kang Chae-rim. She wasn’t seen again at the tournament after that. However, there is no doubt Nevin is a fine player and will continue to contribute in green and gold as the 2027 World Cup draws near.