Mar 21, 2026
3 min read
Maika Hamano's superb first-half strike will help Japan clinch their third Asian Cup title when they face hosts Australia in the final.
Japan defeated hosts Australia 1-0 to claim their third AFC Women's Cup title in front of a record 74,397 crowd at Australia Stadium in Sydney.
The clash between the sides loaded with female Super League talent was decided by a moment of superb individual quality from Tottenham loanee Maika Hamano, who curled a shot from the edge into the bottom corner after 17 minutes.
Although Australia had many golden opportunities, they could not prevent the third Asian Cup final victory in Japan, having fallen to the same opposition in the 2014 and 2018 finals.
Arsenal winger Caitlin Foord spurned a trio of first-half chances for the tournament hosts, the best coming from a pass from Japan and Manchester City goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita on the edge of the box, but she fired wide from a corner.
Approaching half-time, Tottenham full-back Toko Koga almost doubled Japan's lead, arriving at the perfect time to respond to Hinata Miyazawa's rebound with a powerful strike, only for Mackenzie Arnold to parry.
The match resumed quickly after the break, with both teams trading blows as they looked for a second goal.
With the clock ticking down, Australia took the lead as Hayley Russo finished off a brilliant run and cross from Foord, only to crash to the turf in frustration after being denied by a superb tackle from Raven Kitigawa.
The ball then turned for Leicester substitute Emily van Egmond in the 85th minute, but they could not find a way past the wall of blue Japan shirts clinging to victory.
The loss means the Matildas' long wait for competitive success ends, with their only success coming back in 2010.
The “golden generation” doesn’t get a second chance.
Tiffanie Turnbull, News
Three years after the World Cup that made the Australian Matildas arguably Australia's greatest sporting team, another home tournament represented a rare second chance for the team - and for many it lasted - to lift a trophy against a sea of green and gold.
"It's a big moment for the golden generation. I can imagine it's a bit of pressure for them," said former Matilda fan Melanie.
"There are a lot of great young players coming through and I feel they can be successful in the future, but as this generation has made the Matildas such a big thing, it would be nice to get an award for them too."
However, this has simply made it difficult to repeat the spell that took them to the last four of the 2023 World Cup, hampered by the absence of key players Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler, who have both recently returned from ACL injuries.
Kerr was part of the team that lifted the trophy in 2010, scoring his first international goal at the age of 16.Now 32, she is among a group of Women's Super League players - including Ford, Steph Catley, Alana Kennedy and Katrina Gorrie - who could soon carry the torch.
Against this technically gifted Japanese side, the Matildas struggled to find their rhythm, hitting the target five times in 94 minutes, but Kerr and Fowler were not among the players to find their range.
In the end, as was the case in 2023, it was another heartbreaking home finish.
