There’s a home world cup on the horizon, but first the Matildas have another tournament to win.
New South Wales is playing host to the Cup of Nations; a four-nation event that will see our beloved Aussie outfit face off against fellow Women’s World Cup competitors Spain and Jamaica, as well as Czechia — who didn’t qualify to make the trip down under in July.
When And Where Is The Cup Of Nations?
The Cup of Nations is a six-match tournament that will take place over three days in February. The dates and locations are as follows:
Thursday, February 16 – Industree Group Stadium in Gosford
- Spain v Jamaica – 4:10pm kick off
- Australia v Czechia – 7:10pm kick off
Sunday, February 19 – CommBank Stadium in Sydney
- Jamaica v Czechia – 2:50pm kick off
- Australia v Spain – 6:00pm kick off
Wednesday, February 22 – McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle
- Czechia v Spain – 3:00pm kick off
- Australia v Jamaica – 7:10pm kick off
How To Buy Tickets To The Cup of Nations
Tickets for all matches will go on sale for Football Account holders on Monday, January 16 at 12pm AEDT. General public tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, January 17 at 12pm AEDT.
Prices start at $15 for juniors, $25 for adults and $20 for concession tickets.
Tickets will be available exclusively via Ticketek.
How To Watch The Cup of Nations
All Matildas games will be broadcast on 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+. International games will only be available via Paramount+.
What’s Football Australia saying about the Cup of Nations?
Football Australia CEO James Johnson has called upon the Australian public to rally around the Matildas, ahead of the Women’s World Cup later this year.
“February’s Cup of Nations will build on the success of the first tournament held in 2019 and be one of the final opportunities for fans to see the CommBank Matildas on home soil before the commencement of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023,” said Johnson in a statement.
“The Cup of Nations will continue to take football to regional areas with the Central Coast, Greater Sydney, and the Hunter presented an opportunity to farewell the CommBank Matildas ahead of July’s tournament, as well as get a taste for the international football festival that awaits in 2023.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson stressed that the three Cup of Nations matches are an important step in the team’s World Cup preparations.
“Spain, Czechia and Jamaica have been carefully selected for the Cup of Nations to ensure we have the right preparation heading into the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” he told media.
“Not only are all three nations filled with quality, but they also provide a difference in playing style and approach with the three-match days aiming to mirror tournament group play to the best of our ability.”
“As a team, we love playing at home and the Cup of Nations will provide that opportunity to fully experience the ‘12th player’ support from Australia.”
Do the Matildas play any other games before the World Cup?
There are no other games locked in for the Matildas in between the Cup of Nations and the World Cup, which starts on July 20.
There are murmurs that the World Cup hosts will sneak in a friendly in Melbourne, in the small window available, before the major tournament gets underway. The Matildas are considered a strong contender win football’s grand prize, so the group will do everything to maximise and fine tune its preparation.
When is the Matildas’ first World Cup match?
The Aussies will launch the FIFA World Cup on the 20th of July, playing host to the Republic of Ireland. Due to popular ticketing demand, the match was recently moved to Stadium Australia in Homebush, a much larger 83,500-seat venue. It’s expected to be a sellout.
