Canberra hoping for 2022 Matildas matches

Canberra is hoping to host Matildas matches next year and a World Cup opportunity. Sydney tickets for both upcoming Matildas October home matches are going on sale this week.

The Matildas will be returning later this month to play on Australian soil after 596 days away. This will be the first game held in country since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Matildas having last played in Newcastle on the 6th of March, 2020.

Matildas Home Games Takeaways

Canberra hoping to host future matches and World Cup base camp
Tickets go on sale for upcoming Matildas matches this week
Next month's Socceroos and Matildas home match details yet to be announced

COVID-19 quarantine requirements instituted by the Australian governments made an Australian national team return impossible. FIFA international breaks are only nine days long and the fourteen day mandatory quarantine upon arrival made it unfeasible to hold any fixtures at home.

The Socceroos have experienced similar restrictions, having last played a home match on October 10, 2019 in Canberra. With the recent news of the return of the Matildas to New South Wales, and the probability of the Socceroos following suit next month, the Capital region is hoping to follow suit.

Capital Football board chairperson Fran Sankey told The Canberra Times that the capital region was hopeful for a future Matildas game as well as a World Cup opportunity:

"When I saw the announcement from Football Australia that the Matildas were coming back to Australia for October, and there was also the possibility of a game still to be confirmed, against the US in October, I certainly did put our hand up," she said.

"Because we do have a game that's over due to be played in Canberra, but at this time, the games will be played in Sydney. Some of the reason for that is certainly New South Wales is really the only state that's open for business for interstate travellers.

"We'll be looking at sometime in the future and hopefully next year with vaccination rates going up, international travel relaxing, there will be an opportunity next year and we'll continue to work with Football Australia and the ACT government on bringing the girls here.

"The reality is 2023 is not that far away. We're still hopeful to be a base camp for the Women's World Cup for one of the teams.

"As far as overseas countries go, I do know what we're capable of and hopefully they'll see the benefits of being in the nation's capital. That's something we really need to showcase to the world. We've got lots to offer here."

The Capital region was not in the original bid to host 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup games, with Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide ultimately being selected as match host cities chosen in Australia.

However, according to the AsOne Bid, fifty-four team proposed base camps have been included across both Australia and New Zealand. It is the first time that FIFA has included a base camp option in a FIFA Women's World Cup.

According to the bid, “A base camp is a hotel and a training site, they get matched together, and that is where teams have the opportunity to base themselves throughout the whole competition, rather than moving from city to city."

Canberra has previously been selected as a base camp during the 2015 AFC Men's Asian Cup. The capitol region hosted Iraq, North Korea and Qatar during the tournament.

For now, the upcoming Matildas games against Brazil will be held in Sydney. The first is taking place on October 23, 2021 at 7:45PM AEDT and the second will be held on October 26, 2021 at 8PM AEDT. Both games will be held at the Commbank stadium, formally Bankwest stadium, in Western Sydney.

Football Australia announced that tickets for the match will start being put on sale on Monday, October 11, 2021 at 2PM AEDT. Only fans from the Greater Sydney region are eligible to attend with ticket holders aged 16 and over needing to be fully vaccinated.

A prospective two other home Matildas matches against the United States in late November and home Socceroos World Cup Qualifier on November 11, 2021 may also be held in Sydney.