Saturday sees more of the big guns enter the fray at the FIFA Women's World Cup with the reigning champions USA and Euro 2022 winners England among the sides getting their campaigns underway.
It's a busy third day of action with four matches spread across Group C, D and E, starting at 2am Irish time and culminating with the most competitive match-up of the quartet of games at 1pm.
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The USWNT need no introduction. The powerhouses of the women's game, they have never finished below third place at a World Cup, winning four times, including on the last two occasions.
The veterans of those successful past campaigns like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan rank among the household names as they get set for what is set to be their respective swansongs but although the squad leans towards experience, emerging stars like Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman will hope to stake their claims and show that the conveyor belt remains well oiled.
Facing them is a Vietnam side appearing on this stage for the very first time, beneficiaries of the expanded format and minnows in a tough Group E that also features 2019 runners-up Netherlands and a decent Portugal outfit.
They will likely set up in a defensive 5-4-1 formation and given the huge challenge they face on Saturday, expect them to sit deep and try to hold out for as long as possible.
Vietnam will be keen to avoid the fate of their regional rivals Thailand, who were thrashed 13-0 by a relentless USA four years ago in a match which saw Morgan plunder five of that haul.
The omens aren't good if their last warm-up match is anything to go by as Spain thrashed them 9-0 in Auckland last Friday, although defeats previous to that against Germany (2-1) and co-hosts New Zealand (2-0) were more respectable.
However, anything but a convincing US victory would raise eyebrows.
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Ireland fans will be familiar with a Zambia side that provided the opposition in Tallaght in the penultimate pre-World Cup friendly.
An exciting attack-minded team spearheaded by Barbara Banda, they provided a stiff challenge before the Girls in Green saw them off 3-2.
Officially the 77th best team in the world, the lowest of all the teams in Australia and New Zealand, the Copper Queens' recent results have belied their lowly standing in the FIFA rankings, drawing 3-3 with Switzerland and earning a surprise 3-2 win over Germany with Banda and their other attacking star Racheal Kundananji scoring the goals. They also managed to finish third at last year's Women's Africa Cup of Nations and played at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Coincidetally, it was the hosts of those Games, Japan, who topped their group in the Land of the Rising Sun two years ago, and the 2011 World Cup winners will be favourites in this Group C opener.
The Japanese warmed up for this World Cup with a 5-0 win over Panama last Friday and also beat Portugal and Ireland's group rivals Canada earlier this year.
Indeed, former Ireland manager Sue Ronan picked them out as a dark horse to potentially go all the way on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast in the lead-up to the tournament.
While they have yet to recapture the heights of 2011 and 2015 when they reached two World Cup finals on the trot - winning the first of those - Japan remain one of the stronger sides, with their ranking of 11th in the world.
Captain Saki Kumagai is the sole remaining member of the 2011-winning team in what is a squad peppered with emerging talents as well as seasoned campaigners like striker Mina Tanaka and Manchester City midfielder Yui Hasegawa.
Japan will be favourites but Zambia's free-flowing approach should make it a thrilling encounter in Hamilton.
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England have been a nation on the rise over the last decade and it culminated with their first major tournament triumph last summer as they captured the Women's European Championship title on home soil.
Sarina Wiegman will hope that success will propel her side to a repeat on the global stage after World Cup campaigns in 2015 and 2019 which saw them get to the semi-finals.
However, injuries to three key members of the Euros-winning team - Beth Mead, captain Leah Willamson and midfielder Fran Kirby - have dented their hopes slightly although they have plenty of depth and are still stocked with top level talent such as Keira Walsh, Lucy Bronze and Katie McCabe's new Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo.
Although goals have been hard to come by for the Three Lionesses in their recent warm-up games, they will be confident of victory in Brisbane over a Haiti side that, like Vietnam and Zambia, are new to this stage.
The Caribbean nation may be ranked 53rd in the world but the core of their team did play at the Under-20 World Cup in 2018 and that experience may help them as they look to bring joy to a nation plagued by political and socio-economic issues.
They are the minnows in a difficult Group D and England will be keen to make a winning start before facing the tougher tests that Denmark and China will pose.
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The final game of the day in Perth is the most evenly balanced as world number 13 Denmark go up against the 14th best side in the world, China.
Irish fans would have got an insight into what the Chinese have to offer back in the spring when Vera Pauw's side impressed on the way to a 0-0 draw in the south of Spain.
The 1999 World Cup runners-up are managed by ex-international Shui Qingxai and are not lacking in experience on the pitch with attacking midfielder Wang Shuang, captain Wang Shanshan and vice-captain Zhang Rui providing the know-how. That trio have more than 400 caps between them.
While China have never missed a World Cup, Denmark have underachieved on that front, only returning to the global showpiece for the first time since 2007.
That means stars like Pernille Harder, who have impressed at European Championships, will be eager to make the most of the opportunity and the Danish record goalscorer is backed up by a strong midfield that will be part of a 4-3-3.
Given England's presence in the group, both sides know that any advantage gained in this head-to-head will go a long way to boosting their chances of a place in the knockout stages.
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