Cup of Nations: Matildas’ dress rehearsal for World Cup begins, while Football Australia targets new generation of fans

The biggest era in Matildas history starts now. ADAM PEACOCK analyses what success really looks like for Tony Gustavsson‘s squad.

Matildas’ coach Tony Gustavsson is ready to put his best team forward as the Cup of Nations gets underway in Gosford. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

The Matildas are back in town, ready for the ultimate dress rehearsal, ahead of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity later this year: a World Cup on home soil.

Accordingly, the three games in the next week against Czech Republic, Spain and Jamaica aren’t merely friendlies. They are, for some squad members, an audition for World Cup selection and must-win games for a team once more on the incline.

Tony Gustavsson, the coach, knows Sam Kerr and her talented squad of teammates haven’t come home to catch some late summer rays and is intent to build on how 2022 ended, with four straight victories, the best winning streak of his two-year tenure.

“Everything we do now is like a World Cup rehearsal,” he says.

The Matildas’ three games will be played over just six days, a truncated version of the World Cup schedule which will entail three games in 11 days.

The Matildas have touched down in Sydney ahead of the Cup of Nations. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

The training sessions, the opposition analysis, the pre-game speeches: all will strike a strong resemblance to what the squad will experience in July for the real thing.

Results matter, too. The basis for complete Matildas performances leans heavily on an attacking mindset. That’s where the strength is: Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Mary Fowler.

But what if the World Cup is won off the back of crunching teams with counter attacking football? Defend a lot, whack them on the break. Would Gustavsson cop that this week, in the Cup of Nations dress rehearsal?

“I’ve said it before, tactical flexibility is key for us,” Gustavsson says.

The Matildas’ will be heavily reliant on their attacking force. Picture:

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There is, of course, more at stake for Australian football this week than a winning national team.

Look around the crowds in Gosford, Sydney and Newcastle over the next week. The stands will be full of young women and girls; a fanbase every Australian professional sport covets but the Matildas have proven especially adept at cultivating.

The impact of the Matildas reaches far beyond the scoreboard.

Commercial interest continues to grow. As part of its suite of sponsors, Football Australia has four blue chip companies solely attached to the women’s game. And not just the Matildas. The partnerships reach down into the grassroots and development areas. More are on the horizon.

This Cup of Nations tournament comes at a time when girls are signing up in droves to spend a winter playing football. Kerr on screens in prime time at the same time registrations are open is priceless for the game.

The Matildas have become one of the nations best loved sporting teams. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Plus, the Matildas are about to hit televisions around the world through a Disney documentary. Filming wrapped up last year, and the finished product is ready to hit screens alongside ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ in April.

Disney’s series about the downtrodden Welsh club being taken over by Hollywood types Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has drawn a whole new fan base to the club.

Football Australia is banking on the same for the Matildas.

Next week, another big batch of tickets go on sale for the Matildas’ first World Cup game against Ireland on July 21, shifted from the 45,000 seater Allianz Stadium to the west of Sydney, and the 80,000 seater Accor Stadium. Those seats will go quicker than patience in a preschool, regardless of the results in these three games against Czech Republic, Spain and Jamaica.

It’s Gustavsson’s job to harness this while building a successful playing group.

“I feel the support and belief,” Gustavsson says of the growing expectation. “You see a lot of attention, a lot of interest, a lot of connection to the Matildas now. You can start feeling the World Cup vibe, and this will be a taste of it.”

The Matildas are expected to smash their current attendance record of 36,109 with the World Cup opener. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

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On the pitch, the Matildas face an issue in that seven members of the 25-player squad are coming off zero game time in the last three months, with Scandinavian leagues yet to start for 2023.

And of the players involved regularly, mid-season in England, some will be on limited game time for the first game on Thursday in Gosford against Czech Republic.

Gustavsson says three players won’t be involved at all. Which three? Gustavsson smiled, and said nothing. Even the press conference, with Sydney Harbour as a stunning backdrop, was a dress rehearsal in keeping secrets before big games.

Those issues are minor in comparison to their Cup of Nations opponents. Czech Republic missed out on the World Cup. Invited to the rehearsal but not the wedding. Not ideal.

Jamaica are without their world class striker, Khadija Shaw. A shame, given the last Jamaica superstar to play in Gosford, Usain Bolt, didn’t quite cut it.

And Spain. Do they have some issues. Once more, 15 of their best players have been omitted, in dispute with the Spanish Federation after they raised concerns last year about the methods of coach Jorge Vilda.

Vilda has high expectations of his team as they approach the July World Cup. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Vilda survived and has made the trip.

The dissidents haven’t.

Fronting the media, Vilda wasn’t in the mood to elaborate, labelling a legitimate question as to why the best Spanish team isn’t here as “disrespectful”.

Gustavsson doesn’t have any such issues.

His best players are back on home soil, ready, willing, and just about able.

Originally published as Cup of Nations: Matildas’ dress rehearsal for World Cup begins, while Football Australia targets new generation of fans