They were very close to England who sit behind Germany and the World No.1 Team, the USA. The ranking followed victory at the Tournament of Nations in August 2017 where Australia beat the USA (1-0) on home soil and Japan and Brazil (6-1). The Matildas followed the tournament with a series of wins here in Australia, over Brazil and China.
The squad included a number of Brisbane and Queensland players, including Clare Polkinghorne (co-captain), Hayley Raso and Katrina Gorry from Brisbane and fellow Queenslanders, Mackenzie Arnold (Gold Coast) and Elise Kellond-Knight (Southport).
The Matildas have only been called the Matildas since 1995. Before that they were the Female Socceroos (we think it was a rubbish name too).
