The Matildas will warm up for their tilt at next year’s World Cup with a four-team tournament to be held on home soil in February and March. Alen Stajcic’s side will be joined at the inaugural Cup of Nations by fellow World Cup finalists Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand for three double headers at Jubilee Stadium in Sydney, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and AAMI Park in Melbourne.
The six-match competition, inspired by the successful Tournament of Nations held in the US for the past two years, will give the Australian football public a chance to bid farewell to the team before they head to France for the World Cup beginning on 7 June.
“We’ve been working towards hosting a four-nation tournament in Australia for some time and it’s great to finally unveil what we plan on becoming a regular feature of the Australian sporting calendar,” Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop said. “All four sides will be aiming for success at the World Cup, and we expect the quality of the six matches to be world-class.”
The tournament opens on February 28 in Kogarah where Argentina play South Korea before Australia meet their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in a game that marks 40 years since the Matildas played their first A international – against New Zealand at Sutherland in 1979. Gallop said the anniversary would make it a “special occasion for the first generation of Matildas who made the sacrifices and laid the foundations for success the team enjoys today”.
Stajcic will get another chance to run the rule over his players in Brisbane three days later when Korea provide the opposition – the first time the Matildas have played in Queensland’s capital since 2014. AAMI Park in Melbourne hosts the final matchday on 6 March.
“Korea Republic, Argentina, and New Zealand will each offer different challenges for our side which will be fantastic preparation for our group leading up to the tests that await in France,” Stajcic said. “With a match against the United States also set down for April, we are starting to build out a strong schedule for the Matildas in the lead up to the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Stajcic has just returned from Paris after attending the World Cup draw, which pitted the world No 6 side in Group C with Italy, Brazil and Jamaica.
