Goalkeepers
Mackenzie Arnold
Teagan Micah’s withdrawal from the Matildas’ squad with concussion leaves Arnold as the No 1 almost three years since her penalty shootout heroics catapulted her to stardom during the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Alas for Arnold, given how long she had to serve as an understudy to the now retired Lydia Williams, there has been inconsistency and signs of regression since that incredible high, and she was expected to sit behind Micah at this tournament. A self-described “introverted extrovert”, Arnold has used her status to advocate and serve as a role model for people with hearing loss.
Date of birth: 25 February 1994
Club: Portland Thorns
Jada Whyman
Despite first being called into a Matildas squad in 2018 and becoming a somewhat regular member since 2021, Whyman is still yet to actually step on the pitch in the green and gold. It has been so long that her reputation as the standard bearer of the next generation may have been passed down to an even younger cohort. Nonetheless, having established herself in Europe over the past few seasons after a record-breaking tenure with Sydney FC, she will feel she is ready, and Micah’s injury should mean she will be promoted from third to second choice – just one injury or howler away from a debut.
Date of birth: 24 October 1999
Club: AIK FD
Chloe Lincoln
Called up late, Lincoln is the only Matildas goalkeeper who is actually in-season but, paradoxically, she might also be in the most unconvincing form. Though highly rated in the national setup for many years and consistently developed through its junior teams no goalkeeper in the A-League Women has conceded more goals per game than Lincoln this season, and she also has the worst figures for goals prevented, according to FotMob.
Date of birth: 4 January 2005
Club: Brisbane Roar
Defenders
Ellie Carpenter
So well established is Carpenter among the Matildas’ stalwarts and so decorated is her resume that, with all the talk about last chance saloons for the golden generation, it’s easy to forget she is only 25-years-old – younger than several players being touted as the next generation. After moving from French powerhouse Lyon – where she played under current Matildas boss Joe Montemurro and his assistant Joe Palatsides – to Chelsea last year, Carpenter has said she wants to be “the best right-back in the world”. On her day, the tireless force of nature down the flank just might be.
Date of birth: 28 April 2000
Club: Chelsea
Steph Catley
Look up dependability in the dictionary and you will find a picture of Catley, who is one of the most universally admired figures in Australian football. The same goes for leadership, indefatigability and consistency. Playing in her fourth Asian Cup, Catley captained the side during Sam Kerr’s injury layoff and provided a strong foundation during a turbulent period for the squad. The Melburnian has increasingly shifted to a central defensive role with club and country after spending her career on the left. She partnered Leah Williamson in the heart of Arsenal’s breakthrough Champions League win over Barcelona last season, helping to restrict the Catalan giants to just five shots on target.
Date of birth: 26 January 1994
Club: Arsenal
Winonah Heatley
Heatley has only really established herself as a regular member of the Matildas following the Paris Olympics. She was called up by caretaker coach Tom Sermanni and started in the upset win over Germany, becoming a dependable figure in the heart of defence, and securing a move from FC Nordsjælland to Roma. Heatley put on a brave face ahead of the Matildas final games of 2025, with Montemurro revealing after a 5-0 win over New Zealand that she had arrived in camp shortly after the death of her brother. “That’s the sort of person that she is,” he said. “She put the team first ahead of her personal situation.”
Date of birth: 18 June 2001
Club: Roma
Clare Hunt
Hunt’s rise from the Western Sydney Wanderers to the core of the Matildas backline ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup was so sudden that it is hard to believe this will be her first Asian Cup. Now signed to Tottenham Hotspur, where she has played every minute of every game this season, Hunt has embraced life near London’s West End, recently attending Mean Girls with her teammates and the Lion King next on her list.
Date of birth: 12 March 1999
Club: Tottenham
Alanna Kennedy
Kennedy was listed as a defender when the Matildas’ Asian Cup squad was unveiled but she has also been deployed as a holding midfielder by Montemurro. This experimentation proved disastrous when the veteran was sent off just 17 minutes into the side’s hammering by England in October. It led to questions about Kennedy’s once unquestionable spot, only for her to bounce back with a goal against New Zealand after her one-game ban. Using the 142-cap veteran to screen the defence is one of the scenarios Montemurro has tested before the Asian Cup. Now, with a new generation rising to push her, we will see if it is put into practice.
Date of birth: 21 January 1995
Club: London City Lionesses
Courtney Nevin
Nevin was the subject of significant investment under former coach Tony Gustavsson but has not broken through as a regular starter. However, she enters this tournament as a reliable backup, capable of playing across the backline, with nearly 50 caps to her name. She traces the origin of her Matildas dreams to a 2015 trip to Canada, where she saw them in action at the World Cup. “That’s really where I was like ‘I want to become a Matilda and I want to be part of a World Cup and be in it,’” she said in 2023.
Date of birth: 12 February 2002
Club: Malmo FF
Jamilla Rankin
Rankin’s journey to the Matildas began in the small town of Eureka, about 30km south-east of Byron Bay, where she, like older sister, played for the local side. Eventually she started making the seven-hour commute to train with the Newcastle Jets academy and eventually joined Brisbane Roar. Rankin can play centrally or on the left, and after more than 50 appearances across the Roar and Melbourne Victory, a Matildas debut and a move to Germany followed.
Date of birth: 9 May 2003
Club: TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Charlize Rule
One of a multitude of youngsters who, not all that constructively, were thrown in the deep end during Gustavsson’s tenure, Rule has just the one Matildas cap to her name: in a 5-0 loss to Canada in which most of the first team was rested. But after finally putting a hip complaint behind her, the 23-year-old has quietly put together a consistent campaign in the English top flight, starting regularly for Australian coach Dario Vidošić at Brighton, and earning a chance at a first Asian Cup. The move away from Bondi to England has been good for her football but seems to have nipped her burgeoning Tik Tok stardom in the bud.
Date of birth: 16 February 2003
Club: Brighton and Hove Albion
Midfielders
Alex Chidiac
One of the more surprising selections in the squad, Chidiac possesses a rare feeling for the game and comfort level on the ball but has had ups and downs in form for the Matildas and in clubland – her misadventures overseas are in stark contrast to her commanding form in the ALW. Nonetheless, after being rarely used by Gustavsson, Montemurro has recognised her form with Como, who she joined last year from Melbourne Victory, by calling her back into the fold. A very young Chidiac was a part of Montemurro’s invincible Melbourne City side in 2015-16. A fan favourite with a love of mascots, it means the chant of “my neck, my back, my Alex Chidiac” may once more ring across the stadium.
Date of birth: 15 January 1999
Club: FC Como
Kyra Cooney-Cross
After being forced to bide her time, Cooney-Cross is now well established in the Matildas setup and has seen greater opportunities with Arsenal. The football community rallied around her earlier this year when she raced back to Australia to be with her mother, Jess, following her diagnosis with a rare and incurable form of bile duct cancer. “My mum is my hero, my best friend, my everything and the person who has shaped every part of who I am,” the midfielder wrote on social media. “She is the reason I am where I am today, her strength, love, and belief in me has carried me through everything.”
Date of birth: 15 February 2002
Club: Arsenal
Katrina Gorry
Gorry has been an irreplaceable part of the Matildas machine since Gustavsson reincorporated her into the setup – her withdrawal from the squad on the eve of the disastrous 2022 Asian Cup due to family reasons was a major blow, in hindsight. But with Father Time undefeated, the Asian Cup could be her last opportunity to win collective silverware in green and gold. “Everyone is going to be hurting – the veterans probably more,” she said after losing the 2023 World Cup semi-final. “We don’t really have another World Cup in us.”
Date of birth: 13 August 1992
Club: West Ham
Amy Sayer
Hyperbole can lead people to call footballers genius for what they do on the pitch. Sayer, though, does not need a football to earn that moniker. A Stanford alumni who studied human biology and philosophy after attaining a perfect Atar in high school, the 24-year-old now balances football with a master of bioethics at the University of Sydney and put her anatomy knowledge to good use during her rehabilitation of an ACL rupture in May of 2024 – an injury which likely robbed her of a Paris Olympics berth.
Date of birth: 30 November 2001
Club: Malmo FF
Emily van Egmond
With more than 150 caps for Australia, Van Egmond is among the Matildas leaders gearing up for what could be one last ride. Her best fit in the squad and role when on the park are the subject of significant debate among Matildas fans, but her legacy, especially in her hometown of Newcastle, is already well established. Each year, the Northern New South Wales Football Federation awards the Emily van Egmond medal to the best player in the region’s NPLW competition.
Date of birth: 12 July 1993
Club: Leicester City
Clare Wheeler
One of several players with roots in the Hunter region, Wheeler’s tireless work at the base of the midfield and clean possession helps her teammates excel. A former Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC representative, the 28-year-old was among the Matildas who added their voices to calls for the ALW to introduce full professionalism following the release of Professional Footballers Australia’s “Ready for Takeoff” report in January. “With Europe, America and parts of Asia going professional, we’re lagging behind,” she said. “We’re only going to be a better national team if we can progress the domestic league.”
Date of birth: 14 January 1998
Club: Everton
Forwards
Caitlin Foord
Purposeful in her movement with and without the ball and a key outlet in the final third, Foord does not get the same attention as Kerr but regular observers of the side will tell you the Matildas are at their best when the duo can complement and work off each other. After becoming the youngest Australian to ever play at a World Cup as a 16-year-old in 2011, Foord says her favourite footballing memory came 12 years later, when her family, especially her “Nan” watched her play in the 2023 World Cup on home soil.
Date of birth: 11 November 1994
Club: Arsenal
Mary Fowler
There’s always been something about Mary: recognised as a prodigy and brought into the national setup as a 15-year-old, selected for the 2019 World Cup and now established with her country and at WSL leaders Manchester City. It all positions her as the heir apparent to Kerr as the next attacking face of the Matildas. However, her inclusion in the squad is the biggest fitness-related gamble taken by Montemurro, given Fowler has logged just one start for City after sitting out nearly a year with an ACL tear. However, she does have more miles in her than most 23-year-olds, and the coach is confident she is fit for the Asian Cup. “Mary could feature from the start,” he said. “Mary could come in the last 20 minutes. We’ll just assess each game as it goes.”
Date of birth: 14 February 2003
Club: Manchester City
Michelle Heyman
For all the talk about this being the last chance at glory for the veterans, it is Heyman’s second last chance. The Canberra great announced her international retirement after missing out on selection for the 2019 Women’s World Cup. However, the dearth of striking options available to Gustavsson following Kerr’s ACL injury combined with Heyman’s strong form in the A-League Women saw her return for the Paris Olympics. Even with the skipper’s return, the 37-year-old has retained her place over the likes of Emily Gielnik.
Date of birth: 4 July 1988
Club: Canberra United
Kahli Johnson
Debuting under Sermanni, the Asian Cup will be Johnson’s first major tournament with the Matildas, and she is also the only squad member playing in start-up Canadian competition the Northern Super League after moving to the Calgary Wild from Western United last year. The move reflects Johnson’s desire to challenge herself which first saw her swap her home of New South Wales for Victoria and, according to the Wild, live up to her favourite quote of: “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”
Date of birth: 18 February 2004
Club: Calgary Wild
Sam Kerr
Kerr is one of the most feared strikers to step foot on a pitch. She is also the only player in the squad who was part of the winning team in 2010. After missing what proved to be a calamitous Paris Olympics amid her 20-month recovery from a ruptured ACL, Kerr is back on the park and set to lead the Matildas in her fifth Asian Cup. She eased back into the national team against Wales and England, then a masterful display of hold-up play and facilitation against New Zealand last December reiterated just how important Kerr is to the Matildas tasting glory. Kerr brings some intrigue, though. There is considerable speculation surrounding her club future: Sonia Bompastor largely using her as a bench option and the striker off-contract at the end of this season.
Date of birth: 10 September 1993
Club: Chelsea
Holly McNamara
ALW player McNamara has taken a hellacious road to get to her second Asian Cup. Not long after being part of the 2010 squad in India, she ruptured her left ACL in an ALW game. Then, just days after earning a recall to the Matildas following a return to the park the following year, she re-ruptured her right ACL after first injuring that knee as a 15-year-old. And yet, through all that she has not only preserved, she has established herself as one of the next generation to replace Kerr and company up front, and stamped her name as the best player in the Australian top flight.
Date of birth: 23 January 2003
Club: Melbourne City
Hayley Raso
There has been plenty of fuss made about the dearth of minutes several members of the squad have had before the Asian Cup –especially given it conflicts with Montemurro’s talk of needing “players who were consistently playing and ready to play”. But if there was ever a player able to overcome sporadic minutes at club level it would be Raso, given she has proven time and again that she is capable of finding a new gear in the green and gold. Of course, hope is not a strategy, and it will be on Montemurro to figure out a way to bring Raso’s explosiveness on the right to bear despite just one start in the Bundesliga. Perhaps just as importantly, especially with a Melburnian coach in place, is that she is at home behind a coffee machine.
Date of birth: 5 September 1994
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Remy Siemsen
Last month Siemsen made the switch from Kristianstads DFF to Rosengård, and by staying in Sweden the former Sydney FC attacker can continue to concoct TikToks with Matildas teammate Nevin. Missing out on the home World Cup was “heartbreaking”, Siemsen said recently, adding that making the Asian Cup squad was the reason behind her decision to change clubs. In her prime years at 26, the striker is still looking for her first goal after 14 caps.
Date of birth: 10 November 1999
Club: FC Rosengård
Kaitlyn Torpey
Torpey is nominally listed as an attacker in the squad, but in reality the footballing Swiss Army knife can do a job all across the park, particularly on the wing. It is this versatility that has made her a regular part of the national setup since her debut in 2024. But after sporadic minutes in the NWSL in the US, she recently made the move to join Australian coach Tanya Oxtoby at Newcastle in England’s WSL2. “Newcastle is a club that’s really investing in its players and pushing hard for promotion, and that’s something I wanted to be part of,” Torpey said. “I’ve never played in a league with promotion and relegation before, so it’s a new challenge for me.”
Date of birth: 17 March 2000
Club: Newcastle United
