Matildas fans are furious as Channel Seven subchannels the World Cup clash with Sweden for the benefit of the AFL and Border Patrol

FIFA World Cup broadcaster Channel 7 has come under criticism for prioritizing St Kilda in the AFL and Border Patrol over the Matildas in the bronze medal battle against Sweden.

Fans were stunned when they discovered it Channel 7 had broadcast the Matildas’ eagerly awaited final FIFA World Cup match on home soil on a secondary broadcaster.

The focus was on the Matildas, who took on Sweden in search of pride and the coveted bronze medal.

Hoping to end the tournament in triumph, the Australian women’s football team recorded record viewing figures for Channel 7 free-to-air.

The quarter-final match against France broke ratings records on Australian television and was surpassed by a staggering 11 million viewers who watched the heartbreaking semi-final defeat by England.

Matilda’s fans hoping to catch the third-place playoffs had to find the game on digital television as Channel 7 favored Border Patrol and the AFL

With viewership covering almost half the country and their accolade as Australia’s most-watched television show this century, it was a stunning decision that Channel 7 chose to relegate the Matildas to a secondary platform for the third-place playoffs .

It was particularly puzzling after the channel shifted the evening news to prioritize the quarter-final against France on its main channel.

Viewers were stunned and flipped channels in disbelief when the Matildas found themselves on 7Mate while shows like Border Security took priority on Channel 7.

Although it wasn’t the result the Australians were hoping for, the Matildas finished their FIFA Women’s World Cup with an all-time best result

To add to the amazement, Channel 7 continued to air its 6pm evening news in Melbourne even after the program had ended, and at 7pm covered the AFL game between Geelong and St Kilda.

This decision is at odds with the broad support and viewership the Matildas have garnered over the past month, and fans have been furious.

“Channel 7 is in bad shape to move The Matildas to a digital channel,” ranted one fan.

“Shameful it’s not free-to-air in Melbourne,” posted another.

“How bad is that? Channel 7 doesn’t have the #Matildas on our high definition TVs. “They have it on 7mate,” complained another.