Australia’s 4-0 victory over Olympic champions Canada at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium today will be one of the last games many fans will be able to watch unless they pay AUD$24.99 (£13.05/$16.80/€15.25) for a subscription on Optus.

The event has already drawn sell-out crowds and attracted big ratings for free-to-air broadcast partner Channel Seven, but some of the biggest games have only been available to Optus subscribers.

Only 15 of the matches have been available free-to-air on Seven, while Optus Sports subscribers can view all 64.

The matches on free-to-air have included all three of the Matildas’ group matches and for the rest of the tournament will include some quarter-finals, the two semi-finals and the finals.

But, unlike the men's tournament in Qatar last year, not every match will be available to watch free-to-air. 

"We’ve got one of the world’s biggest sporting events in our backyard, and can’t even watch it," Robert Marinkovic, a coach with Victorian semi-professional club Avondale FC told the Sydney Morning Herald. 

"As a women’s [sporting] spectacle, it’s one of the largest events ever.

"The whole thing has been neglected, to say the least.

"As a sporting nation, and with the cultural diversity we have in Australia, it’s a lost opportunity in terms of viewing matches on TV.

"The place should be buzzing, it should be on everywhere, but the Federal Government did nothing about it."

Australian laws require free-to-air broadcasters have an initial opportunity to buy the television rights to major events included on the country’s anti-siphoning list.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup was not added to the list, which includes the FIFA Men’s World Cup, Australian Rules Football, rugby league and rugby union, horse racing, cricket, tennis, netball and the Olympic Games.

Optus secured the broadcast rights in August 2021, and chose to sell to Channel Seven the free-to-air rights to 15 key matches last October.

A spokesperson for Football Australia claimed it understands concerns around subscriptions and that it is "committed to the promotion of the beautiful game at all levels and accessibility is a key component."

"We believe the FIFA Women’s World Cup is a major sporting event and should be accessible to all Australians and aim for maximum reach," the spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald.

The row has led to Australia’s Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announcing that the Government plan to review the anti-siphoning scheme "to ensure that it operates effectively in a contemporary media environment".

She added that broadcasting key sporting competitions "contributes to grassroots community-based participation" and the Federal Government recognises the importance of televised coverage that "bring us together as a nation".

FIFA declined to comment on the rationale for its broadcast agreements in Australia but issued a statement claiming that both Optus and Channel Seven "have committed significant resources to covering and promoting the tournament" and claiming that their "combined efforts have led to record viewership figures for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the region."

The build-up to the tournament was overshadowed by a row between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and European broadcasters.

Infantino had demanded that they pay closer to the fees they had for the men’s World Cup.

In the end, a late deal with the European Broadcasting Union was struck, although nowhere near the figure Infantino had demanded.