The Women’s Asian Cup is finally upon us, as the Matildas begin their quest for a second continental crown against the Philippines in Perth.
This is the second time Australia has hosted the tournament, with matches spread across stadiums in Perth, Sydney and the Gold Coast.
ABC Sport will have you covered on air and online throughout the series, so be sure to bookmark abc.net.au/news/sport on your phone and computer.
Here’s how to watch and follow the Matildas as they begin their campaign later tonight.
What time do Matildas play Philippines?
The Matildas will kick off the tournament against the Philippines in Perth on Sunday March 1 at 5 p.m. local time:
- 8 p.m. in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT
- 7:30 p.m. in South Australia
- 7 p.m. in Queensland
- 6:30 p.m. in the Northern Territory
How can I watch and follow the Matildas?
ABC Sport is live blogging every moment of the Australian action at the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. Our live coverage, along with analysis, features and all the biggest storylines from the tournament, are here here.
The ABC will also live stream all Matildas matches and knockout matches, with a dedicated Asian Cup button on ABC Listen.
Ned Hall, Clint Wheeldon, Quentin Hull and Brett Sprigg will lead the play-by-play calls, alongside former Matildas Collette Gardiner, Alicia Ferguson, Amy Harrison and Elissia Carnavas.
You can also watch every Matildas match live on Network 10, with the entire tournament broadcast on Paramount Plus.
Who is on the Matildas team?
There were few surprises in the Matildas’ 26-man squad, with many familiar faces from the team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2023.
The team will be led by superstar forward Sam Kerr, who will be joined by stalwarts like Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley, Haley Raso and Caitlin Foord.
Mercurial striker Mary Fowler was also named in the squad, despite only just returning from a near 10-month injury.
Click here for our full analysis on what to expect on the evolutionary side, and here for all the necessary information about the tournament.
How do I subscribe to ABC Sport alerts?
If you want to be alerted to all the biggest news from around the tournament, be sure to download the ABC News app on your mobile phone.
Next, go to “Profile & Settings”, tap “Notifications”, then activate the “Latest News” slider and tap “Sport” in the Topics section.
