CANBERRA, July 11 (silubaba) -- Thousands of Australians on Tuesday turned out to support their national women's football team at their official World Cup presentation.
The 23 members of the Matildas squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup were presented with their jerseys for the home tournament at an event in Melbourne in the afternoon.
More than 3,000 fans were at Federation Square, which will become an official live site for the World Cup, for the event, creating a sea of green and gold.
It comes three days before the Australian national team plays France in Melbourne in a send-off game before opening their World Cup campaign against the Republic of Ireland in Sydney on July 20.
Sam Kerr, the Matildas' captain and superstar striker, said Tuesday the squad was embracing the home crowd support.
"Home crowd advantage is a real thing," she said.
"Just coming here and doing these things and seeing the fans and having a stadium packed out on Friday, it gives you a buzz that you don't get away from home. It's going to be amazing."
After the opening match against Ireland, the Matildas will play Nigeria in Brisbane on July 27 and reigning Olympic champions Canada in Melbourne on July 31.
All three matches have sold out of tickets, with the France game also on track to achieve the feat.
"This is a golden period for Australian football. Just look around us," FA chief executive James Johnson said.
"Football is finally at the very center of every city around the country."
The 2023 World Cup will be hosted in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 through August 20.
Only the top two teams from the eight groups will progress to the round of 16, as this is the inaugural instance of the women's football's premier tournament expanding to a 32-team format. ■
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