Australian Mint releases Matildas coin collection before FIFA Women's World Cup

Canberra, July 6 Football Australia (FA) and the Royal Australian Mint have joined forces on a coin collection to mark the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Announced on Thursday, the set of seven coins celebrates Australia's national women's football team, the Matildas.

Three two dollar coins feature a football, the FA logo and the year the Matildas were established, 1978, while four one dollar coins include an illustration of players in different poses and the inscription "Australian Women's National Football Team."

Thursday marks two weeks until the start of the historic World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which will be held between July 20-August 20, a Xinhua report said.

Australia will play France in a send-off warm-up game in Melbourne on July 14 before opening their campaign against the Republic of Ireland on July 20.

"Never before have Matildas fans and Australians had so many avenues to display and enjoy their support of the team and in the coming weeks we will be delighted to add these unique collectibles through this partnership with The Mint," James Johnson, chief executive of FA, said in a statement.

The Matildas collection will be rolled out through supermarket giant Woolworths.

Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, said the collection would offer Australians another opportunity to connect with the national team.

"It's great to see these new coins celebrating the Matildas. It's sometimes said that you can't be what you can't see. Having a range of coins that kids can collect helps connect them directly to the Matildas we all admire," he said.

Earlier this week, co-hosts Australia announced their final 23-player squad for the World Cup.

Only the top two teams from eight groups will enter the round of 16, as this is the first time that women's football's biggest tournament will expand to a 32-team format.

China, having clinched the Asian Cup last year, are placed in Group D with England, Denmark and Haiti.