World Cup qualification is up for grabs but the Matildas will only have Asian Cup glory on their minds when they face North Korea in Friday night's quarter-final showdown in Perth.
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The Matildas' path to the Women's Asian Cup title became complicated when their 3-3 draw with South Korea relegated them to second spot in Group A.
It meant instead of staying in Sydney and taking on world No.49 Uzbekistan, Australia had to travel back to Perth to face world No.9 North Korea - the tournament's dark horse.
Adding another layer of intrigue to the Women's Asian Cup is the fact that the four teams who reach the semi-finals are guaranteed qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
The four quarter-final losers will play off on the Gold Coast for two World Cup berths.
The stakes are high, but Matildas captain Sam Kerr insists her team aren't even thinking about the World Cup permutations.
"Obviously there's two things at stake, but the most important thing is just to win," Kerr said.
"I think we've been building ourselves up in this tournament.
"Every game we've gotten better, and hopefully that's the case (on Friday), we can have our best performance in the tournament and go through."
Australia will enter the match without star duo Steph Catley and Hayley Raso due to concussion.
Whether the pair will be fit for Tuesday's semi-final - if the Matildas make it - remains to be seen.
Kerr was just 16 years old when she scored a goal in the 2010 Asian Cup final against North Korea.
The Matildas won that match on penalties, and their most recent meeting with North Korea was a 2-1 Olympic qualifying win back in 2016.
"We don't honestly know much about Korea every time we play them, but I think probably the key characteristics that they had back then they still have now," Kerr said.
"They like to run a lot. They're aggressive. They never, never give up.
"Every time we've played them, it's been difficult."
North Korea's physicality has been a key aspect for them this tournament, helping them to wins against Uzbekistan (3-0) and Bangladesh (5-0).
"I think if we're not ready for the battle, it will be a loss for us. We have to be ready," Kerr said.
"They're always a team that we know will fight to the very end, and that's probably one of their strengths.
"So we have to be ready to fight from the first minute."
Australian Associated Press
