Sarina Wiegman has named an unchanged XI.

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Your #Lionesses are unchanged! 💪 pic.twitter.com/aogb6fNj3p

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) August 16, 2023

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Sam Kerr starts for Australia! She is one of two changes, coming in for Emily van Egmond, while Alanna Kennedy has been ruled out with illness, replaced by the experienced Clare Polkinghorne in the centre of defence.

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📋 Your Semi-Final Starting XI ✅

We make two changes to our team that will take on England 👊#Matildas #FIFAWWC #TilitsDone pic.twitter.com/NEqsaHFX2j

— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) August 16, 2023

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Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v England from Stadium Australia in Sydney. Kick-off in this Women’s World Cup semi-final clash is 8pm AEST/11am BST.

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If you’re reading this in Australia: this is fun, isn’t it?

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If you’re stopping by from England, you’ll be familiar with the sense of nationwide giddiness after last summer’s Euros.

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If you’re tuning in elsewhere in the world, I hope you get to experience a tournament like this in your neck of the woods sometime soon.

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The 2023 Women’s World Cup is delivering in spades, and it has turned Australia Matildas mad. There hasn’t been a sporting bandwagon on this scale since Sydney 2000. A group of footballers, most of whom were unknown to the majority of the population a few weeks ago, have become one of the most successful unifying forces of their generation.

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And the manner in which they have brought the country together has been beautiful to watch. It has been authentic, unselfconscious, welcoming, and joyous.

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This fixture is the perfect case study. Whenever a v separates Australia and England it comes loaded with centuries of baggage. Not tonight. This is not the Ashes or a proxy battlefield on which to settle historic scores. For thousands of kids staying up past bedtime on a school night they will neither know of, nor care about, the almost exclusively male rivalries that contaminate other contests.

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This rivalry dates back only to 2015 and consists of just four previous matches, none of which took place with any great consequence. As Mackenzie Arnold told reporters the other day, this is “just another game”.

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But what a game it promises to be. The tournament hosts against the European champions in front of a full house at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium. Australia in their first World Cup semi-final, England aiming to make it third time lucky after near misses in 2015 and 2019.

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It’s going to be a cracker.

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Key events

The teams are in, the gates are open, the hype dial has been turned to 11. Time for a Duggee break.

Australia’s captain Sam Kerr is starting for the first time this World Cup, along with veteran defender Clare Polkinghorne.

We’ve been provided some clarity on Alanna Kennedy’s absence with the Australian team stating: “This morning Alanna Kennedy was ruled out of tonight’s clash due to illness. Alanna will not be in attendance tonight.”

We’ve also had confirmation that it’s neither Covid or concussion related. Hopefully she’s well soon.

I’m sure a roar will have gone up when Australia announced Sam Kerr’s name in the starting XI.

England XI

Sarina Wiegman has named an unchanged XI.

Australia XI

Sam Kerr starts for Australia! She is one of two changes, coming in for Emily van Egmond, while Alanna Kennedy has been ruled out with illness, replaced by the experienced Clare Polkinghorne in the centre of defence.

Wiegman’s problem solving has been a feature of England’s run. From retirements and injuries before the tournament, to the suspension of Lauren James during it, there has been no dip in expectation or intensity from the Dutch coach.

The move to a back three has worked well but there is a lack of creativity, and how will they deal with the Australia fans?

Wiegman’s solitary defeat came of course against Australia in April when the Matildas ran out 2-0 winners in Brentford. Neal Whittle has been studying that clash in advance of tonight’s game. “Australia were the better team,” he emails, “but Wiegman would have learnt a lot and looking back now, it is probably a blessing that the 30 game undefeated run was broken. After the game, Wiegman said they were slow in their passing and movement and I’m sure she will relish this opportunity to make amends tonight.”

On the field, England enjoyed a serene group phase after benefitting from a favourable draw. The knockout stage has been more stressful, but this is a team that has lost only once in Wiegman’s 37-match tenure.

This is not how champions play. But it is how champions win. Where Germany, France, Japan and the United States fell short, England have endured, ridden the tough moments, made the most of their luck, traded tomorrow’s bruises for today’s triumphs.

Like Australia through the Matildas, England, under Sarina Wiegman’s leadership, are setting positive examples for their supporters to follow. The treatment of Lauren James stands out following her indiscretion against Nigeria.

At a time when society is rife with stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, discrimination and corruption, the Lionesses are bringing joy, responsibility, connection and integrity, founded on the bedrock of compassion. Yes, I include integrity even with James’s red card. Integrity isn’t about never doing anything wrong, it’s about owning up to it, being accountable, apologising and learning from it, supported by those around you.

As Tim Bradshaw emails: “I think, while not on the scale of the Aus interest in the Matildas and the World Cup in general, there is a good level of support here in England. Fans of men’s soccer, as well as others who don’t usually watch, have been drawn in.” Tim is watching today’s match at Lewes FC, whose ground is evocatively named The Dripping Pan, from the Cluniac monks who used to pan for salt in its hollowed-out bowl.

Switching focus to England for a while, despite the unfavourable time zone and the risk of being out of sight, out of mind, the Lionesses have continued to build on the support that grew during last summer’s European Championship.

The Boxpark in Croydon has become synonymous with England men’s matches – packed to the rafters with young men in replica shirts who hurl their pints in the air when England score. But throughout the Women’s World Cup the atmosphere has been very different, though no less passionate or packed, despite the morning kick-offs. Women outnumbered men – and pints have been drunk, not thrown.

“The women’s world cup has been a revelation, for its skill and fitness levels, and the incredible excitement of the matches before sellout crowds, many of them young families,” emails Phil Jones.

“I fervently hope the Lionesses win, but it won’t be a disaster if the wonderful Spanish team, or the Matildas, prevail. In this context, I’ve been reflecting on the differences with men’s football. I’ve been an avid watcher of mens pro football for 50 years. The top level – World Cup and the major leagues, especially EPL – continues to provide exceptional skills, tactical interest, and excitement. I’m still addicted. But they often leave a very bitter after-taste – the play-acting and time wasting, the greed fuelled, obscene salaries and transfer fees (and that was before the Saudi intervention!), the tribalism and excessive machismo.

My one wish from this WWC is that the women’s game doesn’t go down that path. The authorities (FIFA, the national associations, the major leagues) and the top players have a duty to ensure that doesn’t happen. Yes, the game needs to thrive financially, including remunerating the top players – but it needs to be used to create a strong and fair pyramid, internationally. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!”

Unexpectedly, there’s a second reader who was also at the ‘66 final, take it away Mason Christopher. “Being a fan at the ‘66 final as well I think it would be a very fine thing if the girls could bring back the trophy to its righteous place, its home, England. If the boys couldn’t do it, they certainly can! Back then my heroes were Jimmy Greaves (who didn’t play because of injury), Bobby Charlton, (who seemed to always have had a wisp of errant hair even at 26) and the toothless slogger Nobby Styles. Perhaps today there are new ones in the making!”

Nobby Stiles dancing around Wembley with the Jules Rimet Trophy is a treasured image.

Because, as Jonathan Liew explains, using Australia to illustrate:

… the longer story here is not one of a shared national journey, but of success wrought largely out of sight and against overwhelming odds. For decades football has been chronically underfunded in comparison to more popular sports such as Australian rules football, rugby league and rugby union, a fact probably inseparable from its higher rates of participation amongst girls and immigrant communities. Many local clubs lack separate female changing facilities or separate girls’ kit. The majority of players in the professional A-League competition still work second jobs. Only two of the 23-strong Australia squad play their football domestically. It is only in addressing areas such as these – rather than the public holiday that the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has promised – that Australia’s World Cup can enjoy a lasting legacy.

Craig Foster has more.

Audit your own thinking and your workplace on gender equality. Loving the Matildas means living their ideals.

Call on sports minister Anika Wells and prime minister Anthony Albanese to properly fund Australia’s largest participant sport. To beat the world at its own game we need a national plan and football’s historic and ongoing contribution to social cohesion, multiculturalism and belonging, so evident this month, deserves this support. Anika cried with us all and it’s clear that Albo’s newfound support is authentic – as an Italian-Australian the game is in his blood, after all. But tears and cheers don’t pay bills and they don’t win World Cups.

Pick up your phone and become a member of your nearest A-League club, right now – before you read on.

And support the team’s calls to FIFA for equal prize money. Follow their representative organisation, @thepfa and voice your support for their pre-tournament statement in which they call for urgent change.

When administrators talk of gamechanging ideals, what does that actually look like? Equal prize money for male and female World Cups is an obvious place to begin.

The ball is now in Fifa’s court to increase the game’s financial rewards after the success of the Women’s World Cup.

Two hours to kick-off. Gates are open at Stadium Australia.

Following on from Tom’s email, it’s fun getting caught up in the hoopla around tonight’s match, and the World Cup in general, but it’s important the sport’s leaders capitalise on these positive emotions.

Australia has embraced the tournament in spectacular fashion – and it could prove gamechanging.

“Just scrolling through your blog on the Guardian, from work this morning here in Oslo, Norway, having never experienced this sort of agitation (nerves, anticipation, hope, fear, etc) for and in the lead up to a game of football. Have loved the Guardian coverage throughout the world cup, and love what the Matildas are doing and the fantastic, broader social and cultural impacts this team and the world cup are having!” Pleasure to have you on board Tom Griffiths.

What’s that? Speak up? You want to what? You want to eat like a Matildas fan? Sure, why not, all bets are off.

From short-order snacks to a proper hot meal, this last-minute green and gold culinary lineup will see you through the Australian team’s run in the Women’s World Cup.

Caitlin Cassidy, Guardian Australia’s higher education correspondent and op-shop fashionista shows you how it’s done.

So now you know it’s a big deal, and you’ve been tipped-off on how to blag your way through the 90-minutes, what should you wear?

Unprecedented merchandise sales have led to major stockists running low. Here’s how to buy Matildas merch, or make your own to dress the part.

“OMG what’s a Possie to do?” asks dual-citizen Steve Hall. “I’ve screamed in support of the magnificent Matildas, was at the Denmark game, trembled & sweated throughout the penalty shoot out. They are superb. But I’ve been waiting for England to win the World Cup since 1966 (when I went to four games).

Was at the England v Denmark & Colombia games, wearing my Aussie shirt under my Lioness shirt. Now I sit in Strathfield with a beer before heading for the stadium – wearing my Lioness jersey. I have to support England – but whoever wins, I both win & lose. At least I’ll have someone to scream for in the final.

I hate this game. I love it. Come on England – and the Matildas. In that order.”

Go well Steve, and if England do win, you would surely be in a very select minority of fans to have witnessed both victorious World Cup campaigns.

Are you an Australian new to football, worried about demonstrating your dinky-di credentials at semi-final watchalong? Fear not…

For this reason, I’ve prepared this entirely subjective “latecomer football fan guide to Matilding your life”.

Maybe megamusic bingo could do a Matildas crossover night? I’m picturing Phoenix Nights with Dave Spikey compering in shiny shoes. “Doctor’s orders, number ni