We’re less than a month away from the Westfield Matildas taking their next step towards qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Ante Milicic named his squad on Wednesday which will head to China in February with one thing in mind, progressing to the final round of Olympic qualification in March.
The revamped qualifying format means there is little margin for error for the Westfield Matildas, and should ensure some thrilling football against some of Asia’s strongest nations.
Ahead of the group stage in China next month, we break down all you need to know for Australia’s to book their spot at this year’s Olympics.
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When is it on?
The third round of qualifying will be held over six days, with the Westfield Matildas to play three matches from February 3-9.
If the Westfield Matildas advance to the final phase of qualifying, the two-legged home-and-away ties will be played on March 6 and March 11.
Where is it on?
The Westfield Matildas are in Group B which is based in China.
All three of Australia’s games are being played at the 30,000-seater Dongxihu Sports Centre in Wuhan.
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Who are we playing?
Ante Milicic’s side – ranked 7th in the world - open the group stage with a clash against world no.7 Chinese Taipei on February 3, before backing up three days later against Thailand (ranked 38).
The final group match is against host-nation China (ranked 15th in the world) on February 9.
Monday, 3 February 2020, 7pm AEDT
Westfield Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Dongxihu Sports Centre, Wuhan
Thursday, 6 February 2020, 7pm AEDT
Thailand v Westfield Matildas
Dongxihu Sports Centre, Wuhan
Sunday, 9 February 2020, 10.30pm AEDT
Westfield Matildas v China
Dongxihu Sports Centre, Wuhan
How to watch?
Details of ways to watch the Westfield Matildas will be released closer to the tournament.
You can also keep up to date with all the news and match action on www.matildas.com.au.
Also follow the Westfield Matildas on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as we provide behind-the-scenes coverage of the squad at the tournament.
Who’s in the other group?
Group A for the third round of qualifying features Korea Republic, Vietnam, Myanmar and DPR Korea.
All their group games are being played in South Korea and on the same dates as the Westfield Matildas’ matches.
What do we need to do to qualify for the Olympic Games?
The start of the third round of qualifying marks the start of a huge month for the Westfield Matildas.
To book their spot at the 2020 Olympics, Australia must first finish in the top-two of Group B to advance to the final play-off round.
Depending in which position the Westfield Matildas finish in the group stage, they will face either the winner or runner-up of Group A over two legs with the winner to punch their ticket to Tokyo.
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