Live: Carpenter wins 100th cap as Matildas take on Mexico

live Live updates: Matildas vs Mexico, international friendly in Newcastle The Matildas are back in action in Newcastle, taking on 28th-ranked Mexico in the first of two international friendly matches. Ellie Carpenter will make her 100th appearance for the Matildas and will captain the side. Follow all the action in our live blog. Submit a comment or question Live updates New: Filters Choose what information you see below by using filters Sat 6 Jun 2026 at 6:30pm 'It's not just a friendly for us': Heatley It's the end of a long season and players who have fought tooth and nail in league's across the world may want to be thinking about a break more than gearing up for another contest. However, Wini Heatley says that these two matches against Mexico are nothing to sniff at as the Matildas look ahead of World Cup 2027. "We've really switched a tack, and we are preparing for the World Cup, so it's definitely not just a friendly for us," Heatley told the Matilda website. “We want to prepare, and we want to put our best foot forward for the World Cup in a year. "Of course, they [Mexico] will have some extra fight [preparing for World Cup qualification], but that's really good for us." She said that getting the chance to play against Mexico twice is a real boon for the Matildas, giving them a chance to work on new tactics across the week. "A two-game series is a really good opportunity to focus on us," she said. "Regardless of whether the first game goes how we want it or not, there's always extra difficulties that come with playing the same team again and having to adjust how you played depending on what went well and what didn't go well, and knowing that they'll probably adjust some things as well. "It’s very helpful to play the same team twice." Sat 6 Jun 2026 at 6:26pm Sell out in Newcastle The Matildas posted a short time ago that the game is officially a sell out in Newcastle. And, of course, it's worth noting that tonight's game is taking place on Awabakal Country. Sat 6 Jun 2026 at 6:22pm Matildas 'in World Cup preparation mode': Montemurro All footballing eyes are, of course focused on the World Cup that's about to get underway in North America and Mexico (starting next Friday, if you don't mind). The Matildas focus is also on the World Cup, but they're looking a little bit further ahead. "We're basically in World Cup preparation mode, so it's a really important start for us going forward," Joe Montemurro told the Matildas website last week. "We're looking to stabilise and continue the work that we're doing, being ready against different types of opposition, starting to look at a couple of other players that we think could go that next level, and giving them that international experience." The Mexicans have not yet qualified for the World Cup in Brazil next year, unlike the Matildas, who got there thanks to their run to the final of the Asian Cup. But despite that, Mexico are an important team in terms of how they play the game for the Matildas as they look to build their prep. "The preparation started a while back, and we’ve been very strategic with the teams we want to play to make sure we understand the different styles we could face at the World Cup," Montemurro said. "We've really only got five camps left after this one, so it’s important everyone’s on the same page moving forward. "Consistency is really important. We look at what the national team needs and where opportunities are available. If you’ve got six forwards playing at the top level overseas every week, competition for those spots is obviously difficult. "But we know where we need to build depth, and the message is simple: keep performing and those opportunities will come." Key Event Sat 6 Jun 2026 at 6:18pm Matildas team news: Captain Carpenter brings up century Here's how the Matildas line up tonight. Ellie Carpenter, the centurion, will captain the side on the occasion of her 100th cap as Joe Montermurro names a strong side for tonight's match. Sam Kerr will lead the line with Emily van Egmond, Mary Fowler and Caitlin Foord all adding attacking threat. Key Event Sat 6 Jun 2026 at 6:11pm What time is kick off? Kick off in Newcastle is 7.15pm AEST (NSW, Queensland, ACT, Victoria and Tasmania). In the Northern Territory and South Australia that means kick off is at 6:45pm. In Western Australia kick off is at 5:15pm. If you're in Mexico and tuning into our blog, gracias por iniciar sesión! Kick off for you is at the ungodly hour of 3:15am in Central Mexico, 2:15am in Mountain Mexico and 1:15am in Pacific Mexico. Bienvenidos y disfruten del juego. Sat 6 Jun 2026 at 6:04pm Welcome to Matildas country Hello folks and welcome to the ABC Sport coverage of the Matildas clash against Mexico in Newcastle. My name is Simon Smale and I am thrilled to be here with you all for tonight's match - and will be here for you on Tuesday as well for the second match of this two-game series. On a week where the footballing world is starting to focus on the men's FIFA World Cup, the Matildas start their own preparations for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The Matildas are looking at these two friendlies against Mexico as being key for their preparation for Brazil, so now that qualification is assured, the road to Rio (and the rest of Brazil) starts here. So strap yourselves in and get yourselves ready for tonight's clash, with kick off not far away.