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The Matildas will find out about the 2023 Women’s World Cup draw and their path to glory at the first ever World Cup, both men’s and women’s, to be held on Australian soil at 5pm AST on Saturday night.

Of course, the showpiece tournament is taking part in New Zealand, where the official draw will take place in the presence of hundreds of celebrities, including Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and soccer giants.

Nine months on, the Matildas, led by superstar captain Sam Kerr, will begin their bid for a maiden World Cup crown on July 20 at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Tonight, the Matildas will find out who that opponent will be, along with the other two teams they will face in the group stage.

Here’s everything you need to know, and we’ll be live blogging at 5pm to cover everything that’s happening.

WATCH THE DRAW HERE FOR FREE

HOW THE DRAFT WORKS

First, for the first time, 32 teams will participate in the World Cup, which will be drawn from four “pots” based on FIFA rankings to form groups of four.

As hosts, the Matildas (ranked 13) and NZ (22) make the first list alongside six of the world’s highest-ranked teams, including two-time defending champions USA.

The Matildas have been provisionally drawn in Group B, while the Kiwis will top Group A.

With the exception of European teams, no country can face a team from their confederation – meaning the Matildas cannot face an Asian team in the group stage (ie China, Japan or South Korea in the second pot or Vietnam in the third) .

But that is scant consolation for the Matildas, who could face a whole host of very tough opponents in the group stage. About it below.

Although there are 29 teams participating in the tournament, three play-off spots remain to be determined before the competition itself.

The knockout tournament is divided into three groups:

Group A: Cameroon, Thailand, Portugal

Group B: Senegal, Haiti, Chile

Group C: Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Panama

Each of these groups will be represented by a placeholder in the fourth side in today’s draw, meaning these sides will know their World Cup fate when they qualify.

To make things a bit more complicated (and since the group winners have yet to be determined), FIFA will treat the Group A placeholder as the European team, Group B as the South American team and Group C as the Asian/Oceanic team.

It just means the Matildas and NZ can’t draw with the Group C winner.

FULL POTS

One pot: New Zealand (FIFA 22 ranking), Australia (13), USA (1), Sweden (2), Germany (3), England (4), France (5), Spain (6)

Pot two: Canada (7), Netherlands (8), Brazil (9), Japan (11), Norway (12), Italy (14), China (15), South Korea (17)

Pot three: Denmark (18), Switzerland (21), Ireland (24), Colombia (27), Argentina (29), Vietnam (34), Costa Rica (37), Jamaica (43)

Pot four: Nigeria (45), Philippines (53), South Africa (54), Morocco (76), Zambia (81), Group A playoff winners (Cameroon, Thailand or Portugal), Group B playoff winners (Senegal, Haiti or Chile), Group C playoff winners (Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea or Panama)

WATCH THE GAME FOR FREE HERE (5pm AEDT)

MATILDAS BEST AND WORST SCRIPTS

Since they cannot face the top six teams in the world (as they are also in the first pot), the Matildas’ biggest challenge will come from the second pot.

The Matildas cannot face China or South Korea (as they are also from the AFC, our region), meaning Italy are the only team ranked lower than the 13th-placed Matildas.

Italy stunned the Matildas 2-1 at the 2019 World Cup, but the Aussies held their own on home soil. Another ‘good’ result could be Brazil, against whom the Matildas boast a good record at major competitions (having faced them at the last two World Cups) and have also played a large number of friendlies in recent years.

Other pot options are tougher. Canada (7th) beat the Matildas back-to-back last month despite having an underpowered squad and are the defending Olympic champions.

The Netherlands finished second at the last World Cup but thrashed the Aussies 5-0 just ahead of the 2019 tournament and have a legion of stars in their squad led by Arsenal gun Vivian Meadema.

Norway beat Australia in the knockout stages at France 2019. They are led by Ada Hegerberg, who won the first women’s Ballon d’Or as the world’s best player in 2018 – and may just be getting better. After she missed the 2019 World Cup to protest the Norwegian FA’s treatment of women, she is back.

Frankly, a ‘great’ result from our Second Bank opponents is impossible, but Italy or Brazil are probably the best hope for Australian fans.

The third pot also creates some very complex teams. The top seed in this pot is Denmark (18th), who beat the Matildas last year, but the Aussies got their revenge earlier in the month with a 3-1 win. Ireland (24) also beat the Australians last year. The best option is Jamaica, who are only ranked 43rd and who the Matildas beat 4-1 at the 2019 World Cup.

Pot Four is a more optimistic reading for Matilda. The best-placed team is Nigeria (45), who won the last three African Women’s Cup titles before losing it this year. The Matildas recently faced South Africa – Banyana Banyana – who won the Nations Cup this year, with the Aussies winning 4-1 two weeks ago.

Zambia (81) is probably the team the Matildas will be hoping to pull out of the fourth pot given that this is their first World Cup appearance. In terms of playoff teams, Haiti, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Portugal and Senegal have never qualified for the World Cup. But Portugal (competing in Group A of the play-in tournament) is ranked 23rd in the world and is a power on the rise. They drew 1-1 with Australia in June, so don’t write them off if we draw.

WHAT ELSE TO WATCH

Watch Group D. If the Matildas finish first in Group B, they will face the winner of Group D. If the Matildas finish second in Group B, they will face the winner of that group.

So, for example, if world number one the United States find themselves in Group D and finish first – which is expected regardless of which group the US are in – the Matildas will be desperate to avoid them in their first knockout match.

Having been eliminated in the round of 16 of the last tournament, the Matildas will be watching the draw in Group D with interest, hoping for a relatively easier potential opponent for the second leg.

THE MATILDS SHINED

Australia v B2, Sydney Football Stadium, 20 July 2023

Australia v B3, Brisbane Stadium, 27 July 2023

B4 v Australia, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 31 July 2023

LIVE BLOG

Follow the draw on our live blog below from 5pm! If you don’t see the blog, Click here.