If Aussies need any more reason to support the Matildas in their semi-final  showdown with the old enemy at the Women’s World Cup – a reminder of an English snub will do the trick.

Tony Gustavsson’s side have made history as the first national side to make the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup, with football fever sweeping the nation.

Australia squares off next with England’s Lionesses on Wednesday night in Sydney for a spot in the final after beating France on penalties 7-6 in the longest shootout in Cup history.

A tweet from AAP journalist Ben McKay on Wednesday has reminded football fans that England’s FA opted to vote for Colombia as their preferred hosts for the tournament – not Australia and New Zealand.

In 2020, FIFA members voted in favour of Australia-New Zealand to host (22-13), with FA chairman Greg Clarke voting for the South American nation.

Clarke even reportedly declined a call from former NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to win his vote.

Following the votes being released, Football Australia chief James Johnson simmered at England’s decision to opt for Colombia.

‘I actually don’t find it very funny,’ he said at the time. ‘I think that was quite disrespectful to be perfectly honest with you.

‘It was a process that was, I think, run very well by FIFA….we scored very highly on a report that was an objective report.

‘We know now what the voting was like, and I must say we are disappointed with the way that the FA voted.’

The Lionesses shape to be the Matildas’ sternest test of the tournament so far thanks to their star-studded line-up and world No.4 ranking, with the Aussies rated the 10th-best team on the planet.

Mackenzie Arnold proved she’s as good at fielding tricky questions as she is at stopping penalties by producing a withering comeback after an English reporter tried to stir up the team’s rivalry with England by foreshadowing an Aussie loss in their World Cup semifinal.

After accusing the Aussies and Lionesses of playing down the ages-old duel between the two countries, an English reporter said, ‘The truth is these two countries obviously have got a very traditional, long-standing sporting rivalry.

‘I’m sure there’s lots of England fans back home who would quite enjoy seeing England knock you out of your own tournament.

‘Is the idea of being knocked out of this tournament at this stage with a final at stake, by England, almost unthinkable to you?’

A stony-faced Arnold replied, ‘Being knocked out by anyone is kind of unthinkable.

‘There’s probably a lot of English people who would love to see us knocked out by England, but I think there’s more Australians that would love to see England knocked out by us.’

The keeper’s answer drew a round of laughter from the assembled reporters before she added, ‘In terms of the rivalry, again, we have such big rivalries with so many different countries, so it’s just another game for us.’