{"id":581871,"date":"2026-04-03T01:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/581871\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T01:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T01:37:17","slug":"no-more-matildas-or-socceroos-blockbuster-matches-if-top-teams-wont-make-the-trip-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/581871\/","title":{"rendered":"No more Matildas or Socceroos blockbuster matches if top teams won\u2019t make the trip | Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

The memories flow freely: John Aloisi\u2019s penalty, James Troisi\u2019s Asian Cup winning-goal. There was Mile Jedinak\u2019s hat-trick against Honduras, Cortnee Vine from the spot, or Sam Kerr\u2019s World Cup<\/a> semi-final goal.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this era \u2013 of unmissable football blockbusters played in front of packed Australian stadiums that brought a nation together \u2013 is now at an end.<\/p>\n

Yes, the two-and-a-bit weeks of the 2032 Olympics will be compelling. Everyone loves a competitive Socceroos clash against South Korea, Japan or Iran every couple of years. And sure, even if the run of Matildas sellouts is a thing of the past, the crowds watching Kerr and co are the envy of every other sport.<\/p>\n

The pressure is now on, however, for Football Australia (FA) to find a formula that grows \u2013 or even just sustains \u2013 local interest in the national teams between major tournaments in foreign lands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing for Football Australia is to make sure that we\u2019ve got content at home,\u201d says Heather Garriock, executive director of football and deputy chief executive at FA.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job as an organisation is being able to get top quality teams to Australia, and it\u2019s bloody difficult,\u201d she says. \u201cIt costs us a lot of money to get top teams here, but it\u2019s important for us to be able to invest in our brands, and more importantly for our fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The end of the Women\u2019s Asian Cup, so soon after the 2023 Women\u2019s World Cup, means the Matildas have only one foreseeable opportunity to play in a major home tournament in the form of Brisbane 2032. But by then, women\u2019s football at the Olympics might follow a similar path to men\u2019s and apply under-23 age restrictions.<\/p>\n

While the Socceroos could conceivably host the Men\u2019s Asian Cup in the 2030s, the World Cup is likely out of reach, especially after Australia withdrew its bid for the 2034 edition allowing Saudi Arabia to host. And the expansion to 48 teams has sapped much of the jeopardy from a qualification path that now gives eight direct slots to Asia as well as an additional playoff berth.<\/p>\n

Penalty shootouts may not feature so much in the Socceroos\u2019 future World Cup qualifying.
Photograph: Matthew Ashton\/AMA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Socceroos coach Tony Popovic did well to reverse the team\u2019s fortunes during the latest World Cup qualifying, but despite the early struggles the Socceroos still secured an automatic berth by a comfortable six points. While a new generation led by Nestory Irankunda, Alessandro Circati and Jordy Bos present new marketing opportunities, home playoff tension and penalty drama \u2013 once core offerings of the Socceroos \u2013 will be less common.<\/p>\n

Garriock says the team\u2019s dominance in qualification shouldn\u2019t be assumed. \u201cLet\u2019s blame Popa for doing such a great job,\u201d she says, in jest. \u201cBecause if we weren\u2019t qualified directly we\u2019d be sitting on the edge of our seat like Arnie.\u201d (Referring to Graham Arnold who guided Iraq to the final World Cup spot<\/a> in dramatic fashion on Wednesday.)<\/p>\n

Socceroos crowds during the final round of World Cup qualifying were strong, including the 57,000 in Perth who saw Aziz Behich\u2019s winner against Japan, and 46,000 in Adelaide for China\u2019s visit. Yet sellouts at Sydney\u2019s Accor Stadium or the MCG that fans had once become accustomed to appear to be in the past.<\/p>\n

The modestly attended Socceroos World Cup send-off matches were part of the new concept of the Fifa Series, but early experiences suggest it is a recipe FA cannot rely on. Matildas coach Joe Montemurro expressed a desire after the Asian Cup final loss to Japan to play more elite opposition. Almost immediately, the FA announced a trip to Kenya for two Fifa Series matches<\/a> against Malawi and either the hosts or India, prompting frustration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Garriock says before the Women\u2019s World Cup in Brazil in June next year, FA\u2019s \u201caim\u201d for the Matildas is \u201cto play the Top 10 quality nations across the globe and particularly games in Australia\u201d, and she is aware of the comments from Montemurro and fans. \u201cWe are going to bring Australian fans some of the best quality over the next six to 12 months, I can assure you of that,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Fan zones were packed for the Matildas\u2019 2023 Women\u2019s World Cup quarter-final against France. Photograph: Chris Putnam\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Her confidence, at least when it comes to the Matildas, may be justified. The appeal of Kerr\u2019s team has helped sell hundreds of thousands of tickets since the 2023 World Cup, while tourism-chasing state governments are eager to host them and are prepared to pay. International sides see the Matildas as ideal opposition. \u201cWe\u2019re difficult to play against, we\u2019ve got one of the best players in the world, we\u2019ve got some of the best players in the world,\u201d Garriock says. \u201cSo it\u2019s easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Socceroos may have now consolidated their place as a top 30-ranked nation but don\u2019t offer the same allure, especially given the travel required to play them. A visit to Australia is seen by some international officials as less of a footballing test and more a commercial opportunity. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what team they are or where they\u2019re from, we\u2019re talking about match fees that are significant,\u201d Garriock says.<\/p>\n

The Socceroos played Argentina in China in 2023, but prior to that match Football Australia was briefly in negotiations over bringing Lionel Messi\u2019s team here, as they did in 2007. The price of a two-match series was quoted in eight figures, and even with strong crowds, a tourism bump and broadcast interest the sums didn\u2019t work, highlighting the challenging in finding the right opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about what you want, it\u2019s about what you can get, and who\u2019s available,\u201d Popovic said earlier this week. \u201cI wish it was that simple to say, \u2018We want this opponent,\u2019 and we just play them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent changes at FA have seen the departure of staff who had spent years developing overseas relationships important for securing compelling opposition in Australia. Now it is up to Garriock and new chief executive Martin Kugeler to prove they can develop a new formula for local football fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The memories flow freely: John Aloisi\u2019s penalty, James Troisi\u2019s Asian Cup winning-goal. There was Mile Jedinak\u2019s hat-trick against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581872,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-581871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}