Women’s Asian Cup LIVE: Matildas face Japan in blockbuster final

3 hours ago 2

POLL: Who is going to win?

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6.10pm

‘Australia will struggle’: Why it’s hard for fans to keep the hope alive

By Frances Howe

While the Australian coaching team will surely have spent all week studying video footage of the Japanese team play, Perth couple Robbie and Mhairi Glover, had the chance to see them up close last week.

The couple went to all 10 Asian Cup games held in the city this tournament and were there to see Japan thrash India 11-0.

Robbie Glover and Mhairi Glover, who went to all 11 Perth games, arrive at Accor Stadium.Audrey Richardson

They also got to see a lot more of the Matildas than they first expected after they finished second in the group.

“We wanted them to lose against South Korea so they would come back to Perth,” Mhairi said.

Seeing Japan up close has given the couple a bleaker outlook on the final.

“Australia will struggle,” Robbie said. “Because Japan, one of their strengths is their ability to get the ball behind the defence. They move so quickly… They have a disciplined culture and you can see that reflected in their game.”

Still, there’s some hope for the Matildas.

“I think there’s always a chance they can win. There’s a home crowd and of course I think the crowd can get behind them,” Robbie said, but added: “We need to hire the Barmy Army to get some really good songs for Australia.”

6.04pm

How determined Matildas plan to seize ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’

The last time the Matildas played Japan, they were humiliated 4-0. To the point interim coach Tom Sermanni described the SheBelieves Cup performance as “un-Australian”.

He was referring specifically to the “soft goals” conceded in February 2025. On the whole, he said: “We were just played off the field.”

Sermanni said many more things about that game in Houston, but the retrospective standout was that the rout had doubled as “a pretty huge wake-up call” little more than a year out from the 2026 Asian Cup. At least they had time to figure out what to do to beat the seemingly unbeatable.

Japan destroyed the Matildas in their last meeting at the SheBelieves Cup in 2025.AP

Well, the time has come. Japan await in Saturday night’s Asian Cup final.

Defender Ellie Carpenter said, “as a team, we’ve grown so much since then”. But what does Sermanni’s permanent replacement, Joe Montemurro, think? How much have the Matildas grown since that loss?

“I haven’t watched that game, I’ll be honest with you,” Montemurro said. “I looked at the result, but I haven’t watched it. I’ve watched more recent games of Japan.”

The first question is: do we really believe the national team’s head coach has not made a point of studying Australia’s last encounter with the country they are about to play for a major trophy?

And the second is: if Montemurro is telling the truth, why does he feel it lacks relevance?

Read the rest of Emma Kemp’s preview here.

5.50pm

WEATHER REPORT: It’s been stormy at Olympic Park

If you’re an AFL follower, you’ll know the game today at Engie Stadium between the Giants and St Kilda was delayed due to lightning strikes in the vicinity earlier this afternoon.

The skies have since cleared up and the game is on right now - here is the AFL blog if you must - but there might yet be a bit of rain about tonight.

POLL: Who is going to win?

5.45pm

Hello and welcome

Good evening, folks!

Thanks for joining our live coverage of this momentous occasion: it’s the AFC Women’s Asian Cup final between the Matildas and Japan at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Kick-off is at 8pm AEDT, in case you’ve been living under a rock, but this is your page for all the updates you will need before, during and after.

Vince Rugari here, steering the ship for the time being, but you’ll be hearing plenty from my colleagues Emma Kemp and Frances Howe. All three of us are here at the stadium and ready to bring you all the action as it happens.

Can the Matildas get the trophy that this generation of players is so desperate to win? Or will the Nadeshiko of Japan crash the party and leave them heartbreakingly short once again?

Let’s find out.

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