Key Points
- The FIFA Women's World Cup begins on 20 July.
- Australia will host 35 matches and New Zealand 29.
- A total of 15 matches will be broadcast free-to-air.
Football fans' excitement will be at boiling point, with the imminent kick-off of the FIFA Women's World Cup, which has come to Australia and New Zealand for the first time.
The tournament starts today, Thursday 20 July, with New Zealand and Norway playing the opening match, followed by Australia taking on Ireland just hours later.
Across the group stage, a round of 16 quarter-finals, semi-finals, third-place match, and final on 20 August, 64 matches will be played by 32 teams.
Australia will host 35 matches in five cities, while New Zealand will host 29 in four cities.
It's set to be the most-watched women's football tournament to date, and football's governing body, FIFA, said there was a surprise about how many people tried to buy tickets in the early rounds of ticket sales.
How to watch the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia
People in Australia and New Zealand can, of course, attend the games in person, with tickets still available for some matches at the time of reporting.
Some public screenings will be held in Sydney and Melbourne and may be announced in other cities.
Optus Sport will broadcast every match live and on-demand, but the app requires a subscription.
Channel 7 will broadcast 15 matches on free-to-air and have replays and highlights available on demand.
Who are the FIFA Women's World Cup favourites?
Looking at FIFA rankings, the reigning champion and four-time winner, the United States, sits at number one.
Though some of the squad who won in 2019 have moved on, new talent coming through a strong domestic league means the country is an undeniable favourite.
Germany and England contested the final of 2022's Euros tournament and though the English won, they are ranked two places behind Germany, who are second.
This is because FIFA's women's rankings are complicated calculations that weigh each result differently depending on how likely a win is.
Brazil is the highest-ranked South American country at eighth and reigning Copa America champion.
Sweden is ranked third, while France, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia round out the top 10.
Co-host New Zealand is ranked 26 but will be hoping a home crowd helps lift the squad to the final stages of the tournament.
Will Australia win the Women's World Cup?
It's definitely possible. Captain and striker Sam Kerr is widely considered one of the best players in the world and is Australia's highest goal-scorer of all time.
Many footballers have described Australia's current squad as the 'golden generation' expected to hit form as they reach their late 20s - the time many footballers peak physically, according to sport science.
They are up against Ireland, Canada and Nigeria in Group B, so will have to win the group or come second to advance.
But the Matildas' recent track record at tournaments has been below their coach's expectations each time.
The team lost the round of 16 in the 2019 World Cup, came fourth in the Tokyo Olympics and crashed out in the Asian Cup quarter-finals in January 2022.
The FIFA Women's World Cup begins on 20 July. See the latest Women's World Cup news at
