It’s over.
The Matildas’ run at the Women’s World Cup captured the imaginations, hearts, eyeballs and limbs of the Australian public like the round-ball game never has before.
It’s normal to feel some symptoms of football withdrawal now that it’s all over, so here’s how to keep riding that train.
Where can I see the Matildas next?
Defender Clare Hunt (Western Sydney Wanderers) and quarterfinal hero Cortnee Vine (Sydney FC) are the only two Matildas who will line up in the A-League when the 2023-24 season starts on October 13.
Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Mackenzie Arnold, Alanna Kennedy, Kyah Simon, Clare Wheeler, Lydia Williams and Courtney Nevin will return to the Women’s Super League in the United Kingdom.
Ellie Carpenter will head back to Lyon to play in French D1 Féminine, while Hayley Raso is set to start her first season with Real Madrid in Spain’s Liga F in September.
Kyra Cooney-Cross, Katrina Gorry, Clare Polkinghorne, Aivi Luik, Teagan Micah and Charlotte Grant head back to Sweden’s Damallsvenskan league.
Emily van Egmond and Alex Chidiac return to the US with their NWSL teams, and Tameka Yallop plays for SK Brann in Norway.
When do the Matildas play next?
Next up for the Matildas are taking part in qualifying matches for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The Australian women’s team is a semifinalist from the Tokyo Games, where they lost 1-0 to Sweden and then just missed out on a bronze medal with a 4-3 loss to the US.
But, before trying to defend that fourth-placed finish, the Matildas have to earn their ticket to France, starting with three matches at Perth Oval in two months’ time.
Iran on October 26 at 6pm AWSTPhilippines on October 29 at 2pm AWSTChinese Taipei on November 1 at 6pm AWST
Women’s club competitions around the world are pausing to allow players to return to international duties at the end of October, so superstars like Kerr, Raso and Carpenter should be available to make the trip back from England, Spain and France respectively.
This is the second round of Olympic qualifying in the Asian region, which will send two teams to the Olympics, with Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea taking on winners from round one across three groups.
The three group winners and the best runner-up will go through to round three, which will consist of two sets of home and away matches, with the winners booking their ticket to Paris in July and August next year.
If you’re thinking that’s a pretty tough tournament to just get to the Games, you’re right.
Only 12 teams play at the Olympics, compared to 32 at the Women’s World Cup.
The men’s side of Olympic competition is an under-23 competition and the Olyroos’ attempts at qualification will come at the U23 Asian Cup in April and May next year.
Both finalists and the third-place finisher will make it to Paris, with the fourth-place finisher going into a playoff against U23 Africa Cup of Nations fourth-place finisher Guinea.
When do the Socceroos play next?
Meanwhile, the Socceroos, who also enjoyed their best men’s World Cup last year, have some huge matches coming up.
On September 10, they’re in Dallas, Texas for a clash with Mexico, before a hugely anticipated friendly at Wembley against England on October 14.
Five days later they’ll take on New Zealand, all in preparation for January and February’s men’s Asian Cup, which will see them return to the sight of their best-ever performance at a World Cup, Qatar.
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