With just over six months to go until the 2023 Women's World Cup kicks off, the Matildas will begin their final preparations by hosting Spain, the Czech Republic, and Jamaica in a friendly Cup Of Nations tournament during the February international window.
Three locations in New South Wales — Gosford, Sydney, and Newcastle — have been chosen to host three double-headers between the competing teams.
The first set of games will take place at Central Coast Stadium on Thursday February 16, with the second — including a blockbuster clash between Australia and Spain — kicking off at Parramatta Stadium in Sydney on Sunday the 19th.
The tournament will then conclude in Newcastle on Wednesday February 22, with the highest-placed nation crowned the Cup of Nations champion.
It has been some time since Australia competed in this type of friendly format, with their last appearance coming in the inaugural Cup of Nations tournament in 2019, which they won after defeating New Zealand, South Korea, and Argentina.
That tournament was shared between Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, and attracted a total of just over 24,000 fans, though that number is likely to be far higher as the team returns home on a run of good form and as World Cup hype begins to build.
Australia come into this tournament off the back of four straight wins — their longest streak so far under head coach Tony Gustavsson — including their biggest-ever victory over a top-five-ranked opponent after defeating Olympic silver medallists Sweden 4-0 back in November.
They are likely to face a similarly strong test in a "golden generation" Spanish side that pushed England's Lionesses all the way to extra time in the quarterfinal of last year's Women's European Championships (a tournament that England would go on to win), and which showed their might in a 7-0 demolition of an under-strength Matildas team back in June.
"Spain, Czechia [the Czech Republic] and Jamaica have been carefully selected for the Cup of Nations to ensure we have the right preparation heading into the Women's World Cup," Gustavsson said.
"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."
Spain will likely still be without their captain and two-time Ballon D'Or winner Alexia Putellas, who ruptured her ACL on the eve of the Euros, as well as a handful of other senior players who remain retired from the national team due to a dispute with their head coach and governing body.
Australia's history against the tournament's other two competing nations, though, makes for better reading.
The Matildas last played Jamaica in the group stage of the 2019 Women's World Cup, coming away 4-1 winners after Sam Kerr became the first Australian to score four goals in a single World Cup match, while Australia also defeated the Czech Republic 6-2 in their first and only clash back in 2015.
Meanwhile, across the ditch in New Zealand, the final three spots in the 32-team Women's World Cup will be decided with an inter-confederation play-off tournament during the same February window in Hamilton and Auckland, both of which will host World Cup group games.
Cameroon, Thailand, Portugal, Senegal, Haiti, Chile, Taiwan, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, and Panama will compete in three play-off groups from February 18–23, with the winners of each group going through to July's finals.
Co-hosts New Zealand and Argentina will also play friendlies against participating teams as part of the event.
Similar friendly tournaments to the Cup of Nations — including the SheBelieves Cup between the USA, Brazil, Canada and Japan, and the Arnold Clark Cup between England, Italy, South Korea and Belgium — will all take place during the February window as World Cup-bound sides fine-tune the squads likely to appear Down Under in six months' time.
Two friendly windows remain following the Cup Of Nations, one in early April and the other in early July respectively, with Australia expected to play one series overseas and the second at home ahead of the World Cup's start on July 20.
