The Australians have departed Örebäcksvallen, Sweden, where they spent the better part of five weeks. The cool Swedish weather has been swapped for the sweltering heat of Japan.

The Matildas are currently in Nara City, located just east of Kyoto. They had previously trained there six years ago prior to their qualification for the Rio Olympics. They will spend the last part of their pre-games Japanese training camp there.

The temperatures during the first day in country reached into the 30s with the humidity being upwards of 60%.

While this type of weather may be similar to what one may experience during an Australian summer, it is a marked difference from the Matildas’ previous five weeks of training. 

In order to help prepare for the acclimatization, the Australian coaching staff had been making them train with several layers of clothes during their Swedish stay.

The Matildas will be playing their final preparation game against Japan’s Nadeshiko at Sanga Stadium in Kyoto on Wednesday, July 14.  

Following this match they will then relocate to Tokyo on Saturday, July 17 for the Olympic tournament.

The Matildas open their Olympics against the Football Ferns on July 21, 2021.  The Kiwis have not beat the Matildas since 1994.