Australia midfielder on importance of FIFA Series to African players

Australia women's national football team midfielder Alex Chidiac has explained the advantage of the ongoing FIFA Series to African women footballers.

Download our Mozzart Sport app for more news

The inaugural 2026 FIFA Series Kenya edition is currently ongoing in the country and brings together Malawi, India, Australia, and the hosts.

Former Gor Mahia striker explains joining Division One club after battling prolonged illness

The tournament is part of the initiative by FIFA to ensure that nations that would ordinarily find it difficult to battle each other face off during official FIFA international breaks.

Speaking after playing their first match against Malawi, Australia midfielder Chidiac opened up on the importance of the intercontinental friendlies to African talents.

“It is special to see the football coaching here and see the standards and talent. It builds the game and puts the spotlight on the talent that is in Africa.

We have a lot of talent in Australia, and we are known around the world. However, there is a lot of talent in Africa, but not a lot of people in the world know them, and this tournament will help in highlighting them,” said Chidiac.

Chidiac also took time to highlight the importance of the tournament to established teams like Australia, who are currently ranked 15th globally by FIFA.

“It is different weather, but we enjoyed ourselves out there. Playing African nations will help us to prepare for the World Cup,” she added.

England-based Harambee Stars midfielder reacts to massive support from Kenyans

Her sentiments were shared by her coach, Joe Montemuro, who took joy from facing a different set of opponents.

“Being invited to this series is a special honour. We do not get invited to play African teams a lot, and so it was very important to play against a good side with some good talents and keep our style of playing.”

Australia will now face Kenya's Harambee Starlets in the FIFA Series final on Wednesday, 15 April at the Nyayo Stadium from 1700 hrs. The match will be preceded by the third-place playoff clash between Namibia and India from 1400 hrs.