In a few hours, the Matildas will round off a successful pair of matches against Uzbekistan with a convincing win and be qualified for the summer Olympics in France come July.
The long road will finally have been navigated and frankly, it has not been particularly arduous for a team that is flowing with confidence and looking like a serious medal contender.
It is a curious approach to organising a football tournament that the International Olympic Committee takes. Just 12 teams will compete for the three medals on offer and based on the absence of some heavyweights of the European game, the majority of the countries involved will believe they are serious chances of mounting the dais.
There will be no Sweden, England, Norway or Denmark, with the French and Spaniards set to represent the home of football in Paris, along with the winner of the play-off between Netherlands and Germany that will decide the second European spot.
South America will be riding the hopes of Brazil and Colombia, the United States and Canada are logical qualifiers from CONCACAF and New Zealand would have needed to completely implode during qualifying in order to lose their spot as the team set to represent the OFC.
That leaves just two spots to be decided in Asia, as well as two from Africa, where eight teams are currently involved in third-round qualifying action.
Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa will likely battle for those positions.
Australia are locks for one of the Asian spots and will not make a meal of things tonight. Japan and North Korea will fight to secure the second spot.
It sets up an intriguing proposition for the Matildas, especially considering their fourth-placed finish at the World Cup on home soil last August.
Running on eye across the teams already qualified and those likely to do so, only Spain and the USA would strike any fear at all in the minds of the Matildas.
Australians as a collective would feel confident in matching it with the Kiwis, Canadians, Brazilians and Colombians. The epic battle with the French in Sydney during the World Cup showed just how closely matched the two teams are and even coach Tony Gustavsson would expect to enter matches against Japan and the potential African opponents as favourites.
Nigeria would be the obvious threat, yet the Matildas’ poor loss to them at the World Cup requires the context of the 65 per cent possession earned by the Australians and the 28 shots at goal that, on the majority of days, would have resulted in victory.
All credit to the rampant and emotional Nigerians, yet something tells me the Matildas might be more than ready for the Africans next time around.
Should Spain and/or the USA strike a bump in the road during the tournament, or be forced to play each other earlier than most would expect, the draw will open right up for the Matildas, just as it did during the World Cup.
Thoughts of a minor medal should not be limiting the Australians. With such a small field and the notable exceptions that seriously bring into question the entire exercise, the Matildas should be eying history.
What a gold medal for football at the Summer Olympics would mean for Australia is simply immeasurable.
Amidst false dawns, moments of hope and a long exile from World Cup competition, the Socceroos took the nation along with them on the journey over the last 100 years.
Australians cheer for them as loudly as ever and continue to hope that one day, one day, there will be a moment where the emotional investment pays off on the world stage.
Not much inspires the nation like a run deep into the World Cup knockout phase, something the Socceroos were on the cusp of achieving in Qatar.
Then, along came the Matildas and showed us all exactly what that looks like, as they fell within a match of the World Cup Final last August.
With taliswoman Sam Kerr set to be in the stands and cheering on the team she has at times carried on her shoulders, Steph Catley will lead the women to Paris. Frankly, her captaincy, poise, grace and professionalism appear unparalleled in the squad and the team looks better under her captaincy than Kerr’s.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Catley is a cooler customer than Kerr, in a better position to see the shape of the game unfolding from her spot at left back and the manner in which the team responded to her presence and leadership in Australia during the World Cup did not go unnoticed.
The 2024 women’s football tournament at the Olympics lacks depth. There are strong teams, but plenty the Aussies should be able to navigate past.
That opens up the chances of a medal and the woman leading the Matildas will be the popular Catley, for whom her chargers appear willing to run through a wall.
It all sets up an opportunity for Australian football history, on the back of what was created in 2023. What it would mean for the domestic game is hard to fathom.
Perhaps we should just get past Uzbekistan, head to Paris and win the damn thing. We can work out the legacy stuff a little later on.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
I hope Aussies do well at OG, but doubt they can win
Grem
Roar Rookie
What’s the FFA? Is that like the NNRL, the AAFL and RRA?
mwm
Roar Pro
Isn't Suncorp and Lang Park the same place? ...so that would be one. Also Sydney have many "almost" 20,000 stadiums like Jubilee, Belmore, Leichardt, Shark Park, whatever Penrith's stadium is called etc and they can't be filled. You have buckleys of getting a "soccer specific" stadium unless FFA pay to have it built.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
If the proposed new stadium and available to whoever wants it then it should be reconfigurable to a rectangle to cater for rectangular field sports but it isn't. Why? It's because it's a stadium for AFL, that's why. They will get primary tenancy and maybe even rent free, something which has already happened elsewhere.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
oh really, that's awesome!!!. And one day someone who's kids play football, and their position is TV exec is going to pull the plug on backyard sports and say hey, 'the supporter base is dwindling with the disappearance of Boomers and Gen X, and football has so many participants and supporters, so lets put our tv dollar into football. And at that point Eddie McGuire breaks down and cries.
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Pretty sure the proposed new stadium will be a state owned asset available to whoever wants it, including an A League team. And community level sport has no need for large stadiums, so that doesn't justify the expense of construction. Nor even the promise given the likelihood that any A League licence will not be community owned and actually held by an ultra rich entrepreneur. Governments shouldn't be subsidising the rich.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
Maybe you need English lessons because I think your reading comprehension skills are a tad on the weak side. I'll elaborate so you can understand. Firstly, this stadium/facility will not be used only by a private Aleague club, it will be part of the "Home for Football" so it will be used all year round by the entire football community, including the NPL and potentially an NSD team. Secondly, as I said, the government only needs to COMMIT to building a 10-15k stadium on the proviso an Aleague licence is issued to Tasmania. Otherwise it can be something like the 5k capacity Western United Training Centre. Thirdly, what's this rubbish about "massive". A 10-15K stadium is not "massive" and can be built for as little as $40million. There are plenty of examples of designs to build small cheap boutique stadia. 4) Also, there has been plenty of government money used to fund facilities for private entities. The latest in a long list is Ballymore owned by the ARU. 5) Lastly, you've conveniently ignored the last part of my previous post regarding the huge amount of money they are spending on renovating existing and building a new oval stadium for two sports. How do you justify that?
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Make a commitment for a community owned A League team and maybe you'll get some buy in from the government. That you expect the government to pay for a facility - a massive one that probably would never be filled at that - without even a team to play there is the height of insanity.
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
They don't have a pro team because they don't have a rectangular stadium or at least the commitment to build one. It doesn't need all the bells and whistles except probably a roof. I would even say a basic 10-15k capacity with a roof all round would be ideal and can be done pretty cheaply. They don't have a pro AFL team either but they have two stadia there already. Not to mention they now want to build a third one for some astronomical amount AND spend millions more on upgrading one of the existing ones.
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Why on earth do they need a 15k capacity venue in Tasmania? They don't even have a professional team, let alone one capable of drawing crowds like that. And even if they were to get one it's likely to be privately owned, not community owned.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I knew about this sort of thing well before that story and I also witnessed what I thought were actual blokes playing with suspicious levels of 5 oclock shadow. These were in obscure matches no watches in any case in the late 2000's early 2010's. I have read an interesting account on the African but never watched any of their womens matches in the championship. Its like age cheating in the mens. Unlike the womens I have seen endless age cheating in youth tournaments but when you talk about the balding u20s players in Asia no one takes notice.
Blink
Roar Rookie
Poor old brainless trust. Jumping on a passing bandwagon.
mrl
Roar Rookie
Brilliant…Hey, I’m supposed to be the funny guy!!
Grem
Roar Rookie
Can you send me a link? That sounds like a must read.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
His comment (that's all it is) includes an expansion of Suncorp and reduction to Gabba (to covered arena). He's not involved in the review so I'm not sure why a bundle of football fans are tearing their hair out. Personally, I think it's positive, unlike the comment by Mr Olympics John Coates who advocated expanding Suncorp and nil other, or Mr Sport Keiran Perkins who advocated building new facilities in Canberra. It advocates world class facilities and inner city. I see that as positive. No way will we end up with two 50K venues, won't happen.
c
Roar Rookie
It's a bloody disgrace :football: can't anyone do anything about it been happening for years
mrl
Roar Rookie
In Adelaide the main sports story was some player for the crows who has a toe infection???
Grem
Roar Rookie
Another 50k stadium? You’d wonder why. You already have two - Suncorp and Lang Park? In Sydney/Parramatta we have an 80k, 50k and 30k - that seems to be a good variety although a nice football specific 20k stadium would be a nice addition.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
In Brisbane news today, a respected public site manager (of South Bank) declared that Brisbane needs a second 50 k seat stadium and that they should build world-class facilities in the inner-city precinct with Olympics infrastructure, and expand Suncorp. Mayor and Premier rejected the site he suggested but didn’t say much otherwise. Probably means nothing but it is another (important) voice throwing a second rectangular stadium into the conversation, that’s a good thing. Football doesn’t need 50k, but the idea of going for inner city, world class, rectangular, that’s the type of conversation we need to be having as we resolve Olympics 32 venues.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
Stuart, it rates as one of the best WC matches ever and the number in attendances grows every day, like that Roar-Mariners grand final some years ago at the same venue. I attended the WC qrtr-final with a bunch of family and friends, one AFL supporter and some visiting from UK. We were late so drove to the stadium instead of bus, parked for $15 across the road, waltzed in, saw a fabulous match with an equally fabulous crowd. The afl supporter in particular but all, were blown away, completely, not just by the match and the penalty shoot out and Cortney Vine’s pen, but the whole stadium experience. They all said by far, best ever stadium experience, and they’re regular attendees at various stadiums and codes.