Emily van Egmond

Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond is the international troubadour of Australian women’s football.

Brought up in Newcastle, the daughter of former Socceroo and Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond, Emily has played for a dizzying array of clubs around the world. Her CV includes Canberra United, Danish side Fortuna Hjørring, Newcastle Jets, Western New York Flash, Seattle Reign, Western Sydney Wanderers, Chicago Red Stars, FFC Frankfurt, Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg, Orlando Pride, Melbourne City, West Ham United and San Diego Wave.

On top of that, if under-17 and under-20 matches are included, she has made more than 150 appearances for Australia.

It’s the sort of experience that makes Emily an invaluable asset for the Matildas.

Emily received her first call-up to the Matildas in 2010 for a two-match series against Italy. Unable to play due to injury, she made her senior team debut two months later as a substitute against North Korea.

As a member of the Matildas’ 2011 World Cup squad, Emily was on the scoresheet in a victory against Equatorial Guinea and also featured in Australia’s quarter-final loss against Sweden.

She was again selected for the Matildas’ World Cup squad in 2015. Emily started every game of the campaign in Canada, with the Matildas making the quarter-finals before being knocked out by rivals Japan.

In her first Olympic Games at Rio 2016, Emily was a regular fixture for the Matildas. Their quarter-final against Brazil went to a penalty shootout, with Australia bowing out to the hosts in a heartbreaking 7-6 defeat.

Emily featured in her third consecutive World Cup in 2019, where she helped guide the Matildas to a round of 16 showdown against Norway where they also lost in a penalty shootout.

Over her professional career she has won trophies throughout Australia, America and Europe.

At Tokyo 2020 Emily and the Matildas made all of Australia proud in putting together a historic achievement.

Their fourth-place finish, which was nearly a podium finish after a 4-3 loss to the USA in the bronze medal game, is the highest ever finish by the Matildas at an Olympic Games.

At the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, played in Australia and New Zealand, Emily was one of the most dependable members of the Matildas side that surged to semi-finals, carrying the hopes of Australian fans on their shoulders.

Coach Tony Gustavsson took advantage of Emily’s versatility, sometimes using her to fill a role up front to help fill the sizeable hole left by the absence of Sam Kerr and at other times deploying her in the midfield. She scored one goal and recorded one assist.

She was on national duty again in February 2024 when the Matildas qualified for the Paris Olympics with home and away victories over Uzbekistan. Emily took over the captain’s armband in the second game at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, when Steph Catley was subbed off.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics Emily and the Matildas faced Germany, Zambia and the USA in a tough Group B.

A tournament-opening 3-0 loss to Germany was followed by a dramatic 11-goal thriller against Zambia, where the Matildas came back from 5-2 down to win 6-5. Facing a must-win scenario against the USA to stay alive, the Matildas' tournament ended on another 3-0 loss.