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It may now be almost three weeks since Arsenal Women were last in action, but three of their key players have been busy on the other side of the world. On Friday morning (UK time), Australia cemented their place at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, the first non-hosts to do so.
The Matildas did this by reaching the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals on home soil, beating Korea DPR 2-1 at the Perth Rectangular Stadium. As hosts, led by former Arsenal boss Joe Montemurro, Australia are favourites to win the trophy for the first time since 2010. Despite this, they actually had to settle for second spot in Group A, behind the Republic of Korea.
Nevertheless, they'll now take on either China or Chinese Taipei in Tuesday's semis, before hoping to face likely Japan or South Korea in the final.
Three Arsenal players have been, to varying degrees, key contributors during this tournament.
Austrlian Arsenal players at the 2026 AFC Asian Cup
Players | Appearances | Minutes | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Caitlin Foord | 3 | 328 | Zero | 2 |
Kyra Cooney-Cross | 2 | 7 | Zero | Zero |
Steph Catley | 3 | 127 | Zero | Zero |
Caitlin Foord has started all four Asian Cup fixtures thus far, registering two assists, while Steph Catley missed Friday's quarter-final win due to a concussion.
Cooney-Cross, meantime, has seen very late cameos off the bench during the last two matches, taking her tally to 65 caps. So, as the trio continue in search of international glory, when can fans expect to see them back in North London?
Well, as already mentioned, Australia's semi-final is at 10am (UK time) on Tuesday, with the final next Saturday at Stadium Australia, kicking off at 9am (UK time). So which club fixtures are they due to miss?
Arsenal women's upcoming fixtures
- Sunday 15 March. London City Lionesses (A). WSL. Kick off 11:55am.
- Saturday 21 March. West Ham United (H). WSL. Kick off noon.
- Tuesday 24 March. Chelsea (H). Champions League quarter-final first leg. Kick off 20:00.
- Saturday 28 March. Tottenham Hotspur (H). WSL. Kick off 17:30.
- Wednesday 1 April. Chelsea (A). Champions League quarter-final second leg. Kick off 20:00.
- Sunday 5 April. Brighton & Hove Albion (H). FA Cup quarter-final. Kick off TBC.
The Aussie trio will certainly be absent for this weekend's WSL clash with London City Lionesses at Hayes Lane and, should they reach the Asian Cup Final, they'll be unavailable for the match against West Ham at Emirates Stadium a week later too.
The big one though is the Champions League quarter-final tie with Chelsea, given that Arsenal are desperate to retain the trophy they picked up in Lisbon last May. Australia's potential final in Sydney is just three days before the first leg in North London, which could cause Renée Slegers an issue.
In fairness, Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor is in the same boat with Ellie Carpenter and Sam Kerr, but it is a not ideal situation for either that the tournament runs longer than the international window.
And it will be huge for Arsenal to see them back in time for the second leg against the West London outfit, and they will no doubt have an impact on the game.