How much do you know about the Matildas?

In a little over two weeks at the FIFA Women's World Cup in France the Australian women's national football team known as the 'Matildas' will be taking part in their tenth major world tournament.

It will be the seventh (consecutive) World Cup for the Matildas, who have also played in three Olympic Games.

The Matildas played for the first time in 1978, against strong club sides at the Women's World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan. In 1979 the Matildas played against its first national team opponent, drawing 2-2 against New Zealand at Seymour Shaw Park in Sydney.

Australia's biggest wins of all-time were in Oceania World Cup qualifying games: 21-0 over American Samoa in 1998, 19-0 over Samoa in 2003, and 17-0 over Fiji in 1998.

When FIFA rankings commenced in 2003, the Matildas were ranked 15 in the world. By 2011 the team entered the top ten, and at the start of 2019 the Australian women's side is ranked six.

Leading into the 2019 Women's World Cup, the Matildas have played well over 400 international games, with 239 players taking the field for the national side.

The recently released Encyclopedia of Matildas by statistician Andrew Howe and researcher Greg Werner showcases the 40-year history of the Australian women's national football team through every one of its players. The 100,000-word volume profiles all of the team's 239 players with a biography and their stats. The Encyclopedia also includes a history of the Matildas team, including all results and performances in tournaments, team and player records, regional analyses, coach profiles, and a never-before published record of all 20 Australian women's national league seasons to date.

Fast facts

1. Newcastle's Cheryl Salisbury holds the record for most international games played for Australia, with 171 appearances against all international opposition (including clubs) including 151 games against other national teams. Salisbury had a 15-year national team career that started in 1994.

2. Lisa De Vanna's goal against the United States in April 2019 was her 47th for the Matildas, which is the most of any Matildas' player. Perth-born De Vanna scored her first international goal in 2004.

3. Three players made their debut with the Matildas aged just 14 – Sharon Wass (in 1981), Claire Nichols (1989), and Kelly Golebiowski (1996).

4. Goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri from Melbourne, a veteran of four World Cups, was the oldest Matilda, making her final appearance at the 2015 Women's World Cup aged 35.

5. In contrast to the Socceroos whose early history reflected Australia’s migration and settlement patterns, the Matildas have been ‘homegrown’ with all players who have played ‘A’ internationals born in Australia.

6. Sydney has been the most prominent city of origin of Matildas, with just over 60 players hailing from Australia's largest city. Brisbane (27 players), Adelaide (21), the Hunter region (21) and Melbourne (16) have also produced a significant number of players, with Canberra and Perth (both 14) also having noteworthy amounts of Matildas.

7. Many regional and remote areas of Australia have also produced Matildas. National team players have originated from Darwin, Hobart and from all along the country's eastern coastline, plus inland centres of New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

8. Since 1996, Australian women's national leagues have helped develop almost all of the country's national team players active over this time. With the presence of many Matildas, Sydney FC, Melbourne City, Brisbane Roar and Canberra United have won multiple W-League championships since the commencement of the W-League in 2008.

The Encyclopedia of Matildas complements the Encyclopedia of Socceroos, also written by Howe and released this time last year.

It is available in hardback for $65 from Fair Play Publishing, part of the Football Today network.