Watch FIFA World Cup finale live, Matildas vs Sweden Brisbane playoff
There are calls for the Matildas to be given ‘the keys to Caxton Street’ in honour of the team’s incredible impact on Brisbane during the World Cup.
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Football fans will again be able to watch the Matildas from a live site at Riverstage for Saturday night’s FIFA women’s World Cup finale against Sweden.
The live site confirmation comes as there are calls for the Matildas to be given “the keys to Caxton Street” in honour of their incredible impact on the city of Brisbane during the World Cup.
After their heartbreaking loss to England in Wednesday night’s FIFA women’s World Cup in Sydney, the Matildas will return to their tournament base camp in Brisbane for one last hurrah – Saturday’s third place playoff.
A large crowd greeted the Matildas when they arrived back in Brisbane on Thursday afternoon.
Supporters cheered and clapped, with a Qantas kangaroo mascot even greeting the team, much the pleasure of midfielder Katrina Gorry and her daughter Harper.
It will be the Matildas’ third sold-out Brisbane match of the World Cup and comes seven days after sending the nation into delirium following an epic quarter-final win over France at the same venue.
In addition to the expanded live site at South Bank, Brisbane City Council will again run a screening at Riverstage, where thousands gathered on Wednesday night to watch the team’s heartbreaking loss to England.
There will again be food trucks and capacity for up to 9000 fans.
However, unlike Wednesday night, there will not be a screen at King George Square.
The huge crowds have had Caxton Street heaving in a multimillion-dollar windfall for the precinct and Caxton Street Development Association boss Sarosh Mehta said the Matildas deserved a debt of thanks.
“I’d like to see them presented with the keys to Caxton Street,” he said.
“They have done so much for the city and in particular the area around the stadium has been absolutely electric on any days that the Matildas have been playing.
“We have State of Origin and the Broncos and now the Dolphins, but we’ve never had anything like this before.
“The Matildas have been amazing for Caxton Street and not only them, but the whole World Cup, it has been magnificent.”
Often the poor cousin to Sydney and Melbourne during major sporting events, Brisbane has reaped the benefits of an incredible World Cup schedule, with Saturday’s game the city’s eighth match of the tournament and the fifth to be sold out.
More than 300,000 have attended the first seven, with more than 49,000 to cram into Suncorp again on Saturday.
The matches have been so popular that tourism officials have already revised a pre-tournament estimate that the World Cup would generate $30 million for the local economy.
The final value is expected to be more than double that figure.
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Originally published as Watch FIFA World Cup finale live, Matildas vs Sweden Brisbane playoff
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