If the Matildas want to win the Women’s World Cup for the first time, they will have to do it the hard way.
Australia, co-hosting with New Zealand, enter the tournament with genuine hopes of becoming only the second team after the USA in 1999 to win the trophy on home soil.
The Matildas open their campaign against Ireland in Sydney on Thursday night, before taking on Nigeria in Brisbane next week and finishing the group stage in Melbourne against reigning Olympic champions Canada.
Reigning European champions England could be next in the Round of 16 if Australia finished second in Group B, with a possible clash against one of Brazil, France and Germany looming in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
If you make it through all that, the defending champion USA could wait for August 20 in the finals in Sydney.
Here, Mail sports breaks down the Matildas’ possible path to the finals.
The Matildas face a tough road to the 2023 Women’s World Cup final
Group stage
Australia will open their World Cup campaign at home against the Republic of Ireland in a sold-out Stadium Australia on Thursday night.
Ranked 22nd in the world, the Girls in Green are World Cup debutants but impressed in the qualifying phase by finishing second behind Olympic champions Sweden in their group.
Defensive solidity was key for Ireland, who kept seven clean sheets until April, but goals proved difficult to come by against better sides.
It’s Nigeria’s turn in Brisbane on July 27. The Super Falcons are ranked 40th in the world and finished fourth in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations last year.
Nigeria has largely dominated the tournament for decades and faces an uphill battle to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup just as it did four years ago.
Australia’s final group game against reigning Olympic champions Canada on July 31 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium should be a much tougher test for the Matildas.
Bev Priestman’s team is one of the favorites to go all the way to Australia and will enjoy the tag as they desperately look to deliver the fairytale star duo of Sophie Schmidt and Christine Sinclair they deserve.
Round of 16
Should Australia win Group B, they will play on August 7 in Sydney against the number two of Group D, which consists of England, Denmark, Haiti and China.
A second-place finish in their group sees the Matildas take on the Group D winners in Brisbane on August 7.
The preparation of The Lionesses has been disrupted by numerous injuries to key players.
Euro 2021 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead captain Leah Williamson and offensive playmaker Fran Kirby will all miss the World Cup due to injuries.
Record scorer Ellen White and veteran midfielder Jill Scott have since retired, but the reigning European champion should still have enough to finish top of the group.
Reigning European champions and Finalissima winners England could face Australia in the Round of 16 if the Matildas finish second in their group
That leaves, at least in theory, Haiti, Denmark and China battling for last spot.
Haiti made history by initially qualifying for the tournament, matching the men’s achievement of reaching the 1974 World Cup, but it would be a big surprise if the world number 53 reached the knockout stage.
China has reached the knockout stages in every World Cup edition except 2011, but is no longer the powerhouse of women’s football as it was at the turn of the century.
On the other hand, the Steel Roses arrive in Australia after winning the Asian Cup last year and are ranked 14th in the world. As always, their hopes will rest on the shoulder of stylish attacking midfielder Wang Shuang.
Pernille Harder will take on Denmark’s hopes of a successful World Cup
Denmark is one spot above China and is back at the World Cup for the first time since 2007 and has benefited from the expansion of the tournament.
With Pernille Harder, the Danes have one of the best players in the world, but the new addition from Bayern Munich is only fit again after an injury in the spring.
Impressive victories over Norway, Japan and Sweden this year have shown that the Danes can compete with the very best.
Quarterfinals
Should the Matildas win Group B and reach the quarter-finals, they will face the Group F winner or Group H runners-up in Brisbane.
A team from both groups will wait in Sydney, should Australia progress to the quarter-finals after finishing second in Group B.
Group F includes France, Jamaica, Panama and Brazil, while Group H includes Germany, Morocco, Colombia and South Korea.
France and Brazil are the overwhelming favorites to progress past the former, while it would be a big surprise not to see Germany in the knockout stages. Outside of them, though, it’s all about playing for between the other three teams.
The Matildas beat France in a friendly last week and could face them again in the quarter-finals
One of only three teams to make it through the qualifying stage undefeated, France has reached at least the quarter-finals in the last three World Cups and will aim to do the same.
However, losing to the Matildas in a friendly last week bodes well for Australia should they face the world number 5 again.
Brazil, meanwhile, is coming into the World Cup, still looking for their first victory, but full of optimism after winning the Copa America without losing a game and impressing against England and Germany this year.
The latter is undoubtedly one of the favorites to win the World Cup on August 20 after losing to England in the Euro 2022 final.
Brazil, last year’s Copa America winner, lurks as a threat in the quarter-finals
Germany is ranked second in the world and has an array of stars headlined by Alexandra Popp and a crop of talented youngsters such as Jule Brand and Lena Oberdorf who are already perfectly comfortable on the biggest stage of them all.
A likely round 16 duel against France or Brazil should provide a clearer indication of whether Germany can win the World Cup for the first time since 2007.
Semi-finals
Reaching the semi-finals would be uncharted territory for the Matildas, who have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at the World Cup.
Should Australia reach the last four after winning Group B, they could face runners-up from their own group, likely Canada, or one of a trio likely to include Germany, France or Brazil.
Reigning champion USA could await the Matildas in the finals on August 20
England or Denmark could also be lurking if they finish second in Group D.
The same teams are likely to be in the picture should Australia make the semi-finals after finishing second in Group B.
Last
The Matildas aren’t looking that far ahead, but defending champion USA could also stand in the way of a maiden World Cup win on August 20 if Australia make the final.
And don’t rule out world number 3 Sweden or number 6 Spain either.