Canberra United star Karly Roestbakken could play her first Westfield Matildas match on home soil after the announcement that the 2020 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament will now be held in Sydney.
The decision to move the matches from Wuhan to Sydney was made by the Asian Football Confederation following the recent outbreak of the coronavirus in China.
FFA Chief Executive Officer James Johnson thanked stakeholders for working quickly and collaboratively with FFA to accommodate the matches.
Mr Johnson said FFA has received significant international media interest since the announcement that the tournament would be moved to Sydney, highlighting the global interest in the qualifiers and the overall importance of the competition.
“The collaboration between FFA and various stakeholders including the State and Federal Governments, as well as the two venues, over the past forty-eight hours has been fantastic,” Mr Johnson said.
“All parties have brought a real energy to the discussions to ensure that we could, as efficiently as possible, lock in the matchday details.
“Our staff are continuing to work on the operational and logistical requirements for these fixtures in anticipation of the arrival of the participating nations, however securing the venues and kick-off times was paramount for the planning of the teams and fans.
Next week’s qualification tournament will be competed between four Asian football nations, with Australia facing China PR, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand.
The decision to move the matches to Sydney means Karly Roestbakken could play for Australia on home soil for the first time, having been an unused sub in last year’s friendlies against Chile.
The last time the Westfield Matildas played in Sydney they set a new record crowd of 20,029 for a standalone international women’s football game in Australia.
All of Australia’s matches throughout the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Qualifiers will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS, Kayo Sports, and the My Football Live App. Games will also be broadcast by ABC TV (delayed).
Tickets for each matchday (which will feature double-headers with Australia always playing second) will go on sale on Thursday, 30 January 2020 at 11.00am AEDT via the Westfield Matildas website.
Match Schedule – Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Qualifiers – Group B
Matchday 1 – Monday, 3 February 2020
Thailand v Chinese Taipei – 7.30pm (AEDT)
Campbelltown Stadium, Leumea
Matchday 2 – Friday, 7 February 2020
Thailand v China PR – 4.30pm (AEDT)
Chinese Taipei v Australia – 7.30pm (AEDT)
Campbelltown Stadium, Leumeah
Matchday 3 – Monday, 10 February 2020
China PR v Chinese Taipei – 4.30pm (AEDT)
Australia v Thailand – 7.30pm (AEDT)
Campbelltown Stadium, Leumeah
Matchday 4 – Thursday 13 February 2020
Australia v China PR – 7.30pm (AEDT)
Western Sydney Stadium, Parramatta
