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Australia and New Zealand are hosting the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, giving us a chance to see some of the world's best soccer players on our own turf.
The Australians take to the field at 8pm AEST tonight.
But before kick-off, here's everything you need to know about the Women's World Cup — whether you're a seasoned football fan or a complete newbie looking to get swept up in the action.
What's the Australian women's football team called?
The Matildas.
What time is the Matildas game?
The Matildas are in Group B, which means they'll be playing Ireland, Nigeria and Canada in the first round.
Here are the details for their first three games:
Australia v Republic of Ireland
- Date: Thursday, July 20
- Kick-off time: 8pm AEST
- Venue: Stadium Australia, Sydney/Wangal
Australia v Nigeria
- Date: Thursday, July 27
- Kick-off time: 8pm AEST
- Venue: Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane/Meanjin
Canada v Australia
- Date: Monday, July 31
- Kick-off time: 8pm AEST
- Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne/Naarm
How can I watch the Women's World Cup in Australia?
The games will be broadcast on Channel 7 on free-to-air as well as the station's streaming services.
Optus Sport will also be streaming the matches.
You might be able to still buy tickets and watch the games in person.
How can I listen to the Women's World Cup?
ABC Sport is broadcasting live, uninterrupted and commercial free coverage every day of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on the ABC listen app.
When is the final?
8pm AEST on Sunday, August 20.
Who's the favourite?
In the 30 years the women's tournament has been running, only four countries have won the cup.
Here are the previous winners:
- 1991: US
- 1995: Norway
- 1999: US
- 2003: Germany
- 2007: Germany
- 2011: Japan
- 2015: US
- 2019: US
ABC Sport's women's football writer Sam Lewis gives us her predictions here:
The USA come into this tournament chasing their third consecutive Women's World Cup, but key injuries and a squad in generational transition means they're no longer outright favourites to do it again.
Their biggest competition comes from Europe thanks to the rapid rise of club football on the continent: Germany, England, Spain, France, and Sweden are all poised for a deep run in the tournament, as are Tokyo Olympic gold medallists Canada and - of course - Australia, who have a great run of form and the belief of a nation at their backs.
Brazil and Japan could pose interesting questions to the more-favoured nations, while some left-of-field teams like Zambia, Haiti, and Colombia could pinch a couple points here or there.
The expectation is that the Matildas will reach at least the quarter-final, while the final four is potentially within reach if they stay fit and firing.
But this is tournament football - anything could happen!
Where in Australia are the matches being played?
Australia:
- Adelaide: Hindmarsh Stadium
- Brisbane: Brisbane Stadium (also known as Lang Park)
- Melbourne: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
- Perth: Perth Rectangular Stadium
- Sydney: Stadium Australia (also known as Sydney Olympic Stadium) and Sydney Football Stadium (in Moore Park)
New Zealand:
- Dunedin: Dunedin Stadium
- Auckland: Eden Park
- Hamilton: Waikato Stadium
- Wellington: Wellington Regional Stadium
When will the Matildas play other games?
That depends on how they perform in the first round, which goes for more than a fortnight.
In this round, teams play one match each against the other three in their group.
The two teams with the most points progress on to the next round.
Points are awarded to each team not based on how many goals they score, but on the outcome of the match:
- Win: Three points
- Draw: One point
- Lose: No points
Who's in the Australian squad?
- 1.Lydia Williams
- 2.Courtney Nevin
- 3.Aivi Luik
- 4.Clare Polkinghorne
- 5.Cortnee Vine
- 6.Clare Wheeler
- 7.Steph Catley
- 8.Alex Chidiac
- 9.Caitlin Foord
- 10.Emily Van Egmond
- 11.Mary Fowler
- 12.Teagan Micah
- 13.Tameka Yallop
- 14.Alanna Kennedy
- 15.Clare Hunt
- 16.Hayley Raso
- 17.Kyah Simon
- 18.Mackenzie Arnold
- 19.Katrina Gorry
- 20.Sam Kerr
- 21.Ellie Carpenter
- 22.Charlotte Grant
- 23.Kyra Conney-Cross
What teams have qualified for the Women's World Cup?
Here's the full list of the 32 countries playing in the tournament, as well as their country code:
- Argentina (ARG)
- Australia (AUS)
- Brazil (BRA)
- Canada (CAN)
- China (CHN)
- Colombia (COL)
- Costa Rica (CRC)
- Denmark (DEN)
- England (ENG)
- France (FRA)
- Germany (GER)
- Haiti (HAI)
- Italy (ITA)
- Jamaica (JAM)
- Japan (JPN)
- Korea Republic (KOR)
- Morocco (MAR)
- Netherlands (NED)
- New Zealand (NZL)
- Nigeria (NGA)
- Norway (NOR)
- Panama (PAN)
- Philippines (PHI)
- Portugal (POR)
- Ireland (IRL)
- South Africa (RSA)
- Spain (ESP)
- Sweden (SWE)
- Switzerland (SUI)
- United States of America (USA)
- Vietnam (VIE)
- Zambia (ZAM)