The Matildas are currently one of the best women's football teams in the world, and have been for a number of years.
Not only do they possess a superstar in Chelsea's Sam Kerr, but coach Tony Gustavsson has been able to build a squad that has a good mix of experience as well as a sprinkling of young talent throughout the side.
They have managed to live up to the hype at their own World Cup, reaching the semifinals for the first time ever.
The Sporting News compares the current crop of talent that Australia has produced against some of the strongest Matildas teams in recent decades.
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Current Matildas stars
The Matildas side that is most likely to take to the field in the World Cup will be notable for having a score of players that are currently employed by some of the top club teams in women's football alongside Kerr.
Full back Ellie Carpenter has become a mainstay for Olympique Lyon Femeni in France, where she has won two league league titles, as well as the Champions League in 2022.
Cette equipe ❤️💙 @OLfeminin pic.twitter.com/FE3dK9IqJl
— Ellie Carpenter (@CarpenterEllie) May 13, 2023
The top sides in England's Women's Super League (WSL) are also populated by many current Matildas; Mary Fowler, Haley Raso and Alanna Kennedy all featured for Manchester City, whilst Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord playing a key role in an Arsenal side that finished third and won the League Cup.
A further seven players also ply their trade in the WSL, whilst many — including Alex Chidiac and Tameka Yallop — are playing either in the top division of US women's football or in various Scandinavian countries.
Highest ranked Matildas side of all time
Whilst the current Matildas squad is on a hot run of form, it is not their best ever side according to the FIFA World Rankings; that honour goes to the side that only lost one game in 2017 and took the scalps of top nations such as Japan, Brazil and the USA to win that year's Tournament of Nations. Their stellar performances saw them finish the year as the 4th best team in the world, ahead of the likes of Brazil and France.
Their achievements were recognised by being named the 2017 'team of the year' at the Australian Sports Performance Awards
.@TheMatildas have won the popular vote for #ASPAs Team of the Year! The team sealed its world-class status with a clean sweep of the Tournament of Nations in the USA in July-August including wins against Japan, Brazil and world No 1 USA. pic.twitter.com/pQ8NpEaKGt
— Australian Sports Commission (@ausport) December 12, 2017
Perhaps surprisingly, most of the squad that won the Tournament of Nations still play a key role in the national team today, with 18 players from that squad having been named in a Matildas squad in the last 12 months.
Of those players, most had not broken into the top European teams at this point, instead presiding mostly in the USA, as well as Japan, Australia and Norway; an exception to this was Emily van Egmond who completed the league and cup double for German side Wolfsburg.
Some notable figures from that side that are no longer involved with the Matildas include inspirational captain Lisa De Vanna and coach Alen Stajcic, who now coaches the Philippines Women's side.
The Matildas 2010 Asian Cup winners
Whilst those Matildas sides have pulled off some notable victories, none have been able to win major silverware, with the best World Cup finish being the quarterfinals three times, and the most recent Asian Cup being a shock elimination at the same stage.
Australia has tasted success in the Asian Cup back in 2010 under coach Tom Sermanni. After finishing second in their group, they upset Japan in the semifinals, where they met North Korea in the final.
A 16 year-old Sam Kerr scored the opening goal of a game that eventually went to penalties, where Kyah Simon would score the decisive spot kick in a 5-4 shootout win to hand the Matildas the trophy.
Kate Gill, who scored the winner against Japan, was the tournaments top scorer, whilst current members of the Matildas Claire Polkinghorne and Elise Kellond-Knight all played in the tournament alongside Kerr and Simon.
Sam Kerr: world superstar and national icon
A constant in all of these teams is the greatest player that Australia has produced, Sam Kerr.
Since debuting for the Matildas in 2009 at the age of just 15, she has gone on to become the top goalscorer in Australian history for both men and women with 62 goals in 119 games.
At club level, after scoring buckets of goals in both Australia and the USA, she moved to Chelsea in 2020 and has become a key figure in a star studded Chelsea side. She has won four WSL titles in a row, three FA Cups and has been shortlisted for both the Ballon d'Or Feminin and the FIFA Best Women's Player of the Year on multiple occasions.
She has become an Australian icon, being named Young Australian of the Year in 2018 and receiving an Order of Australia Medal in 2022. Such is her status in the country, she was given the honour of being the flag bearer for Australia at the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla in May 2023.
Sam Kerr today led her nation’s delegation at the Coronation of King Charles III.
— (C)helsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) May 6, 2023
We’re so proud of you, @SamKerr1. 💙 pic.twitter.com/YaGwIEsTXG
Whilst there is debate as to which Australian team can be called the Golden Generation, there is little denying that Kerr is Australia's golden girl.