WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Australia play their biggest match ever as they face England
The Stadium Australia is expected to be packed on Wednesday as joint hosts, Australia face England in the second FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 semi-final. It is a clash of hosts against European champions.
This will be Australia’s first semi-final appearance at a FIFA Women’s World Cup, after they bowed out at the quarter-final stage in three of their previous campaigns (2007, 2011 and 2015).
In reaching the last four, the Matildas became only the second nation to have made it through to the FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-finals as hosts, after the USA, who were winners in 1999 and finished third in 2003. Tony Gustavsson’s charges will have a golden opportunity to make yet more history if they manage to overcome England in this one.
England have reached the semi-finals for the third consecutive edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Led by Sarina Wiegman – the only female coach left in the competition – the Lionesses overcame a valiant Colombia side in the last eight and will be going all out to secure their spot in a second successive major tournament final, after lifting the EURO crown on home soil in 2022.
LAST MEETING:
- 11/04/2023, England 0-2 Australia, friendly, Brentford Community Stadium, Brentford (England)
KEY FACTS
This will be a 32nd FIFA Women’s World Cup fixture for both nations. Australia’s record at the finals reads: Won: 10, Drawn: 7, Lost: 14, while England’s is: Won: 19, Drawn: 5, Lost: 7.
This will be the teams’ first FIFA Women’s World Cup meeting. England will be Australia’s 17th different opponent in the competition, while the Lionesses will be facing their 18th different opponent.
Australia are the third Asian Football Confederation (AFC) representatives to feature in the semi-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, after China PR (1995, 1999) and Japan (2011, 2015).
The AFC teams’ record in the FIFA Women’s World Cup last four reads: Won 3, Lost 1.
Sides from the region have emerged victorious in each of their last three matches at this stage of the tournament, since China PR lost to Germany at the 1995 edition.
Australia have scored 47 goals in FIFA Women’s World Cup history and are therefore three shy of the 50 goal landmark.
Australia’s 31 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches have yielded a total of 100 goals (Goals For: 47, Goals Against: 53).
Australia’s nine-goal haul at this year’s finals has equalled their previous highest tally in a single edition of the tournament, which they recorded at the 2007 and 2019 instalments.
England have won 10 and drawn one of their last 13 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches (Won:10, Drawn 1, Lost 2).
The Lionesses have prevailed in three and drawn one of their five FIFA Women’s World Cup outings against AFC opposition (Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 1).
England’s highest goals tally at a FIFA Women’s World Cup final competition is 13 (2019). They have found the net ten times so far at these finals.
England’s goalless stalemate against Nigeria in the round of 16 is the only occasion in their last 18 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches in which they have failed to score.
When she scored in the quarter-finals, Lauren Hemp (23y 5d) became the youngest England player to have netted in a FIFA Women’s World Cup knockout-stage match, claiming the record from her team mate Lucy Bronze, who was aged 23 years and 237 days when she was on target in the round of 16 meeting against Norway at the 2015 tournament.
AUSTRALIA TEAM FACTS
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TEAM RECORDS
- Overall record: Played: 31, Won: 10, Drawn: 7, Lost: 14, Goals For: 47, Goal Against: 53, Goals Difference: -6
- Biggest win: 4-0 Australia v. Canada (31/07/2023)
- Biggest defeat: 0-5Australia v. Denmark (06/06/1995)
- Highest scoring match: 6 goals – Australia 2-4 China PR (08/06/1995)
- Most goals scored in a match: 4 – Australia 4-1 Ghana (12/09/2007)/Australia 4-1 Jamaica (18/06/2019)/Australia 4-0 Canada (31/07/2023)
- Most goals conceded in a match: 5 – Australia 0-5 Denmark (06/06/1995)
- Most goals scored at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 9 – 2007, 2019 and 2023 (5 matches)
- Fewest goals scored at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 3 – 1995, 1999 and 2003 (3 matches) Most goals conceded at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 13 – 1995 (3 matches)
- Fewest goals conceded at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 3 – 2023 (5 matches)
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP STREAKS
- Successive wins: 2 (2011, 2019 and 2023)
- Successive defeats: 3 (1995 and 1999-2003)
- Successive draws: 2 (2007)
- Successive matches without a defeat: 4 (2019-2023)
- Successive matches without a win: 9 (1995-2003)
- Successive matches with a goal scored: 12 (1995-2007)
- Successive matches without scoring: 1 (four times, the last of which was 2023-present)
- Successive clean sheets: 3 (2023-present)
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP EXTRA-TIME MATCHES
- 22/06/2019 Australia 1-1 Norway (1-4 PSO) (round of 16)
- 12/08/2023 Australia 0-0 France (7-6 PSO) (quarter-finals)
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP PENALTY SHOOT-OUTS (Won 0, Lost; 1)
- 22/06/2019 Australia 1-4 Norway (PSO) (round of 16)
- 12/08/2023 Australia 7-6 France (PSO) (quarter-finals)
England team facts
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TEAM RECORDS
- Overall record: Played: 31,Won: 19, Drawn: 5, Lost: 7, Goals For: 53, Goals Against: 32, Goal Difference: 21
- Biggest win: 6-1England v. Argentina (17/09/2007)/6-1 England v. China PR (01/08/2023)
- Biggest defeat: 0-3 England v. Germany (13/06/1995)/0-3 England v. USA (22/09/2007)
- Highest scoring match: 7 goals – England 6-1 Argentina (17/09/2007)/England 6-1 China PR (01/08/2023)
- Most goals scored in a match: 6 – England 6-1 Argentina (17/09/2007)/England 6-1 China PR (01/08/2023)
- Most goals conceded in a match: 3 – England 0-3 Germany (13/06/1995)/England 0-3 USA (22/09/2007)
- Most goals scored at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 13 – 2019 (7 matches)
- Fewest goals scored at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 6 – 1995 and 2011 (4 matches)
- Most goals conceded at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 9 – 1995 (4 matches)
- Fewest goals conceded at a FIFA Women’s World Cup: 2 – 2023 (5 matches)
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP STREAKS
- Successive wins: 6 (2015-2019)
- Successive defeats: 2 (2019)
- Successive draws: 2 (2007)
- Successive matches without a defeat: 6 (2015-2019)
- Successive matches without a win: 3 (1995-2007)
- Successive matches with a goal scored: 16 (2015-2023)
- Successive matches without scoring: 1 (six times, the last of which was 2023-present)
- Successive clean sheets: 4 (2019)
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP EXTRA-TIME MATCHES
- 09/07/2011 England 1-1 France (3-4 PSO) (quarter-finals)
- 04/07/2015 England 1-0 Germany (match for third place)
- 07/08/2023 England 0-0 Nigeria (4-2 PSO) (round of 16)
FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP PENALTY SHOOT-OUTS (Won: 1, Lost 1)
- 09/07/2011 England 3-4 France (PSO) (quarter-finals)
- 07/08/2023 England 4-2 Nigeria (PSO) (round of 16)
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s Falconets have been handed a challenging but promising draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after they were placed in Group F alongside former champions Spain, China PR and debutants New Caledonia.
The draw for the 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was conducted in Lodz on Thursday, setting the stage for the tournament scheduled to run from 5 to 27 September across four Polish cities.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s most successful teams at the competition, will face a stern opening-round test against European powerhouse Spain, which won the title in Costa Rica in 2022. China PR also brings a considerable pedigree to the group, while New Caledonia will be making their maiden appearance at the global finals.
The Falconets will be hoping to improve on their performance at the last edition and rekindle memories of their best outings, when they reached the final in 2010 and 2014.
Hosts Poland headline Group A alongside Argentina, Benin and Mexico, while defending champions Korea DPR begin their title defence in Group E against Colombia, Costa Rica and Portugal.
Other intriguing group-stage fixtures include Brazil, England, Canada and Tanzania in Group B, while France, Korea Republic, Ghana and Ecuador make up Group C. Group D features former champions Japan and USA alongside New Zealand and Italy.
The full draw is as follows:
- Group A: Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Benin
- Group B: Brazil, England, Canada, Tanzania
- Group C: France, Korea Republic, Ghana, Ecuador
- Group D: Japan, USA, New Zealand, Italy
- Group E: Korea DPR, Colombia, Costa Rica, Portugal
- Group F: Spain, Nigeria, China PR, New Caledonia
The tournament will mark Poland’s first major global women’s football event, with matches to be played in Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Lodz and Sosnowiec.
Six nations — Benin, Ecuador, New Caledonia, Poland, Portugal and Tanzania — will make their debut appearances, while Korea DPR and the USA are both chasing a record fourth title.
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Nigeria’s Falconets will discover their opponents for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup when the official draw is conducted in Łódź, Poland, on May 15, as preparations intensify for another campaign on the global stage.
The draw ceremony, confirmed by football’s world governing body, FIFA, will take place in one of the tournament’s host cities and will be broadcast live worldwide on FIFA+, YouTube and TikTok.
Nigeria, one of the most successful nations in the history of the competition, heads into the draw with renewed ambition after securing qualification for the tournament, which will run from September 5 to 27 across the Polish cities of Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
The Falconets remain one of Africa’s strongest representatives at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having reached the final twice in the competition’s history. The Nigerian side will now await the outcome of the draw to know their group-stage opponents among the 24 qualified teams expected to battle for the title.
Former Polish international and current women’s national team coach Nina Patalon and French football legend Laura Georges will participate in the ceremony, underscoring the growing profile of women’s football globally.
Speaking ahead of the event, Patalon described the draw as a defining moment for both participating teams and supporters.
“The draw always brings a special sense of excitement, as it is the moment when the competition truly starts to feel real for both the teams and the fans,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of hosting the tournament in Poland, noting that it could inspire more young girls to embrace football and further accelerate the development of the women’s game in the country.
The 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is expected to showcase some of the brightest emerging talents in women’s football, with Nigeria’s Falconets aiming to make another strong impression on the world stage
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Alongside the USA and Brazil, Nigeria will head to Poland as one of only three nations to have appeared at every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
As of Saturday night, only Nigeria and Nigeria women’s national under-20 football team and Ghana women’s national under-20 football team have secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after overcoming Malawi and Uganda, respectively, in the final round of African qualifiers.
Nigeria maintained their remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the global tournament, joining the United States and Brazil as the only nations to achieve the feat.
The Falconets were pushed to the limit by Malawi in Lilongwe after carrying a 2-0 advantage from the first leg in Ikenne. Malawi made a dream start when Faith Chinzimu scored from a set-piece in the eighth minute to ignite hopes of a comeback.
Nigeria struggled to reproduce the dominance they displayed at home, and the tie swung dramatically in the hosts’ favour in the 57th minute when Chinzimu completed her brace after breaking down the left flank before calmly finishing past the Nigerian goalkeeper.
At 2-0 on the day, the aggregate score was level, and the Falconets were suddenly under severe pressure. However, Malawi captain Leticia Chinyamula made a costly error that allowed substitute Oscar Precious to seize possession, drive into the penalty area and fire home the decisive goal for Nigeria.
The strike restored Nigeria’s aggregate lead and effectively ended Malawi’s hopes, as the Falconets held on to secure passage to Poland despite the 2-1 defeat on the day.
Coach Moses Aduku’s side will now prepare for another appearance at the world finals, where Nigeria remain one of the competition’s most consistent teams.
Ghana also survived a tense encounter to qualify for their eighth consecutive FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The Black Princesses travelled to Kampala holding a narrow 2-1 first-leg advantage over Uganda. Still, the hosts drew level on aggregate through a moment of brilliance from Sylvia Kabene, whose powerful strike from the left wing flew into the top corner beyond goalkeeper Belinda Maku.
Combined with Agnes Nabukenya’s away goal in the first leg, Uganda briefly looked set to progress.
But Ghana responded strongly after the break despite being reduced to 10 players. Captain Linda Owusu Ansah proved the hero, curling a superb set-piece from near the corner flag directly into the far top corner to send the Black Princesses through.
While Nigeria will continue their ever-present run at the tournament, Ghana will be hoping to advance beyond the group stage for the first time in their history when the competition kicks off in September.
The remaining African qualification spots will be decided on Sunday when Tanzania face Cameroon, and Benin take on Côte d’Ivoire in the final return-leg matches.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026 will take place from September 5 to 27 across four host cities
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