The Matildas face-off against China in the first semi-final of the Asian Cup tonight, but win or lose Australia’s grassroots women’s game is set to benefit from the exposure created by the team and the contest.
Hosting the Cup has reached new audiences and broken attendance records with 60,279 people watching live the Matildas third round match against South Korea at Stadium Australia in Homebush, Sydney.
That success is changing the way people consider women’s football, according to one of the country’s top prospects.
“It is so important,” said Sydney FC mid-fielder Amelia Cassar. “The Matildas have broken that stereotype around women’s football, and there’s so much publicity with it.
“So seeing that, and seeing how Australian women’s football is growing, is very important.”
The 18-year-old added: “For young players like myself … watching them and seeing how well they play and their mentality, is crucial for young players to see and develop themselves.”
Cassar has made her way up the ranks of Australian football, winning a scholarship with A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers FC at 16 and going on to earn her first contract with Sydney FC earlier this year.
We look at the Matildas and they have high standards, that ‘never say die’ attitude.
She attributed the growth of the women’s game in Australia to the Matildas’ success and their impact on young girls, inspiring them to play football.
“I was always drawn to them, ever since I got into football,” she said. “I had an A-League team I was supporting, and I wanted to go and watch the Matildas and learn about them. But now there are so many girls interested, the popularity has increased.
“Even people who don’t play football, want to go watch.”
Australia is fast becoming a powerhouse of football, currently ranked at 15 in FIFA Women’s World Ranking, with plenty of potential in the years to come.
After hosting the 2023 World Cup, female football participation in Australia grew by 16 per cent to over 210,000 participants annually, making it Australia’s most popular and fast-growing sport, according to Football Australia’s 2024 National Participation Report.
Carlee Millikin, Football Australia’s general manager of women’s football, has said previously that growing the game in Asia is a primary goal, adding at the time: “The potential for continued growth has never been greater.”
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher, speaking at the Asian Cup launch at the start of March, said a $15 million investment by the Albanese government had ensured the showcasing of the sport to Asia.
Amelia Cassar at training. Photo: Robbie Szafranek, Sydney FC.
“Hosting the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 is about more than a tournament, it is about continuing the momentum for equality in sport and making sure women and girls see that their talent, ambition and leadership belong on the biggest stages,” she added.
Cassar, who has represented Australia in the under-17 and under-20 women’s national teams, said investment in facilities and support for professional female players was crucial to continue to develop the game.
“In the whole national side, there’s always high standards and we want to replicate that through all age groups,” she added. We look at the Matildas and they have high standards, that ‘never say die’ attitude. That is replicated in the Under 17s and Under 20s.
‘That stigma around women in sport, there were so many challenges around women playing many years ago,” she said. “They had to face so many things.
“It is not like that anymore. They aren’t inferior to the men anymore – even in the A-League space.”
Main photo of Amelia Cassar courtesy of Robbie Szafranek, Sydney FC.
