Emily Van Egmond And The Matildas Want To Leave Soccer In A Better Place

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I grew up playing a lot of different sports, but I always came back to football. It was my passion. I was fortunate to look up to my father, Gary Van Egmond, who represented Australia on the national team—we call them the Socceroos. He coached me for many of my junior years, and he was an assistant coach for the Australian women’s team, the Matildas, which I play for now.

Many of us on the Matildas have grown up together. We’ve played together for a number of years on youth and club teams, within Australia and abroad. Caitlin Foord, Sam Kerr and I have been to four Women’s World Cups together, and we’ve definitely had a bit of a glow up since we were little 17-year-olds coming on the scene. I was probably a bit naive back then—I didn't really understand the height of what we were doing.

But the core of this team has had so much valuable experience together. We came in fourth place in the 2020 Olympics. Then, at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, we reached another bronze medal match, and set off-the-charts viewership records in Australia. (Our semifinal match against England drew in 11.15 million viewers, making it the country’s most-watched television program of all-time, according to the BBC.) We inspired so many young girls and boys. It was so fun—and important—to be a part of.

You can also see that the gender gap is definitely bridging: After the World Cup, the Australian government announced that it would invest AUS $200 million into women’s sports. What’s especially exciting is that the sport hasn’t even reached its full potential yet—there's still so much growth that can happen. I definitely think you’ll see different countries looking to invest more in women’s sports after what we showcased on an international stage.

None of us could have anticipated the overwhelming support the Matildas would get from our home country.

I'll be honest: Leading into this year’s World Cup, I didn't know how it was going to go, especially since Australia was hosting the tournament alongside New Zealand. Soccer is not the number one sport there. It's typically the Australian Football League, rugby, or cricket that get all the attention. But once the tournament began, things just started to take off.

There was a lot of talk about Sam, our captain, and the calf injury that kept her out of the earlier games. It’s not the best spotlight to be under. But I think that ultimately made other people on the team step up and showcase what amazing talent we have, which was great.

We did have a hiccup in the group stage against Nigeria, losing 2-3. I don't necessarily think we played poorly, we just didn't take enough chances. And that loss meant the following game against Canada was do or die—we lose that, and we exit early. But when our backs are against the wall, we step it up. Reflecting on that 4-0 win, that was probably our strongest performance. We rose to the occasion, and I couldn't have been prouder. That was the turning point for us.

The longer the World Cup went on, the more people got involved and started to support us, and it just felt good. Our penalty shootout against France in the quarterfinals—the longest penalty shootout in World Cup history, men's or women's—was one of the craziest games you could think of. We got through that, 7-6, and we captured the nation with one of Australia’s most-watched sporting events of the last 20 years, per the Sydney Morning Herald.

Deep down, we always knew this Matildas team was different.

For a lot of us, we pinpointed this World Cup tournament as a moment we hoped we could do something special—and we did. We went the furthest we've ever gone in a World Cup, finishing in fourth place, and we did it on home soil.

We're used to playing abroad, and that brings its own stress, and has its own difficulties and challenges. But for me, playing in front of your own fans is just completely different. I felt the pressure as the tournament went on, but I think pressure is a privilege. It showed that the country expected big things from us—but we also had big expectations as a team. The fans definitely felt like a twelfth man on the pitch with us at times. They got us through the whole journey.

Even when we lost matches in the end, the Australian fans stayed to celebrate us. It's something that you look back on, and you have no words.

Since the World Cup, I’ve felt an incredible energy playing for my American pro team.

The San Diego Wave is amazing. We have great camaraderie within our locker room, and we all get along. I was so happy to get back and see everyone. The girls were obviously grinding while we were away. And it's not easy having a competition that's still playing games whilst you're missing!

On the team, there were five of us who played in the World Cup—me, Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma for the United States, Kailen Sheridan for Canada, and Sofia Jakobsson for Sweden—and the way our club welcomed us back with a pregame ceremony was world class. It was honestly refreshing. Everyone’s been sharing their experiences and thoughts on the World Cup and Australia as a whole, and there are a lot of positive comments, which is really nice to hear.

And now, having everyone back in the squad gives us an extra boost. It's almost like a mini-preseason starting all over again. I'm so stoked to be back. We’re on a three-game winning streak! I think it really helps that we came off such a high from the World Cup.

Women’s football still has a long way to go, but we’re making forward progress.

I wish we could properly celebrate the victory that Spain just had. They won the Women’s World Cup! Unfortunately, as most people know, headlines about former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales’ unwanted post-match kiss took a top spot for that team. But there's no denying how well they played in this tournament. They were amazing to watch. They definitely deserved to win. And I think players in the NWSL—and football players in general—coming together to support the Spanish team has been a very positive and powerful stance.

Here in San Diego, we’re lucky to have so many fans coming out to our games every single week. Every time we have a home game, we've got a nearly packed stadium. And I’ve noticed, when we go on the road, other NWSL teams are starting to build a bigger fan base, too, which is awesome. If you have a love for the game, now's the time to really show your support. Come out to an NWSL match, have a look, and see the potential of how far the game can go. We’re showcasing that all the time.

My generation is focused on giving back to the game and leaving it in a much better place than when we all started. When I first started, I was playing against boys, and now we have fully funded women's programs. It’s awesome that more girls will have that opportunity. The Matildas doing so well at this World Cup just amplifies that and shows what’s possible.

We're on the upward trajectory now. If we can continue on that pathway, who knows where the ceiling is?

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