Australia’s women football team the Matildas will be playing another Olympic qualifier tomorrow night.
It’ll be the first of a two-match home-and-away series to determine if they’ll go on to the Olympic Games later this year.
Here’s what you need to know about tomorrow’s game and what a win or loss will mean for their Olympic dreams.
Who are the Matildas playing against?
Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan is currently ranked world number 47.
The Matildas and Uzbekistan have met previously on one other occasion in 2007 during the China 2008 Olympic Qualifiers Preliminary round.
Australia won 10-0.
Where are the Matildas playing tomorrow night?
Milliy Stadium, in Uzbekistan’s capital city Tashkent.
What time are the Matildas playing?
The game against Uzbekistan starts at 8pm AEDT.
How can I watch the Matildas game in Australia?
The clash will be shown on Channel 10 across the country.
It will also be streamed on 10Play and Paramount+.
From 7:30pm AEDT, you can listen to ABC Radio’s coverage on metropolitan and regional stations in all states (except Qld), as well as on ABC Sport Digital Radio and the sport button on the ABC Listen app.
And can stay across all the action with our ABC Sport live blog (once the action starts).
Is Sam Kerr playing?
Sadly, the legendary Sam Kerr won’t be on the field.
Kerr tore her ACL last month at a training camp for Women’s Super League team Chelsea.
She will likely be ruled out for the remainder of the club season — and almost certainly the Olympics given the typical nine-month minimum recovery time for a ruptured ACL.
How did the Matildas get here?
Australia topped Group A in the second round of qualifying (the first round was just for lower-ranked teams), thanks to three straight wins.
- Australia vs Iran: 2-0
- Australia vs Philippines: 8-0
- Australia vs Chinese Taipei: 3-0
The Matildas are the top seed heading into the final round of qualifying with a plus-13 goal difference.
When is the Matildas’s next match?
This coming Wednesday, February 28.
They’ll face Uzbekistan again at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne’s Docklands.
Tickets are still on sale for that game.
Kick-off is at 8pm AEDT.
Once again, it’ll be broadcast live on Channel 10, 10Play, and Paramount+.
What happens if the Matildas win both matches?
They’ll play at the Olympics!
The winner of the two matches will officially gain a spot as one of the two teams representing the Asian Football Confederation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
And if the games end up being split 1-1, it’ll come down to an aggregate score.
If that’s tied, away goals will be weighted more heavily than goals at home.