They are unbeaten in 11 games stretching back to September 2024 and aiming to go beyond the last 16 for the first time.

Defensive lynchpin Carpenter and star striker Kerr are in Perth preparing to face China in the semi-finals of the continental competition on Tuesday.

The former Australia international had coached the team since August 2018.

The Australia coach did not hesitate to criticise the playing surface offered at Kings Arena.

The Matildas captain, one of the biggest names in women's football, ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in January and her father declared months ago that she would not be fit for Paris.