Socceroos, Matildas to both play England in blockbuster fixtures outside of Australia
The Socceroos and Matildas will play blockbuster friendlies against England in a unique international doubles match in 2023.
Ahead of this year’s hosting of the Women’s World Cup against New Zealand, the Matildas will travel to England to take on the world No. 4 Lioness in Brentford on April 11 (7:45pm local time).
After reaching the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, the Socceroos meet England on October 13 (7:45pm local time) at the nation’s famous Wembley Stadium.
The Socceroos famously defeated England 3-1 in a friendly at Upton Park in 2003 but lost the last time the nations met 2-1 in 2016, while the Matildas drew 1-1 against the Lionesses in their last competition in 2018.
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Football Australia CEO James Johnson was delighted to bring in a high-profile opponent for both national sides.
“Over the past two years, Football Australia has focused on creating the right environment for the national team to thrive,” said Johnson.
“This means replicating tournament football, playing higher tier opponents more regularly to ensure the best preparation and our teams peaking in tournament time.
“As a result, we played against more top 10 ranked nations as well as European and South American opponents for the Matildas. We will be replicating this strategy for the Socceroos in the upcoming FIFA World Cup cycle.
Johnson believes the connection between Australian footballers and British leagues is strengthening again and that the sport is back on the rise Down Under.
“Australian football has always enjoyed strong ties to UK football,” said Johnson.
“In the past we’ve had an outstanding presence of male players throughout the English Premier League and the English Championship.
“This was followed by a very lean period but today we have seen a resurgence of Australian footballers, both male and female, playing in leagues across the UK.
“Harry Souttar has just signed for Leicester City and Riley McGree is having an outstanding season with Middlesborough in the English Championship. We’ve also seen a strong contingent of our Socceroos move to the Scottish Premiership in recent years.
“Our Matildas have really spearheaded the resurgence of Australian football with 11 players in their current squad playing for clubs in the English Women’s Super League, including Sam Kerr at Chelsea and Caitlin Foord at Arsenal, two English football powerhouses.
“Australian football is slowly re-establishing itself in English and European football which is gratifying to see. The fact that we were able to win these doubles against England at a time when we are dealing with two of the best teams in world football is a testament to the appeal of our national teams.
“Announcing these games today, with news of more games for our Matildas and Socceroos, means Australian football fans can plan a full calendar year of national team football with some top fixtures, which of course includes the historic FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 on home soil.”