"It sucks." Sam Kerr doesn't dress it up. Three weeks on from the Matildas' 1-0 loss to Japan in the AFC Women's Asian Cup final, the wound hasn't closed.
"I still haven't fully reflected on it yet, as it was obviously really disappointing," Kerr said. "I feel like [it was] a big opportunity missed." And she's right — Australia produced their best football of the tournament in that final and came away with nothing. That kind of defeat doesn't shift quickly, especially for a player who understands exactly what the occasion meant.
World Cup preparations begin, whether they're ready or not
The calendar doesn't wait for closure. The Matildas are already in Kenya for FIFA Series friendlies, facing world No.153-ranked Malawi on Saturday before a second game against either India or Kenya next week. It's deliberate scheduling — Joe Montemurro wants his squad exposed to styles they don't regularly encounter ahead of Brazil 2027, and African opposition provides exactly that.
They've qualified for the World Cup, at least. Reaching the Asian Cup's final four sealed that. And Kerr acknowledged the positive — the nation got behind them, the tournament had real momentum. But a final is a final, and losing one you felt you could win sits differently to a group-stage exit.
Montemurro has named a 21-player squad, though it's missing some significant names. Steph Catley pulled out with a calf injury sustained at Arsenal and won't be replaced. Mary Fowler, Ellie Carpenter, Kyra Cooney-Cross, and Katrina Gorry are also absent. A depleted squad against lower-ranked opposition still offers preparation value, but the missing players are a reminder of how thin the margins can be at international level — and worth keeping in mind if you're assessing Australia's depth heading into a World Cup cycle.
Kerr's Chelsea form makes the future question more interesting
Whatever is happening emotionally, it isn't showing up in her club performances. Since the Asian Cup final, Kerr has played three full 90-minute matches for Chelsea — scoring and assisting in a 4-3 WSL win over Aston Villa, setting up the winner in a 1-0 Champions League victory against Arsenal, and claiming player of the match with the opening goal in a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final triumph over Tottenham.
That's a goal and three assists across three games. Anyone writing her off as a fading force at 32 needs to look at those numbers again.
Her contract expires at the end of this season, and reports linking her to NWSL side Denver Summit surfaced recently — though Kerr moved to dismiss them via Snapchat shortly after the story broke. She wasn't asked about her future in Thursday's Football Australia media release, which tells its own story about where that conversation sits right now.
"It sucks," she said about Japan. It does. But she's still one of the best centre-forwards in the women's game, still performing at that level every week, and the Matildas are going to need her at full tilt when Brazil comes around.
