The Westfield Matildas’ preparations for the Rio Games have been bolstered with confirmation they will play an international match against 8th world ranked Brazil on 23 July in Fortaleza.
The match, which was announced by the Brazilian Football Confederation, will provide a valuable hit out for the Westfield Matildas, who are ranked 5th on the FIFA world rankings, in their bid to become the first Australian team to win a football medal at the Games.
“Securing a match of this nature against Brazil in Fortaleza is a fantastic result for the Matildas and women’s football,” said Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO David Gallop.
“To be able to play against a fellow top ten team and the host nation of the Rio Games is a huge coup for the Matildas as they go for gold.”
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Westfield Matildas Head Coach Alen Stajcic is delighted to have secured the match with a Brazil team that will also be looking to fine tune ahead of the Games.
“It’s good to be able to play such a high ranked team just 10 days out from the Games,” said Stajcic.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re preparing in Brazil, not only to acclimatise and train over there but also for opportunities like this. I’m really happy we’ve been able to lock this match in and it’s a really important part of our preparations.”
The last meeting between the countries saw the Westfield Matildas record a famous and historic 1-0 victory in the Round of 16 at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Westfield Matildas are grouped alongside Canada, Germany and Zimbabwe for the Rio Games with their first match against the Canadians on 3 August.
The Westfield Matildas’ final 18-player squad for the Rio Games is set to be announced on Monday 4 July with the squad set to depart for Brazil on 5 July.
Match Details
Brazil v Westfield Matildas
Saturday 23 July 2016
Estádio Presidente Vargas, Fortaleza
Kick-Off 4pm local time (5am AEST Sunday 24 July)
Westfield Matildas v Brazil – record
Played 12; Won 5, Drawn 0, Lost 7
Last meeting
Brazil 0
Westfield Matildas 1 (Simon 80’)
21 June 2015 in Moncton, Canada