With 164 caps to her name, Emily van Egmond is Australia’s highest-capped active national team player. Making her Australian debut in 2010 as a 16-year-old, she’s dedicated over 15 years to the nation and the game she loves.
Only six matches away from becoming Australia’s all-time most-capped national team player, she is one of the most enduring modern figures of the CommBank Matildas. She has been a presence through eras of change, from early professionalism to the current heights of Tillies’ fandom.
“When you put it like that, I just feel old,” van Egmond laughed when asked what it was like to reflect on a career that’s already spanned half of her life.
“Being part of the team from such a young age and seeing how it’s changed and grown has been amazing.
“From the beginning, the generations of Matildas before us, to the support we saw at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup™, it has been incredible. It’s just been a massive honour,” she continued.
“To still be part of the team after 15 years, and to be going into the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ - another major tournament on home soil - is just so exciting and I’m so grateful.”
Her tenure reflects not only longevity but trust from coaches and teammates who have relied on her to bring structure, clarity and control to the game.
Football intelligence is a skill that van Egmond is truly passionate about, so playing midfield maestro is a role she relishes.
“I do enjoy getting the ball and dictating the game,” the Novocastrian said.
“I also love good passing technique and knowledge, like, what to use in certain situations - whether it’s a cross, a driven ball or a simple pass.
“To some, a ball may look like a simple pass, but in fact, that pass has just taken two lines out of the game, which has given your teammates so much more time to be able to do their job.”
The role of a midfielder is one of the most influential yet misunderstood in football. Single moments like match-winning goals and game-changing saves are the theatre of football, but van Egmond is focused on the tactical work, foresight and decision-making that allow these moments to happen.
“You can’t have 11 Ellie Carpenters or Sam Kerrs on the team. You need to have balance. It’s all about how we complement one another,” she explained.
“Every individual brings a different weapon, and you need to have certain people in certain positions, to unlock those weapons when we need them.”
She went on to describe how those unique weapons differed from match to match.
“It comes down to the opposition,” she said. “If you’re a team that’s trying to play possession-based football, you need people on the field who can pass the ball and, equally, make forward runs and get away from the opposition.
“Fullbacks in the modern game need to be able to get up and down the pitch, defend and attack. They need to have pace in all of those positions because they’re covering the most ground and coming up against wingers who also have pace.
“In my opinion, a good all-around midfielder is someone who has good passing, positioning and technique under pressure. Your job is to set the tempo of the game,” she continued.
Not everyone in the team is earmarked as a goal scorer, although with 32 goals to her name so far – putting her in the Matildas’ top eight all-time goal scorers - she loves to deliver some bangers when the opportunity presents itself.
“There are always different aims based on what the coach is looking for,” van Egmond said.
“Is your role to assist goals, look for overlapping runs… Are we looking for a player to come inside and box off the midfield? Once you’ve determined who the best candidates are to execute those goals, then you build your squad.
“Over the years, I’ve had a great playing relationship with Sam Kerr where you can see this in action. I think most of my assists have been to her and Caitlin Foord.”
Some of van Egmond’s assists have been crucial to the team’s success.
At the 2020 AFC Olympic Qualifying tournament, she provided multiple, including three in a single match during the Tillies' 7-0 defeat of Chinese Taipei.
In 2021, in Australia’s 3-1 victory over Brazil, van Egmond both scored and set up a goal for Mary Fowler.
In 2022, she came off the bench in Australia’s 4-0 thumping of Sweden, providing a through ball that led to a goal for Caitlin Foord.
At the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, van Egmond stepped up to deputise in the absence of Sam Kerr, playing a false nine role. Scoring a goal against Nigeria and assisting Hayley Raso in the team’s 2-0 win over Denmark, her versatility was on full display.
The media wrote of her performance at the time, “Van Egmond was revelling in an advanced role. She was the glue in the front third.”
More recently, in April 2025, she played a pass to Mary Fowler, who slotted it home, securing a 2-0 win over South Korea. Later in June, she delivered a corner that directly led to an own goal. Her delivery into the box deflected off the Slovenian opposition player and landed in the back of the net.
During the team’s final international window of 2025, van Egmond also delivered the assist to Kyra Cooney-Cross’ long-range worldie, contributing to a 5-0 victory over trans-Tasman rivals, New Zealand.
“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence, hearing that kind of feedback,” van Egmond said.
“But the respect of your teammates and coach, that’s the most meaningful you can get on the pitch.
“Joe [Montemurro] has instilled so much confidence and belief back into the squad since coming in as coach, so it’s really exciting to see.”
Van Egmond has also faced her fair share of criticism throughout her career, especially over the last couple of years as she has become one of the veterans of the team.
“I went through a bit of a rough period dealing with the opinions of people on the outside, questioning why I made certain decisions, why I didn’t take a shot, why I passed here,” she shared.
“Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’m going to make mistakes, we’re all human, you know? Even Messi and Ronaldo miss penalties, and it is what it is.
“I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but at the end of the day, we are a team, and we’re put in certain positions for a reason. There’s a method behind it, and we spend hours in training and in meetings going over tactics so that we can implement the style of play that Joe wants, to suit each opposition,” she continued.
“Criticism in sport is normal, it’s all part and parcel, and I am so grateful to be in the position that I am in, but there also needs to be a more three-dimensional view of what success looks like for each position.
“You don’t judge a goalkeeper by their ability to score goals and vice versa.
“At the end of the day, the opinion of your coach is the most important, because they’re the ones with the knowledge and the game plan. Everything else is outside noise.”
With the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup set to kick off in less than four months, van Egmond is looking forward to bringing her best self to the tournament and, of course, vying for a trophy.
“I just want to be the best version of myself and help the team have success,” she said.
“Obviously, we all want to win the Asian Cup - that is 100% the goal. No one crosses the white line not wanting to win.
“I think the biggest thing for us, is to take it one game at a time because it’s going to be a tough tournament,” she continued.
“We’re playing against great teams who have been investing heavily in their women’s teams. You can see it over the last five years just how quickly the game has grown in the women’s space, which makes it much more competitive.
“We’ve got a really good team, we have great camaraderie… We’ve all been to major tournaments together and we just want to play an exciting brand of football for our fans.
“Individually, I want to make sure I am doing everything I can in the lead up to make sure I’m as fit and ready as possible, because if we're the best versions of ourselves, it’s only going to help us be more competitive and have a successful Asian Cup.”