COMMBANK MATILDAS UNVEIL FINAL SQUAD FOR FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2023™
Football Australia is pleased to announce the official 23-player Final Squad to represent Australia at the highly anticipated FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.
The line-up of players boasts a dynamic blend of youth and experience and is selected from across Australia, representing seven different Member Federations.
The team will be led by forward Sam Kerr as captain in her fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup, and defender Steph Catley as vice-captain in her third appearance at the prestigious quadrennial tournament.
Lydia Williams and Clare Polkinghorne, revered figures in Australian football, have earned the distinction of being the only male or female Australian players to participate in five FIFA World Cup finals tournaments. Their inclusion in the squad is a testament to their immense skill, dedication, and enduring legacy.
CommBank Matildas’ head coach Tony Gustavsson said the team are looking forward to sharing the FIFA Women’s World Cup experience with the nation.
“Today is the end of a two-and-a-half-year process and the wonderful start of a thrilling new journey for the team,” Gustavsson said. “Selecting this World Cup squad has been the toughest challenge so far, but the whole coaching and support staff are all completely overjoyed for the 23 players who will represent the nation during this tournament.”
“These 23 players not only exemplify what it means to be a part of the tradition of the CommBank Matildas, but also what it means to represent the 25 million Australians we know are fully behind us. They have the heart, desire and the passion for the crest, and I can’t wait to see the next part of their story.”
Gustavsson has selected 15 players who were part of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign and with seven players in line to make their FIFA Women’s World Cup debuts.
“I am delighted to see the progression of the team as it is a result of their dedication to be prepared for this moment. To see so many debutants for the tournament speaks to the hard work of the players themselves, but also the coaching staff and support staff as we looked to build depth in the squad.
“This is a special group of players who, when you see the anticipation around the tournament and level of interest for women’s football, have already sparked a transformation. We can’t wait to get the tournament underway in front of a record crowd of support.”
Australia will complete their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 preparations with a final “Send Off” Match against fellow tournament participants, France, in front of a capacity crowd at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne on Friday, 14 July 2023. The match will kick off 7.30pm AEST with full coverage live on 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+.
The CommBank Matildas will then depart for their Team Base Camp in Brisbane on 15 July ahead of their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 opening match against the Republic of Ireland (8.00pm AEST) on 20 July at Stadium Australia, Sydney.
Australia’s second game will see them return to Brisbane to face 11-time African Champions, Nigeria, at Brisbane Stadium on 27 July (8.00pm AEST) before the final Group B fixture against reigning Olympic gold medallists, Canada at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on 31 July (8.00pm AEST).
Fans will be able to see the Final Squad at a public presentation on Tuesday, 11 July at the iconic Federation Square.
Follow the CommBank Matildas journey at matildas.com.au.
CommBank Matildas | Final Squad | FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
| # | NAME | CLUB | CAPS (GOALS) | FWWC APPS | JUNIOR CLUB / MEMBER FEDERATION |
| 1 | Lydia WILLIAMS | Brighton & Hove Albion WFC | 102 (0) | 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 | Tuggeranong, Woden Valley / Capital Football |
| 2 | Courtney NEVIN | Leicester City WFC | 22 (0) | Debut | Oakville Ravens SC / Football New South Wales |
| 3 | Aivi LUIK | BK Häcken | 42 (1) | 2019 | Palm Beach SC / Football Queensland |
| 4 | Clare POLKINGHORNE | Vittsjö GIK | 156 (16) | 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 | Wynnum Wolves, Capalaba Bulldogs / Football Queensland |
| 5 | Cortnee VINE | Sydney FC | 16 (3) | Debut | Peninsula Power FC / Football Queensland |
| 6 | Clare WHEELER | Everton WFC | 14 (0) | Debut | Adamstown Rosebud / Northern NSW Football |
| 7 | Steph CATLEY | Arsenal WFC | 109 (3) | 2015, 2019 | East Bentleigh, SE Cougars / Football Victoria |
| 8 | Alex CHIDIAC | Racing Louisville FC | 27 (2) | Debut | Croydon Kings/ Football South Australia |
| 9 | Caitlin FOORD | Arsenal WFC | 108 (29) | 2011, 2015, 2019 | Warilla Wanderers / Football New South Wales |
| 10 | Emily VAN EGMOND | San Diego Wave FC | 127 (30) | 2011, 2015, 2019 | Dudley Redhead United FC / Northern NSW Football |
| 11 | Mary FOWLER | Manchester City FC | 36 (9) | 2019 | Leichhardt FC / Football Queensland |
| 12 | Teagan MICAH | FC Rosengård | 14 (0) | 2019 | Brisbane Blue, Brisbane Central / Football Queensland |
| 13 | Tameka YALLOP | SK Brann | 112 (12) | 2011, 2015, 2019 | Mudgeeraba SC / Football Queensland |
| 14 | Alanna KENNEDY | Manchester City WFC | 108 (8) | 2015, 2019 | Campbelltown Cobras SC / Football New South Wales |
| 15 | Clare HUNT | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | 5 (0) | Debut | Grenfell Junior Soccer Club / Football New South Wales |
| 16 | Hayley RASO | Unattached | 70 (12) | 2015, 2019 | Banora Point SC / Football Queensland |
| 17 | Kyah SIMON | Unattached | 111 (29) | 2011, 2015 | Quakers Hill, Hills Brumbies / Football New South Wales |
| 18 | Mackenzie ARNOLD | West Ham United FC | 34 (0) | 2015, 2019 | Burleigh Heads SC / Football Queensland |
| 19 | Katrina GORRY | Vittsjö GIK | 93 (17) | 2015, 2019 | Mount Gravatt Hawks FC / Football Queensland |
| 20 | Sam KERR | Chelsea WFC | 120 (63) | 2011, 2015, 2019 | Western Knights SC / Football West |
| 21 | Ellie CARPENTER | Olympique Lyon | 61 (3) | 2019 | Cowra and District JSC / Football New South Wales |
| 22 | Charlotte GRANT | Vittsjö GIK | 18 (1) | Debut | Cumberland United Women’s FC / Football South Australia |
| 23 | Kyra COONEY-CROSS | Hammarby IF | 27 (0) | Debut | Bli Bli United FC / Football Queensland |
SQUAD NOTES:
- Australia will make their eighth appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and has participated in every edition since 1995.
- The average age of the CommBank Matildas squad is 27.9 years old. The youngest player is Mary Fowler at 20 years old and the oldest player is Aivi Luik at 38 years old.
- Australia roster has an average of 67 caps and cumulative 1532 international appearances.
- The 2023 squad is the most experienced of any of Australia’s eight FIFA Women’s World Cup squads, surpassing the 2019 squad which had an average age of 25.8 and had made an average of 54 appearances before the tournament. The youngest squad was the 2011 squad (22.4 years), and the least experienced was the 1995 team with an average of 28 appearances before the tournament.
- The average age of Australia’s 2023 debutantes is 23 with an average of 18 international appearances.
- Two players have been selected for their fifth FIFA Women’s World Cup squad in defender Clare Polkinghorne and goalkeeper Lydia Williams.
- Williams and Polkinghorne are the longest serving women’s national team players with Williams having been with the team for 17 years and 11 months, while Polkinghorne has recorded 17 years and 14 days.
- Four players will be representing Australia for the fourth time at a FIFA Women’s World Cup in Caitlin Foord, Sam Kerr, Emily van Egmond and Tameka Yallop.
- Six players have been selected for a third time to represent Australia at the prestigious tournament in Mackenzie Arnold, Steph Catley, Katrina Gorry, Alanna Kennedy, Hayley Raso and Kyah Simon.
- The 2023 edition of the tournament will be the second appearance for four players in Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler, Aivi Luik and Teagan Micah.
- Seven players have been named to their first FIFA Women’s World Cup roster in Alex Chidiac, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Charlotte Grant, Clare Hunt, Courtney Nevin, Cortnee Vine and Clare Wheeler.
- Australia’s 2023 squad were born in five different states (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia). Regional areas are well-represented in the players’ birthplaces, including Cowra (Ellie Carpenter and Clare Hunt), Coffs Harbour (Clare Wheeler) and Orange (Tameka Yallop) in New South Wales, Moe (Teagan Micah) and Shepparton (Cortnee Vine) in Victoria, Cairns (Mary Fowler) in Queensland and Katanning (Lydia Williams) in Western Australia. Williams moved to Canberra as a youngster.
- 54 different players have been called up during Tony Gustavsson’s tenure with five different A-League Women’s clubs and 11 different women’s leagues represented.
- Over the past two years, 94 different players have been called into Australia’s senior high-performance environments by CommBank Matildas’ coaching staff. The age range has been from 16 years of age to 38 years of age.
- During Gustavsson’s tenure, seven members of the FIFA Women’s World Cup team made their international debuts with a cumulative 116 caps amassed between them.
Fixtures | Group B | FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
Australia v Republic of Ireland
Date: 20 July 2023
Venue: Stadium Australia, Sydney/Wangal
Kick-off Time: 8:00pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Optus Sport and Channel 7
Australia v Nigeria
Date: 27 July 2023
Venue: Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane/Meanjin
Kick-off Time: 8:00pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Optus Sport and Channel 7
Canada v Australia
Date: 31 July 2023
Venue:Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne/Naarm
Kick-off Time: 8:00pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Optus Sport and Channel 7
