While Australia came together to watch the Matildas take on France in an epic penalty shootout, somehow Barnaby Joyce watched a completely different game.

Mr Joyce, along with the other patrons at the Commercial Hotel in Walcha, were actually watching an old Matildas’ friendly against France that happened in July.

You’d be kicking yourself if you missed the match against France live, especially the nail-biting penalties that cinched the win for Australia.

The upcoming semi-final match against England is not to be missed.

So, just to make sure everyone is on the same page, here is a handy guide to make sure you are watching the Matildas take on England in the World Cup Final.

Tweet from @georgieparker

When is Australia’s World Cup final?

Australia’s beloved Matildas will take on England in the semi-final on Wednesday night.

The teams will meet at Stadium Australia in Sydney and the match will kick off at 8pm AEST.

How can I watch the Matildas in the semi-final?

If you’re not going to the game at Stadium Australia, there are a few ways to watch the game.

The match will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and streamed live on 7 Plus in Australia. Optus Sport will also be streaming the match live.

Free-to-air TV is proving to be a popular way to watch the action.

Television ratings showed the Matildas‘ Saturday night quarter-final was the highest-rating TV sports program of the past decade. More than 7.2 million people watched parts of the game, with an estimated average audience of 4.17 million people.

Channel Seven said the 472,000 viewers who streamed the game on 7plus made it the biggest streaming event seen in Australia.

If you want to get among the atmosphere, plenty of pubs will be broadcasting the match, so it’s worth checking out your local to see if they will have it on.

Tweet from @TheMatildas

Local councils around Australia are also putting on events for people to watch the match on a big screen.

State governments are also working to set up live sites, with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirming AAMI Park will be used on Wednesday.

The NSW government has ensured fans will have free entry to Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta and Sydney Football Stadium to watch the game.

The Matildas have reset mentally after the tension-filled penalty shootout win over France.

The FIFA Fan Festival

There is the FIFA Fan Festival, which is taking place in all nine host cities and will be showing the match.

The festival is free to attend and suitable for all ages.

“It provides a vibrant destination for everyone to celebrate the global game and experience the best in football, music, entertainment, local culture, food, and games,” the Matildas website says of the festival.

“Fans will be able to enjoy FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 matches on big screens at each venue.”

FIFA Fan Festival locations in Australia

• Adelaide: Festival Plaza

• Brisbane: South Bank Parklands

• Melbourne: Federation Square

• Perth: Forrest Place

• Sydney: Tumbalong Park

The FIFA Fan Festival’s dates are subject to change, but according to the Matildas website, all of the above are open on August 16.

Tweet from @FIFAcom

What to know before the match

A quick recap of the Matildas’ last match: The Matildas made Australian sporting history on Saturday, reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time after edging out France 7-6 on penalties in a gripping encounter in Brisbane.

The World Cup semi-final was set up after England defeated Colombia 2-1. England is the reigning European champions.

The last time the Matildas and Lionesses met was back in April, where Australia won 2-0, thanks to goals from skipper Sam Kerr and Charli Grant.

On Tuesday, Spain and Sweden will play and the winner will go on the play either Australia or England in the final on August 20.

The losing teams from those semi-finals will battle it out for third place on August 19.