Matildas vs Lionesses: Who will make it to the World Cup Final?

Few rivalries in world sport are as competitive and wide-reaching as Australia vs England, from cricket to rugby, netball to hockey, these countries love to battle it out on the sports field. This time there is a place at a World Cup final at stake… it doesn’t get much bigger.

Over the past few years, England has emerged as one of the best sides in women’s football, with talent all over the pitch. Manager Sarina Weigman has showcased herself as one of the best tactical minds in the world, molding her charges into a formidable winning machine.

Australia are certainly not lacking in talent themselves, with most of their players competing in elite competitions around the world. They will also have the significant boost of 80,000+ fans behind them when they walk out at Stadium Australia on Wednesday.

England are one step away from a World Cup final despite missing three of their best players in Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby. The trio are all missing through significant knee injuries and would have played big parts had they been available.

The past two games for Australia has seen superstar of the women’s game, Sam Kerr, return to action. All signs seem to suggest she will be ready to finally make her mark on the tournament, with her two cameo performances in the round of 16 and quarter-finals showing she is nearly back to her best.

England have not looked at their best in the World Cup so far, relying on penalties to scrape past Nigeria in the round of 16 and a scratching 2-1 win over the surprising Colombians. If they can find the form that won them the European Championships in 2022, they will be a tough matchup for any team remaining in the tournament.

Australia have at times seemed a little overawed by the occasion as they do battle on home soil. An unconvincing loss against Nigeria in the group stage was an inauspicious moment for the Aussies, but comfortable wins against Canada and Denmark saw them march in the quarter-finals, riding all the emotions of the home support along the way.

After comfortably making it out of their group, England faced a strong-looking Nigeria squad in the round of 16. For most of the game, they looked like the second-best team on the pitch and were lucky to not lose in normal time after Lauren James was sent off. Despite that, a relatively calm penalty shootout followed as they saw off the Nigerians 4-2 (eventually).

Australia vs France showcased how good this Matildas side could be as they looked like much the better side against a French team with serious title aspirations. At times France were saved by poor composure from Australian strikers and could have comfortably lost. A crazy penalty shootout followed with the Aussies winning 7-6 after 20 penalties were taken.

Following her moment of madness in the round of 16, Lauren James was handed a two-match suspension that saw her miss the quarter-final and will force her to watch from the stands against the Matildas. She was England’s best player in the group stages so it will be interesting to see how the setup is in her absence.

There is no shortage of elite footballing talent on display in this game and for some players, they are going to know their opponents very well. Six of the England contingent play at Manchester City who also feature Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy of Australia. Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley are teammates of Alessia Russo at Arsenal and Sam Kerr knows the Chelsea players from her time in West London.

In April this year, England and Australia faced off in Brentford in a game that saw England’s 30-match unbeaten spell come to an end. Australia set up specifically to beat the English passing game and emerged 2-0 winners. Of course, this game means nothing nearly five months later, but it shows this contest could really go either way.

Back in 2020, Australia appointed Tony Gustavsson to be the head coach of their women’s side and things didn’t initially go to plan for the Swedish coach as they won just two games at the 2020 Olympics and one game in 2021. Since then, the Matildas have grown as a group, winning more and more games each year, and now are amongst the best teams in the world.

For Australia, so much depends on Sam Kerr, if she plays she becomes the focal point of every attacking move for the Aussie side as she is able to drop deep, pass out wide and make her way into attacking areas and seemingly score more often than not. If she plays, can the England centre-back trio of Millie Bright, Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter contain her?

England have been playing a form of a 3-4-3 with Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly playing as attacking wing backs and the defence getting shielded by the formidable pairing of Kiera Walsh and Georgia Stanway. Australia play a more rigid 4-4-2 formation, with Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso providing width in attack. If England don't adjust, Australia could have lots of space in the wide channels.

For England, getting into the later rounds of a World Cup is not new but the Matildas have never previously made it past the quarter-finals. Whoever makes it through to the final will be doing so for the first time, making history for their nation.

With England and Australia battling it out in one semi-final and Spain and Sweden facing off in the other, this tournament is now guaranteed a brand new champion. It is anyone’s game at this stage with all four sides looking capable of taking home the biggest trophy in women’s football.