Ireland v Australia: Time, channel, team news

James Cox

The Women's World Cup gets underway on Thursday, with the Republic of Ireland facing co-hosts Australia in their Group B opener.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the big game.

What time is kick-off?

The game takes place in Sydney's Stadium Australia with a sell-out crowd of 82,500. The game starts at 8pm local time, which is 11am Irish time.

Where can I watch it?

All Women's World Cup matches will be live on RTÉ. Coverage on RTÉ 2 begins at 10.30am.

Team news

The main question for Vera Pauw's side surrounds the fitness of one of the key players for the Girls in Green.

Denise O'Sullivan was injured following a bad challenge early on in a warm-up game against Colombia. The match was subsequently called off due to the overly physical play of the Colombians.

There were fears that the North Carolina Courage star would miss the beginning of the tournament, but she took a full part in training on Wednesday and is expected to start.

What are Ireland's other group games?

Ireland v Canada – July 26th at 1pm (Irish time). This match will be played at HBF Park in Perth.

Ireland v Nigeria – July 31st at 11am (Irish time). This match will take place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.