Sweden and Canada were set to compete in the final at 11am local time, but kickoff was switched to 9pm at the request of both teams because of the midday heat.

Temperatures in Tokyo are expected to reach 32 degrees Celsius at midday tomorrow.

A poor pitch condition was also cited as a reason for the switch.

The Olympic Stadium is due to stage athletics in the evening, so a venue change was also needed.

Swedish goalkeeper Zećira Mušović criticised the decision to play during the day on Twitter, calling it "a direct danger to the players’ health due to extreme weather conditions".

Sweden initially requested the start be delayed, and Canada Soccer came out in support of the proposal.

FIFA said the move was "to provide the best possible conditions for the players and having taken into consideration the impact of weather conditions".

A morning kickoff was in place largely because NBC wanted the slot so it would be shown in primetime in the United States, but the Americans failed to reach the final, knocked out by Canada.

The change means the men's bronze-medal match between Mexico and Japan is now set to take place at 6pm local time at the Saitama Stadium, being moved forward two hours to avoid a clash with the women's match.