Australia vs Japan confirmed for AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Final clash at Stadium Australia

This will mark the 31st meeting between the two sides since first playing each other back in 1984. The last meeting came in during the SheBelieves Cup in the USA at the start of 2025, with Japan recording a 4-0 victory to open their campaign, and eventually going on to lift the trophy after wins over Australia, Colombia and the USA.

 

Japan have lifted the AFC Women's Asian Cup title two times, first in 2014 and last in 2018, where they beat Australia 1-0 in the final. This was the last time the CommBank Matildas were in the final of the tournament, after both Australia and Japan missed the showdown in the 2022 edition of the tournament.

 

There will be a familiar face in Japan's dugout, former CommBank Matildas player and assistant coach, Leah Blayney, who will be part of Nils Nielsen's side on the night. Nielsen's side had a successful run through the group stage, not conceding a goal and scoring 17 in the process. Their 7-0 Quarter-final win over the Philippines saw them qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, and advance to the semi-final. Japan flexed their muscles once again in the semi-final, booking their place in the final after a 4-1 win over Korea Republic, however, in the process, they conceded their first goal of the tournament.

 

This will be the third AFC Women's Asian Cup Final the two sides have met in, with the home side looking to inflict punishment on the disappointment they faced in 2014 and 2018.