The CommBank Matildas have won the FIFA Series 2026™ after defeating the home side Kenya 2-0 in Nairobi on Wednesday (Thursday morning AEST).
It wasn’t the kind of match that felt effortless. You could sense the grind early, the way both sides kept trading positions and chances, and then… suddenly the game turned when Sam Kerr found the back of the net. In the middle of the night—well, in Nairobi’s lights—Kenya pressed and Australia had to stay sharp.
Head Coach Joe Montemurro made three changes to the side that defeated Malawi earlier in the week. Jamilla Rankin, Alanna Kennedy and Amy Sayer came into the side, replacing Emily van Egmond, Alex Chidiac and Courtney Nevin. Kennedy’s start was her 150th appearance for the national team. She became the fifth player to reach this milestone for Australia and wore the captain’s armband to mark the occasion. There was even a little moment of ceremony in the rhythm of the game—then it was back to business.
The opening stretch looked balanced. Tereza Engesha was the most threatening for Kenya, finding space in behind in the 20th minute, only for Mackenzie Arnold to make the save. Soon after, Australia struck. After being denied by a fantastic one-on-one save, the ball fell to Sam Kerr at the back post from the resulting corner. Her shot slid underneath the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. It was her 75th international goal.
Kenya didn’t fold before the break. Shirleen Opisa forced a wonderful save from Arnold, tipping it over the crossbar, before Fasila Adhiambo hit the post with one of the final touches of the half. Australia made a change at half-time too, with Emily van Egmond replacing Hayley Raso at half-time. You could almost feel that Australia were trying to control the tempo, but Kenya stayed brave.
Early after the break, Australia came close again. Caitlin Foord and Sam Kerr combined twice, with Foord lifting a shot over the crossbar on the second occasion at the back post. Then the second goal arrived from what you could call an unlikely source. Foord did well to run into the penalty area and cut the ball back to Clare Wheeler. Wheeler darted past three defenders to find space in front of goal and get the shot away to double Australia’s advantage. It was her third international goal in 41 appearances. And for a while after that, the match felt like it belonged to Australia—but not in a comfortable way.
They nearly added a third in the 61st minute. Amy Sayer set up Caitlin Foord, who volleyed into the back of the net. However, the goal was disallowed, and the margin stayed at two. There were substitutions in a steady rhythm too: two changes in the 77th minute, with Courtney Nevin and Holly McNamara replacing Jamilla Rankin and Caitlin Foord, then a triple change just under ten minutes later—Isabel Gomez, Alex Chidiac and Remy Siemsen coming in for Kaitlyn Torpey, Clare Wheeler and Sam Kerr. Gomez’ introduction saw her earn her second cap, and make her first appearance since June 2025. Late on, Holly McNamara almost made it three, but her shot deflected agonisingly wide of the post. I swear the moment hung in the air for a second—like the crowd could smell another goal coming, but it didn’t quite happen.
In the end, it was a valuable 90 minutes of football in front of a big crowd in Kenya that ended in an important win.
Match Summary
Australia: 2 (Kerr 25′, Wheeler 54′)
Kenya: 0
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