Caitlin Foord became the sixth player to reach 150 appearances for the CommBank Matildas on Tuesday evening when she took the field against Mexico in Sydney.
The fourth-highest goalscorer in Matildas history – with 40 goals across her 15-year career – Foord remains one of the team’s most consistent and important attacking talents.
Read about her journey to 150 caps below.
Early Days
Caitlin Jade Foord was born on 11 November 1994 and was raised in Shellharbour in the Illawarra. She played several sports growing up, but excelled at football, first selected for the Junior Matildas at the age of 13.
She trained with the Central Coast Mariners as a 14-year-old in 2009 before moving to Sydney FC, the club with which she is most associated in the A-League Women.
Her international debut came as a 16-year-old in May 2011 against New Zealand in Gosford. She scored a goal in a 3-0 win, a sign of what was to come in her prestigious career.
She was subsequently selected in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011™ squad. Her performances – predominantly as a full-back - earned her the Best Young Player award, as well as the AFC Youth Player of the Year.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™
By 2015, Foord was a key part of a young and upcoming Matildas team.
At the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™ in Canada, she played every minute of the team’s five games before they were eliminated by Japan in the quarter-finals.
In clubland, she was alternating between playing in the NWSL for Sky Blue FC and returning to the A-League Women (then W-League) for Perth Glory. She won a Premiership with the Glory in 2014 after having already won a Premiership and a Championship with Sydney FC.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019™
Foord’s career continued to race ahead, and she was named Asian Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2016 after scoring her first goal at the Olympics against Germany in Rio. She scored her first international hat-trick against Chile in November 2018.
Foord had missed the AFC Asian Cup 2018™ due to injury but was fit and ready for the global finals in 2019 in France.
She scored her first World Cup goal in the group stages against Brazil in the remarkable ‘Miracle of Montpellier.’ Her goal just before half-time sparked the team to overcome a two-goal deficit and qualify for the knockout stages.
All four of the team’s games featured Foord, highlighting her importance to the team.
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™
In January 2020, Caitlin Foord signed for WSL club Arsenal, finishing her time with the Portland Thorns in the NWSL and Sydney FC in the A-League Women.
2022 was her most prolific year yet for the national team, scoring six goals, and – particularly in the absence of Sam Kerr for the first part of the tournament – she shaped up to be arguably Australia’s most important forward for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
She scored a fantastic goal against Denmark in the Round of 16 and converted the first penalty in the famous shootout win against France.
Ever the fierce competitor, the team’s best-ever finish of fourth was a slight disappointment for Foord – but she didn’t have too much time to linger on it before returning to club football.
“I’m hungry for more,” she said at the end of the year.
Champions League Winner
In early 2025, Foord was at the peak of her powers, regularly starting for Arsenal and gearing up for the Matildas to host another major tournament in 2026. She won the Arsenal Player of the Month in September, October and April that season, underscoring her importance to the side.
The Gunners faced a tough task to advance to the Champions League final. They had to overturn a deficit against the most successful club in Women’s Champions League history, Lyon, and they had to do it away from home. Up stepped Foord – a goal and an assist in the 4-1 victory helped Arsenal to a 5-3 win on aggregate.
Foord started in the final against Barcelona, along with long-time Matildas teammate Steph Catley, in defence to help them lift the trophy with a 1-0 victory.
She reached her 100th WSL appearance with the club during the 2025/26 season.
AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ and beyond
At club level, off the back of their Champions League triumph, Foord scored the winner in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Brazilian side Corinthians in the Champions Cup in February.
Then, all attention turned to the home AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™.
Foord was a key, almost ever-present part of the team that went on to narrowly lose in the final against Japan. She scored a vital goal against China PR in the semi-final to help Australia advance.
While the team was not able to secure the silverware they craved, the Asian Cup once again demonstrated Foord’s versatility and importance to the squad. She was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Now, it is all about taking her experience and lifting her game to the highest possible level.
“To put on the jersey 150 times, it’s a massive honour,” she said at the pre-match press conference.
“When you come into the team, there's not much expected of you, and you just play freely. Now, with the senior players, there's a lot more responsibility. You learn that with experience. I’m trying to play my part as much as I can, and on the pitch, lead in my way – that is, by my actions.”
Still only 31 years of age, it seems likely there will be plenty of time yet for Foord to show her leadership capabilities for the Matildas.
COMMBANK MATILDAS | JUNE 2026 | NEXT GAME
CommBank Matildas v Mexico
Date: Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Kick-off: 7.00pm AEST
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
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