The Women’s Asian Cup was a major success for Australian soccer, despite the Matildas’ heartbreaker

There was a lot of talk about winning trophies in the lead up to the 2026 Women s Asian Cup final, in which the Matildas were narrowly defeated by Japan 1 0 in Saturday night s final. It was the third time Australia had met Japan in the final and represented the last chance for this golden generation to win a major tournament on home soil. The result, which mirrored the 2014 and 2018 Women s Asian Cup finals, was another case of so near yet so far for the Matildas. The team has won hearts and