England are just one win away from reaching the World Cup final – and an opportunity to follow last year’s Euros triumph with the biggest prize of all.
However, to make it they will have to overcome Australia, who have been one of the most impressive teams at the tournament.
Co-hosts Australia, ranked 10th in the world, have knocked out France and Denmark on their way to the semis and boast Sam Kerr, one of the world’s best players, among their ranks – though she is being eased back from injury.
The Lionesses, though, have been able to grind out victories even when they haven’t been at their best, and looked far more convincing in Saturday’s quarter-final win over Colombia.
The winners will face Spain in the final on Sunday – here’s everything you need to know ahead of the showpiece.
When is the Women’s World Cup final?
The World Cup final will be played on Sunday 20 August with kick-off at 11am BST. It takes place at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
There will be coverage on both the BBC and ITV, with the programme beginning at 10am on BBC One and 10.15am on ITV1. You will also be able to stream the match via BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website, and ITVX.
For the teams that do not make it through the semis, the third-place playoff will be a day earlier, on Saturday 19 August, kicking off at 9am BST.
That game will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, and shown on ITV.
Who will be in the World Cup final?
Spain secured their place in the final on Tuesday with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sweden.
Olga Carmona netted an 89th minute winner to send Spain to the Women’s World Cup final for the first time ever. Jorge Vilda’s side will meet either England or Australia, who will battle it out on Wednesday morning for a place in the final.
Extra-time was looming with the score at 0-0 after 80 minutes, but 19-year-old substitute Salma Paralluelo looked to have won it for Spain when she drilled home from close range with 81 minutes on the clock.
Sweden had created very few chances but hit back with two minutes remaining. The ball fell to Rebecka Blomqvist inside the area and she finished expertly, looking to have sent the game to an extra half-hour.
But Spain had other ideas. It only took them one minute to regain their lead, when Carmona received a short corner on the edge of the box and unleashed an effort too strong for Zecira Musovic’s hands.
When is England vs Australia?
England vs Australia is on Wednesday 16 August at Stadium Australia in Sydney, kicking off at 11am BST.
The game will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with the programme beginning at 10am.
Sarina Wiegman says that she will clue up on the sporting history of England and Australia ahead of their semi-final against the co-hosts, after admitting that she might have under-appreciated the intensity of the rivalry.
“I just think it’s going to be really big but now I’ve had a couple of questions about that so it’s probably going to be bigger than I imagined it was!” she said.
“I will speak to my players and staff to see what that rivalry is then. We have had such a warm welcome here and really enjoyed our time here in Australia. I actually really like the people here but that doesn’t mean there’s no rivalry so we will see on Wednesday.
“We know it’s an away game. Let’s try to turn it around as inspiration for us. We try to focus on our task, what we want to do and how we want to play. Of course we want to play our game and everyone has a task in and out of possession. That’s what we talk about – football.”
Australia goalkeeper Lydia Williams attempted to downplay the rivalry, telling reporters: “I think it’s just another game.”
She added: “At the end of the day we know how to shift focus to representing and performing. It’s a significant game, obviously we are in the semi-finals, but it’s just another opponent for us.”
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