And the crowd swells as slow-motion replays of the Matildas with emotional, orchestral music plays on the giant screens around the stadium.
Memories of the disastrous Asian Cup, the Olympics, the emergence of new stars and the cementing of old ones. The criticisms, the comebacks. The rollercoaster Australia have been on over the past three years to get to this point.
Green and gold flames are spitting out from the field as the players emerge from the tunnel, cheered on by a gathering of Matildas Alumni lining the yellow carpet.
A bright white spotlight spills across them as they line up across the field for the anthems.
The Welcome to Country begins, delivered by First Nations woman Narelda Jacobs, who’s one of the Women’s World Cup Champions. She reads out a passionate speech acknowledging Australia’s first Indigenous players, and ends with a final declarative statement: always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.
I’ve already got goosebumps.
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