After World Cup success, Australia looks to grow women’s soccer as host of the Asian Cup

Perth, Australia – When Clare Wheeler steps onto the Perth Stadium pitch for Sunday night’s Asian Cup opener against the Philippines, she will occupy a very different space from the one she held three years ago. In 2022 the midfielder watched Australia’s World Cup surge from an Everton couch; this time she is expected to anchor the midfield as the Matildas chase a second continental crown and, more importantly, a fresh springboard for the women’s game in Australia.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted with New Zealand produced the country’s largest-ever TV sports audience—11.15 million viewers for the quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over France—and a 16 per cent spike in female participation. Yet the glow has dimmed at club level. A-League Women attendances fell 26 per cent last season, two-thirds of players juggle second jobs, and the average wage sits at just over 30,000 Australian dollars, the lowest among Australia’s major women’s leagues.

Hosting the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which kicks off today, is Football Australia’s attempt to reignite momentum. Twelve nations will contest 18 days of football across four cities, with more than 150,000 tickets already sold and organisers targeting a full house of 79,500 at Sydney’s Stadium Australia for the final. The winners pocket 1.8 million dollars—the same purse as 2022 and the smallest of any continental championship—but the real prize is broader: semi-finalists qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, while quarter-final losers enter a play-off route.

Sam Kerr, 32, scorer of her first international goal in Australia’s 2010 Asian Cup triumph, is the lone survivor from that squad. Defender Ellie Carpenter, 25, believes the current generation has “one more shot” at silverware before transition takes hold. “It’s time for some silverware for this team,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Australia, ranked 15th, begin against a Philippines side they thrashed 8-0 in Olympic qualifying two years ago, but Japan (No. 8) arrive as favourites. The Matildas have not lifted the trophy since 2010 and have never done so on home soil; the last time they hosted, in 2006, only 5,000 fans watched China beat them in the Adelaide final.

Off the field, the Professional Footballers Australia union has released back-to-back reports demanding urgent professionalisation: higher minimum salaries, independent governance, and infrastructure equal to the booming women’s leagues in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. “We had that massive opportunity with the World Cup and we saw a little bit of growth, but there wasn’t any hard platform laid down,” said PFA co-president Tameka Yallop.

Wheeler, who balanced Year-12 exams, a Kmart job, and junior national camps for 500 dollars a season, hopes the next cohort avoids similar choices. “We’re only going to be a better national team if we can progress the domestic league and keep players in it,” she said.

For the next three weeks the spotlight swings back to the green and gold. A tournament win would book a World Cup place and, players insist, finally cash the promissory note written during last summer’s feel-good frenzy. Whether the surge trickles down to the A-League Women will determine if this Asian Cup becomes a turning point—or another missed opportunity.