This Saturday 24 February, our beloved Matildas will play in one of the final matches that determines whether or not they'll head to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. There are two matches in this final qualifying series, this one on 24 February and one on Wednesday 28 February.
The winner of the series of two games will take a spot as one of the two teams from the AFC Tournament to attend the Olympics this July and August.
When and where to watch
24 February match in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
For the Saturday match, the Matildas will play Uzbekistan at Milliy Stadium in Tashkent – the capital of Uzbekistan. The game starts at 2pm local time, which is 8pm AEDT. This is 5pm AWST for those in Western Australia, 7pm AEST for those in Queensland, 7:30pm ACDT for those in South Australia, and 6:30pm ACST for those in the Northern Territory.
For the fans who want to tune into the game, you'll be able to catch a broadcast for free on Channel 10, 10 Play app and also on Paramount+. The official broadcast begins an hour before kick off at 7pm AEDT. And it's definitely worth tuning in early to catch all the latest player insights and expert interviews.
28 February match in Melbourne, Australia
As for the Wednesday match, this match will be played on home soil at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Kick off will be at 8pm AEDT. Again, this is 5pm AWST for those in Western Australia, 7pm AEST for those in Queensland, 7:30pm ACDT for those in South Australia, and 6:30pm ACST for those in the Northern Territory.
This game will also be shown on Channel 10, 10 Play app and Paramount+ for free. The broadcast will begin an hour before kick off at 7pm AEDT.
There are actually still tickets available for this match if you want to attend in person.
The Matildas squad lineup
Oh captain, my captain! With Sam Kerr out of action, recovering from an ACL tear, Steph Catley will captain the team for these next games.
On 7 February, the team announced the squad for these two match on Instagram via an adorable video featuring Katrina Gorry's daughter Harper.
At this time the squad is set to include keepers Mackenzie 'Minister of Defence' Arnold, Teagan Micah and Jada Mathyssen-Whyman. The defender lineup is Steph Catley, Charli Grant, Ellie Carpenter, Alanna Kennedy, Clare Hunt, Aivi Luik and Clare Polkinghorne. In the midfield, we have Emily van Egmond, Amy Sayer, Katrina Gorry, Clare Wheeler, Chloe Logarzo, Tameka Yallop and Kaitlyn Torpey. As for forwards, the squad will include Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, Cortnee Vine, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Michelle Heyman and RUSSH cover star Mary Fowler.
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Which other women's teams have qualified?
Six teams have officially qualified for Paris 2024 and there are still six teams lefts to be decided
Naturally the host nation, France, automatically qualifies. The CONCACAF Championship saw team USA make the cut and Canada was the qualifier from the CONCACAF Playoff. Brazil and Colombia are the two qualifiers from the Copa América Femenina. Our friends in New Zealand are the qualifying team from the OFC tournament.
The qualifier from the AFC tournament (where the Matildas play) will be decided this month. The other remaining matches in this tournament will see Japan play North Korea on the same dates the Matildas play Uzbekistan. The winners of these sets of matches will progress to the Olympics.
In the CAF tournament, Ghana, Zambia, Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Cameroon, Tanzania and South Africa are all still in the running to qualify. The next set of qualifying matches happens in February for this group. But the final matches won't happen until April, where two teams will qualify for the Olympics.
As for the UEFA group, comprising The Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain? There are still a few matches to be played before the final two teams are decided. But since France automatically qualifies as the host nation, it's likely that only one team from this group will not attend the Olympics.
Image: Instagram
