What time are the Matildas playing tonight? Here's why they must beat Canada
By Dannielle MaguireTonight the Australia women's soccer team, the Matildas, are playing a must-win game against Canada.
While it's still the first round of the FIFA Women's World Cup, it's a do-or-die game for the Matildas if they want to move forward to the next round.
Here's what you need to know before kick-off.
What time are the Matildas playing tonight?
- 8pm AEST — ACT, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria
- 7:30pm ACST — Northern Territory, South Australia
- 6pm AWST — Western Australia
They're playing in Melbourne's Rectangular Stadium.
What channel is the Womens World Cup on?
It's being broadcast on Channel Seven as well as Optus Sport.
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.
And we'll be covering the match in our live blog here on the ABC News website.
Is Sam Kerr playing?
We don't know yet.
Sam Kerr is the Matildas' star player, having had huge success playing for Chelsea in the Women's Super League overseas (in May she kicked two goals to help her team to a 3-0 win the league title).
She has missed the first two World Cup games because of a calf injury.
On Sunday, Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said the decision on whether or not she will play tonight will "go down to the wire".
He said she'd need to pass further testing today to be cleared to play.
How has Australia performed so far?
The Matildas have had one win and one loss.
- Game 1 — Australia vs Ireland: Australia won 1-0
- Game 2 — Australia vs Nigeria: Nigeria won 3-2
Why does Australia have to win tonight?
Because of the points system.
The first round of the World Cup is divided up into groups of four countries, with each playing the others.
They get points — which are different to goals — for each game they win or draw.
Here's the current tally for Australia's group, which is Group B:
Country | Points |
---|---|
Nigeria | 4 |
Canada | 4 |
Australia | 3 |
Ireland | 0 |
Teams get three points for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss.
Nigeria and Canada have both had a win and their match against each other was a draw, so they're on four points each.
Ireland, having lost their two games and recording zero points, have already been eliminated.
Nigeria are still yet to play Ireland, with that match also kicking off tonight at 8pm AEST.
Will the Matildas get a second chance if they lose?
No.
But if they draw against Canada, they may be in with a chance.
However, it relies on Nigeria losing to Ireland.
If that was to happen, tie-breaker criteria would determine who went through.
This could get complicated because the outcome relies on nitty-gritty statistics such as goal differences and goals scored.