As another sports-mad Australian, it is with shame that I admit I have been slacking in my duty to barrack for my team and rub it in everyone’s faces when they win. Australia’s ParaMatildas recently competed in the United States of America to defend their title as the reigning World Champions. Unfortunately, after a dominant run they fell short in the final game to the United States team, 3-2.
Throughout the tournament they were smashing the competition, in every sense of the word. They have scored a whopping 50 goals and conceded none until those three in the final. I repeat, they conceded zero goals until the final. Their run was full of pure and utter domination, and I have barely seen anyone speaking about it!
As another sports-mad Australian, it is with shame that I admit I have been slacking in my duty to barrack for my team and rub it in everyone’s faces when they win. Australia’s ParaMatildas recently competed in the US to defend their title as the reigning World Champions! After a dominant run to the final however, they unfortunately fell short in the final game against the United States, who won 3-2.
As women, if we want to support and see women’s sports thrive, we have to show up and watch! Australia has some of the best sporting teams in the world, and though we invest more into women’s programs than other places, there is still a serious deficit. The only way to bridge this gap is to show up and support them!
There are some amazing creators out there who are pushing for this, including Lavendar Baj and Those Carter Boys on Instagram. This is a great start, and creators like these guys have already made leaps and bounds so far. However, we always need more voices talking about these events and more importantly watching these events and supporting the teams!
I have to admit, I’m not crazy about soccer, as the few games I’ve watched were a bit…boring. Personally, my preference is for more high intensity sports like tennis, volleyball, and AFL, where you either win or lose each point, or have a lot more continuous play. However, I can recognise greatness in all its forms.
About the team:
The ParaMatildas are “Australia’s first national team for women and girls with cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke” (ParaMatildas). Our Aussie squad consists of:
- Carly Salmon
- Trinity McPhie
- Tahlia Blanshard
- Tasmin Colley
- Lainee Harrison
- Katelyn Smith
- Eloise Northam
- Annmarie de Uriarte
- Leah Spaine
- Georgia Beikoff
These incredible women have amazing stories, and they have done us so proud. You can read more about them here on their profiles.
They are coached by Head Coach Charlotte Ercil, who has worked with the coaching staff previously. You can certainly see the effect she has had on the women, as their dominant form has held fast throughout the competition. I mean, their run to the finals has been immense:
Group Stage
CommBank ParaMatildas def. Rep. of Ireland (19-0)
CommBank ParaMatildas def. Colombia (8-0)
CommBank ParaMatildas def. Netherlands (13-0)
Semi-Final:
CommBank ParaMatildas def. Finland (10-0)
Final:
The final will be played on Saturday, 24 October 2026 at 7:00 am AEDT in Atlanta, USA between the CommBank ParaMatildas and the United States. It’s started at 6am my time, and I was watching and cheering for the ladies on the official IFCPF YouTube Channel! I stepped away for a bit and came back to see they were all tied up in the second half, then watched that final goal to seal it for the US team, heart sinking.
All credit to the US team, who overcame a 2-0 deficit to clinch the title, they believed and fought hard until the end.
I must say I found this game better to watch than most other soccer games I’ve seen. The ladies were attacking hard, with plenty of daring shots on goal. They didn’t always convert, and it wasn’t a massive scoring-fest like the other ParaMatildas games, but it was exciting.
For someone who isn’t normally a fan, this was a great watch. While it was an unfortunate ending for the Aussie’s, they can hold their heads high knowing they were one of, if not the best team throughout the competition. I have no doubt they’ll be back!
I’m also wishing Carly Salmon a speedy recovery after her injury during the game.
Final Result: CommBank ParaMatildas def by United States (2-3)
All the best ladies for next year, we’ll be cheering you on again!
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