The excitement and nerves are palpable. The Matildas have reached the FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-finals, and tonight they’ll take on England in a do or die match that will determine whether Australia reaches the final.
Getting to the semi-finals in itself is a massive achievement for the Matildas – it’s the first time Australia has ever made it this far in a FIFA World Cup.
Tonight will be the biggest night in the careers of the Matildas, and while we’d all love to see them come away with a win – it’s really worth recognising all the firsts and records they’ve managed to achieve already in the tournament. They’ve made Australia so proud, and brought us all together in a way that sport has never done before.
Here’s a look at some of the key milestones the Matildas have already achieved this World Cup.
The most watched sporting event in Australia in 18 years
The Matildas quarter-final win over France with its nail-biting penality shootout finish was the most watched sporting event in Australia in over a decade. It was also the most watched program on Australian television all year.
An audience of 4.2 million tuned in to watch the game, and social media was ablaze with Matildas content, as Australia held its collective breath during the longest penalty shootout in World Cup history.
Seven’s broadcast deal labelled the “deal of the century”
The Matildas delivered Channel Seven the broadcast deal of the century, veteran media analyst Steve Allen has claimed. The Australian has reported Seven paid just $4 million to sub-licence 15 World Cup games (including all of the Matildas’ games) from Optus. With unprecedented audience numbers, the deal is paying off like nothing else for Seven – they even made the call to delay the flagship 6pm news on Saturday.
Before the World Cup I wondered whether Seven would put the Matilda’s on the main channel over the AFL? Well Seven have just said they’re putting the Matilda’s on the main channel, pushing back THE NEWS.
— Georgie Parker (@georgieparker) August 9, 2023
Unprecedented.
The news is the anchor of every network. Huge.
Katrina Gorry has covered nearly 60km since the start of the World Cup
A workhorse like no other, Matildas midfielder Katrina Gorry has covered more metres that any other player in the World Cup. She’s clocked up a massive 57. 68km over the course of the tournament, proving herself vital to the success of the Matildas so far.
She’s done it all despite dealing with some very real grief – her fiancee’s father passed away just days before the quarter-final. When Gorry successfully kicked her goal during the penalty shootout, she rocked her arms and pointed to the sky, paying tribute to both her two-year-old daughter and her fiancee’s father.
First women’s team to reach over 500,000 followers on Instagram
If any more proof was needed that everyone is getting around the Matildas, a quick look at the team’s Instagram page can confirm the love. The Matildas now have over 500,000 followers (527,000 to be exact0 on the social media app. It’s the most amount of followers of any female sporting team in Australia. In less than a week, their follower count grew by over 200,000 followers, including 50,000+ followers during penalty shoot-outs.
The only other national team with more followers is the men’s Australian cricket team.
Most attened women’s football match in Australian history
The Round of 16 match between Australia and Denmark at Stadium Australia in Sydney on August 7 broke a record for the most attended women’s football match in Australia. The official crowd figure for the match was 75,784 (the FIFA-sanctioned capacity), however unofficial figures point to it being slightly higher. Before that, the Matildas’ World Cup opener against Ireland broke a record too.
The team called out FIFA over unequal prize money
The Matildas have also been making us proud off the field, using their collective power before the World Cup to call out FIFA for its unequal prize money for women. Organised in partnership with their union, Professional Footballers Australia, a video featured each of the 23 women selected in Australia’s World Cup team, calling for better pay and conditions for women in football at all levels of the game.
“We know that with the privilege of being a Matilda comes enormous responsibility,” they said in the video.
“We’ll do everything we can to make the country proud when we take the field. And also to leave the shirt in a better place for those who follow in our footsteps. This is our legacy.”