Kerr To Lead Full-strength Matildas Squad In Olympic Qualifiers

Kerr to lead full-strength Matildas squad in Olympic qualifiers (Image Source: IANS)

Perth Rectangular Stadium:  Football Australia (FA) announced a full-strength Matildas squad for the second round of Asian qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Tony Gustavsson, head coach of the Matildas, on Thursday unveiled a 22-player squad who will travel to Western Australia (WA) to compete against Iran, the Philippines, and Chinese Taipei between October 26 and November 1, reports Xinhua.

The squad features all but two players from the Matildas' historic run to the semifinals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, with defender Aivi Luik and veteran striker Kyah Simon unavailable due to injury.

Superstar striker Sam Kerr, the all-time leading goalscorer for Australia and a native West Australian, will lead the squad as captain.

It will be the first time the Matildas have played in WA since 2018 and the team's first game since being defeated 2-0 by Sweden in the World Cup third-place play-off in Brisbane on August 19.

FA in September announced that tickets for all three match days were sold out and that match day two, which will see Australia play the Philippines and Iran face Chinese Taipei, had been moved from the 20,000-capacity Perth Rectangular Stadium to the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium.

"It's hard to believe that by the time we take the field in Perth, it would have been over two months since that exhilarating and unifying month of football in Australia," Gustavsson said in a statement.

"While we have had some time to reflect on the impact of this remarkable team on and off the pitch, the special trait of this group is that they are always looking to embrace the next challenge and that is now qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

As a top-five ranked team in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Australia received a bye to the second round of qualifying with the Democratic People Republic of Korea, Japan, China, and South Korea.

Those five teams and the group winners from round one have been placed into three groups of four teams each.

After six matches, the three teams that top the groups - as well as the best-ranked runners-up - will progress to round three, which will consist of two two-legged ties on February 24 and 28, 2024, to decide the AFC Olympic qualifiers.