Women's football will crown a first-time champion on Sunday when the ninth Women's World Cup concludes with England and Spain, both proud footballing nations, facing off in an intriguing final in Sydney.
The highly-successful tournament in Australia and New Zealand was destined to have a fresh winner from the quarter-finals when Japan joined the United States, Germany and Norway in making a premature exit.
For all the excitement that accompanied Australia's run to the semi-finals and Japan's brilliance in the early rounds, the consensus is that England and Spain are worthy first-time finalists.
"I think it's going to be a brilliant game," England captain Millie Bright enthused on Saturday.
"Two top teams coming head-to-head. And ultimately the game is about getting the ball in the back of the net and executing the game plan. So find a way to win."
The tournament has showcased the development of the women's game but the finalists do present a contrast in styles -- England pragmatic, ruthless, resilient and Spain displaying all the technical skill the country's football is famed for.
The finalists have had their blips -- Spain thrashed 4-0 by Japan in their last group game and England taken to penalties by Nigeria in the last 16 -- but both have grown into the tournament and were convincing semi-final winners.
Expectations of a tight final in front of another sellout crowd of 75,000 at Stadium Australia might not be too wide of the mark if England's 2-1 win in the European Championship quarter-final between the sides last year is any guide.
"This was a game we know were on top of, but it's the result that counts," said Spain coach Jorge Vilda.
"England knows what they have in front of them tomorrow. Our team has evolved, our team has grown in this World Cup and mentally we've taken a step up."
WHEN IS THE WORLD CUP FINAL?
The World Cup final will be held on Sunday, August 20. The match will kick off at 1530 IST (1000 GMT, 2000 local time).
WHICH TEAMS ARE IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL?
England and Spain will contest the final. England are European champions having beaten Germany in the final last year at Wembley. It will be the first Women's World Cup final not involving either the United States or Germany.
WHICH STADIUM IS HOSTING THE FINAL?
Stadium Australia in Sydney will host the World Cup final. It is the largest venue being used for the tournament and seats nearly 75,000 spectators.
Built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics with an original capacity of more than 100,000, it also hosted the final of the 2003 men's Rugby World Cup, which England won.
At this tournament, it hosted Australia's opening game against Ireland and matches in each of the knockout rounds, all of sellouts.
WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES TO WIN THE WORLD CUP?
WILLIAM HILL
Spain 5/6
England 5/6
BET365
Spain 4/5
England 19/20
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE SCORES ARE TIED?
If the scores are tied at the end of the 90 minutes of regulation time, an extra 30 minutes are played.
If the scores are still tied after extra time, the title is decided by a penalty shootout. In the first phase of the shootout, each team takes five penalties. If the scores are still tied after that, the shootout goes into sudden death.
FULL LIST OF TEAMS THAT TOOK PART IN THE TOURNAMENT
The World Cup began with 32 teams competing in a group stage, with teams divided into eight groups of four.
* Group A: New Zealand (hosts), Norway, Philippines,Switzerland
* Group B: Australia (hosts), Canada, Nigeria, Ireland
* Group C: Costa Rica, Japan, Spain, Zambia
* Group D: China, Denmark, England, Haiti
* Group E: Netherlands, Portugal, United States, Vietnam
* Group F: Brazil, France, Jamaica, Panama
* Group G: Argentina, Italy, South Africa, Sweden
* Group H: Colombia, Germany, South Korea, Morocco
