Australia and England will meet on Wednesday as each team looks to seal a historic Women’s World Cup final appearance.
Neither side has ever qualified for a World Cup final before and in such an open tournament, both will have aspirations of going all the way.
In a World Cup to remember for so many reasons, Wednesday’s match at Stadium Australia in Sydney is the latest contest in a fiercely contested rivalry across numerous sports between the two nations.
How to watch
In the US, games will be aired on FOX Sports, while Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage.
Seven Network and Optus Sport are broadcasting matches in Australia and the BBC and ITV have the rights in the United Kingdom.
A full breakdown of media rights holders in each country is available on the FIFA website.
Australia vs. England begins at 6 a.m. ET (11 a.m. BST).
Australia vs. England
It’s been quite the summer of sport between Australia and England.
First, the Ashes took place in cricket – with Australia coming out on top in both the men’s and women’s formats.
A few weeks later, Australia beat its English counterpart in the final of the Netball World Cup.
And on Wednesday, the two will once again do battle, this time in the semifinal of the Women’s World Cup.
Both are on impressive runs, with tournament co-host Australia pushed on by its home crowd while England has continued its success under Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman following victory at the Women’s Euros last year.
Since Wiegman was appointed England coach the Lionesses have lost just once – to Australia in a friendly earlier this year. That defeat ended a 30-game unbeaten run that England had put together following Wiegman’s appointment in September 2021.
The Matildas have been boosted by the return of captain and all-time topscorer Sam Kerr after a calf injury, as she has played progressively more as the tournament has gone on, while also getting key contributions from other players within the team.
This is first the time that Australia has contested a Women’s World Cup semifinal. It is only the second nation to have made it through to the Women’s World Cup semifinals as hosts, after the US who were winners in 1999 and finished third in 2003.
On the other hand, England has been effective if not emphatic in its run to the semifinal, with narrow victories becoming the norm.
Wiegman’s team is likely to feel the absence of Lauren James, who will serve the second match of her two-game suspension on Wednesday after she was sent off for stepping on the back of Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie during the round-of-16 game at Brisbane Stadium.
It’s the third consecutive World Cup in which the Lionesses has reached the semifinal stage.
There will be intriguing tactical and personal battles across the pitch as both sides look to set up a clash against Spain in Sunday’s final.