The women's football teams of Australia and Japan will face off tomorrow evening in the Asian Cup final at Stadium Australia in Sydney. This match offers Australia a chance to rewrite their story after a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup on home soil, where they lost 3-1 to England.

Australia, ranked 15th in FIFA, secured wins against the Philippines and Iran in the group stage but drew with South Korea. In the knockouts, they overcame North Korea and China. Japan, the world's sixth-ranked team, dominated from the start, beating Taiwan, India, and Vietnam without conceding a goal. They swept past the Philippines 7-0 in the quarterfinals and defeated South Korea 4-1 in the semifinals.

Historically, Japan has beaten Australia in both previous Asian Cup finals in 2014 and 2018, each with a 1-0 scoreline. Australia's only major title came in 2010, with current captain Sam Kerr scoring as a 16-year-old. Japan is also the only Asian team to have won the Women's World Cup, achieving this in 2011.

Australia's key player Sam Kerr, returning from injury, has scored four goals and led her team's charge. Japan's striker Riko Ueki tops the scoring charts with six goals. Japan's coach Nils Nielsen has labeled Australia as "massive favourites" for the final, despite his team's impressive record of 28 goals scored and only one conceded in five matches.

The champion will receive a prize of $1.8 million, significantly lower than the $14.8 million awarded to the winner of the men's Asian Cup in 2023. The match is scheduled for tomorrow at 8:00 PM local time (09:00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on Al Jazeera Sport.

Source: www.aljazeera.com