England left the Matildas wounded. Now it’s time to get their revenge

The last time the Matildas played a match against England, it was the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final which knocked Australia out of their home tournament. Needless to say, it left Steph Catley with a lasting wound.

“Obviously, we’re in a completely different stage now with our team. Different coach, different players, different tournament, but I think you can’t help but remember past games when you come up against the same opposition and I think that was probably one of the most heartbreaking games I’ve played in my career,” Catley said over video call from England on Monday night.

On Wednesday, the two sides will meet again. Although this time, with just three friendly matches until the start of the 2026 Asian Cup when the Matildas will get a second shot at a major home tournament, playing a dominant England side may aid – rather than hinder – their chances of winning.

England are currently ranked fourth in the world by FIFA compared to Australia’s 15th and are playing their first friendlies since winning the European Championship in July – their second in a row and beating World No. 1s, Spain, in the process.

“So there’s definitely wounds there, and you do remember those moments but, like I said, it’s a fresh new project and a new challenge for us there,” Catley said. “We’ll be looking to go after them and try to get a win, but obviously [it’s] a completely different occasion.”

Although England has dominated European football and won the last match against Australia, it was a friendly between the two sides before the World Cup which broke England’s 30-game winning streak under coach Sarina Wiegman.

“It’s almost like a sibling rivalry in a way. I think it becomes really, really competitive. I think especially because we probably know each other so well,” Catley said.

After all, more Matildas play in England’s Women’s Super League than any other league in the world.

“I think it helps,” Catley said of the familiarity. “I mean, it also gives them the same sort of upper hand because they know us really, really well. So I think that makes it a little tricky, in that sense you kind of play mind games.”

The match against England will also be another episode in the saga on who will be named Matildas captain now that Sam Kerr has returned to the squad. With Hayley Raso given the armband for her 100th Matildas match against Wales on the weekend, Kerr missed out. But Catley, who was vice captain before Kerr’s ACL injury and captain for the two years that Kerr was sidelined, said the striker’s reappointment was inevitable.

“The way I see it is Sam’s always been our captain. I am the vice captain, and she’s been out for two years. It does seem to be a point of interest but not so much within our camp. It’s not something that Sam and I have sat and discussed at all. I think it’s something that has just sort of felt like a given,” Catley said.

“And now she’s back, she’s stepping back into the captaincy role as she should, and we all support her through all of that, and I’ll always be her number one supporter and her vice captain working with her to get the most out of our team.”

Australia play England on Wednesday at 6am AEDT.

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