![Sam Kerr of the Matildas. Picture Getty Images Sam Kerr of the Matildas. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/db3faa0d-695f-41a4-b95c-2785adab5c43.jpg/r0_79_3542_2070_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Women's World Cup is set to leave an immense legacy for Australian sport not seen since the Sydney Olympics, and Canberra will benefit, even if not hosting any games.
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FIFA and Football Australia have lofty goals for the tournament less than a month away hosted by Australia and New Zealand, from "turbo-charged" participation, to improving sports infrastructure, and boosting tourism.
The ACT government pulled Canberra out of the race to host matches back in 2019 and in 2022 also withdrew from hosting training bases for visiting teams.
However the capital still has plenty to gain from the tournament's legacy, according to Women's World Cup chief operating officer Jane Fernandez.
"The Sydney Games focused on Sydney, except for football that was played around the country, but this tournament covers the whole of Australia, so every city and everything that comes with it is going to be felt right across the country," Fernandez told The Canberra Times.
"There'll be two billion eyeballs on this event, and the impact of that is significant."
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Fernandez has been involved with multiple Olympic Games, including in Sydney, and the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
She said this Women's World Cup will be the "biggest and greatest" event the nation has ever hosted.
The extraordinary power of the tournament was no less evident than at Sunday morning's traffic stopping festival of football on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the 25-day tournament countdown.
"The uplift from the 2019 Women's World Cup is huge, and taking women's football to new heights is what we're all committed to doing," Fernandez said.
"It definitely is going to blow everyone's socks off.
"We've seen crowds fill stadiums with 80,000 in women's football, and that's what we're going to experience here in July and August with over 1.1 million tickets sold already.
"This is the first time that FIFA has a standalone commercial set-up for this World Cup and that's a really important milestone to separate the women's game to the men's.
"Then there's the promotion of our beautiful countries Australia and New Zealand and this is also a platform to talk about women's role in society, women's empowerment, and developing female leaders, both on and off the pitch."
For the progression of the women's game, FIFA made a huge commitment by making the decision to individually pay players at this Women's World Cup for the first time, on top of the prize money usually received by the federations.
FIFA have also set a target to get 60 million women and girls playing football by 2026 off the back of the 32-team tournament.
"Hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup in the Asia Pacific region is going to find some amazing football talent, but also turbo-charge participation in the game," Fernandez said.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson predicted a 20 percent rise in participation nationwide, but said he wouldn't be surprised if that was surpassed, such is the impact the Women's World Cup could have.
![The Women's World Cup parade stopped traffic on Sunday on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Picture Getty Images The Women's World Cup parade stopped traffic on Sunday on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/78fdc9b6-b2a6-4c8d-a51f-681bf1756e37.JPG/r0_408_7642_4705_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Part of that growth is only achieved through the infrastructure improvement sparked by the event though, which Fernandez has said will leave a "phenomenal" legacy.
"It's like fairy dust will be spread across Australian sport, Australian football and the A-League Women will also be a beneficiary of that," Johnson said.
"When we talk about the legacy of the Women's World Cup, our vision is to have just as many girls playing football as boys by 2027.
"That's a very ambitious vision, but it's the right thing to do.
"What you'll see post-Women's World Cup is more investment in infrastructure, more fields, more participation, more women's leaders, and more general interest in the sport.
"I truly believe that this will be the biggest Australian sporting event since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games."
The Matildas will begin their campaign in Sydney on July 20 against the Republic of Ireland, with the World Cup final to be played at the same venue on August 20.
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