Australia vs USA, Paris 2024 Olympics women’s football: Uphill task for Matildas - how to watch live
The Australian women’s football team will face the United States of America (USA) in its third and final Group B match at the Paris 2024 Olympics at the Marseille Stadium on Wednesday.
The Matildas vs USWNT Paris 2024 football match kicks off at 3:00 AM AEST on Thursday. Live streaming and broadcast of the match will be available in Australia.
Australia, currently 12th in the FIFA Rankings, enjoyed their best-ever Olympic campaign at Tokyo 2020 finishing fourth. However, the Matildas’ follow up act has been far from convincing.
Led by captain Steph Catley, Australia began their Paris 2024 campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Rio 2016 champions Germany and needed a late miracle to see off Zambia.
In fact, the Matildas were trailing world No. 64 Zambia 5-2 at the hour mark before the late turnaround.
While the performance in the last 30 minutes against Zambia will be a big confidence booster for Ellie Carpenter and Co., Australia will need to plug their leaky defence if they are to get anything out of the match against the USA.
The USWNT have won four of the seven women’s football Olympic gold medals to date and are four-time champions. The women’s football powerhouse was also responsible for denying the Matildas a bronze at Tokyo 2020.
Emma Hayes’ charges have also looked clinical at Paris 2024 so far. With a devastating front three in Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith, the USWNT brushed aside Zambia 3-0 in their opener before making light work of world No. 4 Germany by a 4-1 margin in their last encounter.
The United States women’s football team currently sits pretty at the top of the Group B table and will be looking to sustain the momentum heading into the quarter-finals.
Despite their dramatic win over Zambia, the Tony Gustavsson-coached Matildas still face the grim possibility of their first group stage exit from an Olympic women’s football tournament for the first time since Sydney 2000.
With the top two teams from each of the three groups and the two best third-placed teams making the top eight, a loss against the USA won’t necessarily knock Australia out of Paris 2024 but it will make their progression heavily reliant on results of other matches.
Even a point against the USA will considerably strengthen their hopes of progression.
Australia vs USA women’s football head-to-head record
However, it will be an uphill battle for the Matildas who have managed to win just one of their 34 meetings against the USA, who have won 28 of these. The other five have ended in draws, including their last meeting in November 2021 which ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
Australia’s lone win against USWNT came in 2018 in Seattle.
On the Olympic stage, it will be the two team’s fourth meeting. The two first met in the group stages at Athens 2004 with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.
Tokyo 2020 was the stage for their next two meetings with the first, the final match of the group stage, ending goalless before the USA trumped the Matildas 4-3 in the bronze medal match.
How to watch Matildas vs USA in Paris 2024 Olympics football live in Australia
Live streaming of the Australia vs USA Paris 2024 Olympics women’s football match will be available on 9Now and Stan. The Matildas vs USA Olympics match will be broadcast live on the Network Nine TV channel in Australia.