Australia and Japan meet in the final of an internationally charged Women's Asian Cup
A Women’s Asian Cup soccer tournament that started with little fanfare three weeks ago but eventually received worldwide attention due to the appearance of an Iranian team affected by the Middle East war, ends Saturday when Australia plays Japan in the final
SYDNEY (AP) — A Women’s Asian Cup soccer tournament that started with little fanfare three weeks ago but eventually received worldwide attention due to the involvement of an Iranian team affected by the Middle East war, ends Saturday when Australia plays Japan in the final.
For most of the tournament, the Iranian team which left the Middle East before the United States and Israel invaded their home country held the international focus. Seven members of the team initially were granted asylum by the Australian government, but all but two have since returned home.
On Saturday at Sydney, two-time champion Japan and Australia will meet in the final for the third time in four Women’s Asian Cups. Japan beat Australia in back-to-back finals in 2014 and 2018.
Japan coach Nils Nielsen, a Greenland-born Dane who led Denmark to a runner-up finish at the Women's Euros in 2017, said his team may turn it up a notch in the final.
"Please don’t tell Australia, but we have played better than we did today — but we were good today and I was happy with them,” Nielsen said after the semifinal win. “Because it is not easy, you sort of get into a rhythm, and it wasn’t that rhythm. We needed to find more, we needed to find a gear more, and we did.”
Nielsen spent part of his post-match interview Wednesday praising several of the Australian players, including Kerr — “wow, she's still going strong and is one of the world's best strikers.”
Australia head coach Joe Montemurro echoed Nielsen's comments.
"Her presence, her aura, in the squad is immense,” Montemurro said of Kerr.
Kerr has scored four goals so far this tournament, with her winning goal against China perhaps the best. After being played into the box, Kerr rounded the goalkeeper but only had a slight angle to work with, and threaded the needle for the goal.
Recommended for you
"I just watched it while back in the ice bath — not really sure how I got it in, honestly,” Kerr said.
She caused a bit of concern when she showed up Friday at the team’s final training session ahead of Saturday’s match with a brace on her right knee. The striker then trained fully — and without her brace — before having strapping applied.
Kerr missed a year of playing time with Chelsea and in international matches due to right anterior cruciate ligament surgery in January 2024.
Kerr was just 16 years old and scored in the final when the Matildas captured the Asian Cup in 2010 with a win over North Korea on penalties.
She reflected on that big moment in Australian soccer history.
“I had no idea what I was in for,” Kerr said this week. “I think that worked in my favor. I went out there and just played and just had fun and didn’t realize how big a deal it was.
“And it was probably only until three Asian Cups later that we hadn’t won anything that I was, ‘Oh, that was actually a big moment’.”
Kerr, now 32, will have another shot at a big moment on Saturday night in Sydney.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.