Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v France from Brisbane Stadium. Kick-off in this Women’s World Cup quarter-final clash is 5pm AEST/8am BST/9am CET.
It’s the biggest match in Australian football history – since the other one the other day – as this World Cup continues its groundbreaking progress. A mark of how transformative this tournament is proving can be experienced almost anywhere you choose to look across the country as fans – neophytes and diehards alike – commune in front of televisions and at fan parks to celebrate international women’s football.
We are witnessing the hoped-for frenzy this tournament promised when Australia and New Zealand were confirmed as joint-hosts three years ago. Enjoy it while you can, because we’ve not long to go.
This is the tournament’s 59th fixture. There are only five more after this. Both Australia and France hope they’re around for two of them.
The Matildas arrive as the competition’s form team after dispensing with heavyweights Canada and Denmark in effervescent fashion. Adding to the sense of expectation is the return to something approaching full fitness of captain and best player Sam Kerr. Home hopes are justifiably high.
But it’s not as if France will start as long shots. Beaten only once in 2023 (more on that to come) Les Bleues smashed four past Morocco and six through Panama in their last two outings. After a worrying period of turmoil before the tournament, France are looking more dangerous by the match as Hervé Renard refines his approach.
Back to that solitary defeat of 2023 – it came, of course, against the Matildas on the eve of the World Cup. In front of 50,000 fans in Melbourne France were the better side for long periods but failed to find the back of the net.
The same teams, a similar crowd, a different city, and much much higher stakes await this evening.
