Match Preview: Japan v Australia | AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Final

The CommBank Matildas will take on Japan on Saturday evening, with both sides fighting for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ title in the final.

The former 2014 and 2018 champions are determined to get back on top of the podium, but the home side stands in their way on what is set to be a fantastic showdown on Saturday in Sydney.

Read our preview of the action below.

The Tournament so Far

The CommBank Matildas have booked their spot in their fifth AFC Women's Asian Cup Final, and will be taking on Japan for the chance to lift continental silverware on home soil. This will be the third final between the two sides, with Japan taking glory in 2014 and 2018, the last time they lifted the title.

Australia booked their spot in the final after a 2-1 win over the reigning champions, China PR, with goals to Caitlin Foord and Sam Kerr booking our place in the final on home soil.

Japan were dominant in their campaign to the final, scoring 17 goals in the group stage without conceding a goal, with a massive 11-0 win over India. Their knockout games continued in a similar fashion, downing the Philippines 7-0 in the quarter-finals to book a spot in the final four and next year's FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™.

A 4-1 win over Korea Republic in the semi-finals saw Nils Nielsen's side book their spot in the title showdown, with Japan conceding their first goal of the tournament.

Our Opponents

FIFA World Ranking: 6

Japan are one of the heavyweights of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™, having won the tournament two times, and being the only AFC nation to win a FIFA Women’s World Cup when they claimed the title in 2011.

They are the highest-ranked AFC nation in the FIFA World Rankings, and play some impressive football under Nils Nielsen to match. The majority of their 26-player squad are playing abroad, and alongside some of their opponents for Saturday's final in the WSL.

Captain Yui Hasegawa is a key player for Japan. The creative playmaker has been pulling the strings for Japan at the centre of everything in an attacking sense. The midfielder marked her 100th game for her country in their win over the Philippines in the quarter-finals.

West Ham United's Riko Ueki leads the Golden Boot race at the moment for the tournament, one goal in front of Alanna Kennedy with six goals across the tournament, including a hat-trick against India.

Last Time We Met

The CommBank Matildas last played Japan during the SheBelieves Cup in 2025, with Australia suffering a 4-0 defeat in their opening game of the tournament in the USA.

A brace to Mina Tanaka and goals to Maika Hamano and Moeka Minami secured the victory. With Japan going on to win the SheBelieves Cup title after beating Colombia 4-1 and the reigning Olympic Champions, the USA, 2-1.

What To Expect

Japan are a dangerous team coming into the final, and have showcased their quality across the tournament, with 14 different goal scorers across their AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ campaign.

“As great a team as they are, they do have a couple of weaknesses. I'm not going to divulge those. We think if we find some continuity and some rhythm with the ball, we could do some good things in the game." Montemurro said about Japan ahead of the final.

“But let's not take away from a team that has many, many solutions under different circumstances. You know, they're a very good team, and we just have to make sure that we're prepared in all phases, defending and attacking.”

AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Final

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