Ultimate Guide: Matildas at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Women's Football Tournament

The Matildas are just days away from starting their Tokyo 2020 campaign, find out how you can cheer them on! 

Australian football fans; here is an ultimate guide to everything you need to know about how to support the Matildas during the upcoming Games.

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How to watch

The Seven Network is the official broadcaster of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Australia.

Women's and Men's football matches featuring Australia will be available via the Seven Network and the 7Plus app throughout July and August.

Tokyo 2020 Women’s Football Tournament – Group G

Match 1: Australia v New Zealand
Date: Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Venue: Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Kick-off: 8:30pm local; 9:30pm AEST
Broadcast: Seven Network

Match 2: Sweden v Australia
Date: Saturday, 24 July 2021
Venue: Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan
Kick-off: 5:30pm local; 6:30pm AEST
Broadcast: Seven Network

Match 3: USA v Australia
Date: Tuesday, 27 July 2021
Venue: Kashima Stadium, Kashima, Japan
Kick-off: 5pm local; 6pm AEST
Broadcast: Seven Network

The tournament structure and schedule

Australia will be one of 12 nations that will take to the pitch in Tokyo. The qualified nations are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China PR, Great, Japan (host country), Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, United States and Zambia.

Tony Gustavsson’s side have a tough battle ahead of them, taking on 2016 silver medalist Sweden and reigning 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup champions in USA.

The Matildas will be hoping to advance through to the quarter-finals, finishing first or second in their group will ensure them a spot. However, a third-place finish could also see them move to the knockout stage.

Australia's past two appearances at a Women's Olympic Football Tournament saw them eliminated in the quarter-finals. Heartbreak in 2016 for the Matildas saw them beaten in penalty shootouts by host nation Brazil, while in Athens 2004 they were beaten by Sweden in the quarter-finals.

The Matildas have their eye on the prize and look to go one better and take home Australia’s first-ever Olympic football medal.   

Key Dates
Group Stage: Wednesday 21st July, Saturday 24th July, Tuesday 27th July
Quarter Finals: Friday 30th July
Semi Finals: Monday 2nd August
Bronze Medal Match: Thursday 5th August
Gold Medal Match: Friday 6th August

How to follow

Matildas.com.au has you covered with all of the Australian Women's Football Team action you need, providing in-depth profiles of the squad who will take part in Tokyo 2020 and all the latest news.

The Matildas social pages will provide regular updates and in-camp content over the course of the Games.

You can show your support using the #GoAustralia, #WeAreMatildas or #TokyoTogether.

You can check out all of our exclusive pre-Olympic content here.

Hayley Raso on the ball v Japan

The squad

The Olympic squad has a mix of experience, with several players competing in their second games, while eight are set to make their Olympic debut.

Amendments made to the IOC’s athlete replacement rules has seen Mackenzie Arnold, Laura Brock, Courtney Nevin and Charlotte Grant upgraded from alternates to members of the Olympic team. This year’s Australian Olympic team features the highest number of female participants, making up 53.5% of those competing.

Name
Position
Age
Olympic Games
Lydia Williams
Goalkeeper
33
2nd (2016)
Teagan Micah
Goalkeeper
23
Debut
Mackenzie Arnold
Goalkeeper
27
2nd (2016)
Alanna Kennedy
Defender
26
2nd (2016)
Steph Catley
Defender
27
2nd (2016)
Clare Polkinghorne
Defender
32
2nd (2016)
Aivi Luik
Defender
36
Debut
Ellie Carpenter
Defender
21
2nd (2016)
Laura Brock
Defender
31
2nd (2016)
Courtney Nevin
Defender
19
Debut
Charlotte Grant
Defender
19
Debut
Emily van Egmond
Midfielder
27
2nd (2016)
Tameka Yallop
Midfielder
30
2nd (2016)
Elise Kellond-Knight
Midfielder
30
2nd (2016)
Chloe Logarzo
Midfielder
26
2nd (2016)
Kyra Cooney-Cross
Midfielder
19
Debut
Sam Kerr
Forward
27
2nd (2016)
Hayley Raso
Forward
26
Debut
Caitlin Foord
Forward
26
2nd (2016)
Emily Gielnik
Forward
29
Debut
Kyah Simon
Forward
30
2nd (2016)
Mary Fowler
Forward
18
Debut

 

The draw

April's draw marked a key milestone ahead of the highly anticipated Tokyo 2020 tournament, this will be the first time that both Australian women's and men's football teams appear at the same Games since Athens 2004.

Australia was drawn into Group G of the Women’s Football Tournament at Tokyo 2020, set to take on New Zealand, Sweden, and the United States.

The first game Australia face New Zealand, our joint partners in hosting the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Matildas have faced them several times, most recently at the Cup of Nations where Australia won 2-0.

The next game Australia takes on Sweden, a side that they drew with 0-0 just weeks ago.

Australia’s last game sees them take on a familiar foe in the United States, their most recent fixture just before the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup where USA won in a highly entertaining 5-3 battle.

Matildas rio

Coach Tony Gustavsson is no stranger to the pressures of the Olympics. Appointed assistant coach for the USA’s London 2012 and Rio 2016 campaign, and helping USA claim the gold medal in 2012. Gustavsson welcomes the opportunity to compete against some of the best countries in the world.

"Obviously, it's a tough draw in terms of top ranked teams from each pot. But it also means we have a lot of knowledge about the teams." 

Gustavsson comes with a wealth of experience on our opposition, having previously coached several players across the three teams. His knowledge will be invaluable to Australia’s success in the group stage.

The journey to Tokyo

The Australian side played the majority of the AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament on home soil, replacing China as the host country as their COVID outbreak worsened.  

Australia's first game saw them defeat Chinese Taipei at Campbelltown Stadium on February 7, 2020 , in a convincing 7-0 win which saw Caitlin Foord notch a hat-trick. 

Three days later a similar outcome, Australia defeating Thailand 6-0 with Emily van Egmond scoring a hat-trick. 

However, van Egmond's most memorable goal of the tournament came in the next game. Nearly 6,000 fans at Bankwest Stadium witnessed a 90+2 equaliser from outside the box to draw 1-1 with China PR. 

Matildas celebrate

The play-off games against Vietnam kicked off in March 2020, a two-leg fixture starting off on a rainy night in Newcastle. 14,000 eager fans cheered on Australia as they started the first leg in style, winning 5-0. 

Australia travelled to Vietnam for the final leg of the play-off games. The games was played behind closed doors but saw Australia win 2-1, 7-1 on aggregate, to secure their spot in Tokyo 2020. 

REMINDER: You can check out all of our exclusive pre-Olympic content here.