The Matildas have confirmed their participation in the FIFA Series 2026 in Nairobi, travelling to Kenya for matches against India, Malawi and hosts Kenya. Australia will face world-ranked 153rd Malawi, then depending on the result, either 134th-ranked Kenya or 67th-ranked India in the final.
The announcement has immediately raised questions about preparation standards ahead of the tournament that matters most. Fresh off finishing as runners-up in the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026, Joe Montemurro's side's preparation for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027 begins. Montemurro said "the timing hasn't been great, I'll be honest with you" and "we've got players leaving tomorrow and they're to be in Champions League during the week".
The core tension here is real: Montemurro noted he would have "liked three, four weeks before the tournament to prepare the team" and "more international games". Yet scheduling at the elite level is a genuine puzzle. With UEFA, CONMEBOL, OFC and CAF all looking to qualify for the Women's World Cup and Concacaf in Women's Championship fixtures, there were limited options in the April window.
Football Australia's executive director of football and deputy chief executive Heather Garriock said the federation's focus is on "playing global opponents outside of Asia" as it prepares for Brazil 2027. She noted that "playing two African opponents is a good opportunity to test the team against a very different style of opponent" and that "Malawi also has two top international strikers, sisters Tabitha Chawinga (Olympique Lyonnais) and Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City)".
There is substance to this. Temwa Chawinga plays as a forward for the Kansas City Current and was awarded NWSL Most Valuable Player in 2024. Her older sister Tabitha plays for Olympique Lyonnais in the French league. Both are African footballers operating at the highest club level.
Still, the broader context matters for Australia's preparation. Football Australia's focus is on top 15 opponents with different styles of football leading into the Women's World Cup in Brazil next year. The Matildas haven't played any of the teams in their FIFA Series 2026 group before, which does offer a test of the unknown.
Montemurro has flagged that key players like Sam Kerr probably will not play the April games, creating an opportunity to test squad depth. In a genuine rebuild after the Asian Cup loss, there is an argument for blooding fringe players. The harder truth is that no elite team plans for friendlies against world-ranked minnows when a World Cup sits 15 months away. Montemurro and Football Australia are making the best of genuine constraints, but they're not constraints anyone chose.