The Victorian government has defended its decision not to make a pitch to host Matildas matches for the Asian Cup in 2026, despite spruiking the state as “the home of the Matildas”.

Football Australia (FA) today revealed New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia as the preferred states to host the 12-team tournament slated for the first half of 2026.

Prior to last year’s women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, states and territories were invited to make a pitch to FA.

The ABC understands Victoria did not pitch at all.

Last year, the state government officially opened “The Home of The Matildas”, a $42 million facility at La Trobe University in Bundoora, described by FA as “the most significant infrastructure accomplishment in the history of Australian football”.

In response to questions about why the government chose not to bid for Asian Cup matches, a government spokesperson said:

“Victoria has a packed calendar of major events, and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors to our state over the summer months for events including the epic Australian Open, the Boxing Day Test, the NGV Summer Series exhibition, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and many others.”

Matilda great says government’s decision ‘disappointing’

Former captain and goalkeeper of the Matildas, Melissa Barbieri, said it was a blow for women’s sport in the state.

“It is disappointing because as a die-hard Victorian you love to see the Matildas up close and personal,” she said.

“I think it would have been a great investment and you have to back women’s sport to really get it over the line.

“I think having conflicting arrangements [with other sports] you would hope that there is some room for negotiations with this sort of scheduling.”

Victorian opposition spokesperson Sam Groth said the news was disappointing given the state’s investment in relevant sporting infrastructure.

“To hear that other states have successfully pitched in getting games to see the Matildas, I think it’s disappointing to those Victorians that have previously been able to get out and support the Matildas,” he said.

“It’s disappointing for Victorians that as the major events capital — or something we like to call ourselves — that we’re now not even pitching for these big world-class events.”

The Matildas have played several matches in Melbourne in recent years — they played Uzbekistan at Docklands Stadium in February — and the A-League All Stars games will be hosted in Victoria next month.