Australia’s Matildas to play France in World Cup send-off

announced the Matildas will face fifth-ranked Les Bleues in Melbourne on July 14 in a "sendoff match" six days before opening their World Cup campaign, reports Xinhua news agency.

It will mark the first time in 22 years that the French national team has played in Australia, which means the Matildas will have played nine of the world's current top-10 teams in the leadup to the home World Cup.

best nations in the world with incredible quality across all parts of their game. It will be one final challenge for us just days out from our World Cup opener." France were beaten by eventual champions the US in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup and made the semi-finals at Euro 2022.

However, captain Wendie Renard has announced she will not play for Les Bleues amid tensions with the head coach, Corinne Diacre, and the French Football Federation (FFF).