By Ben Church, Matias Grez, Tara Subramaniam, Hilary Whiteman, Adam Renton and Patrick Sung, CNN
By CNN's Matias Grez
Australia's Women's World Cup opener against the Republic of Ireland set a new single-game attendance record for a women's soccer match in the country, with 75,784 fans watching the Matildas' 1-0 win at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Expect to see more attendance records set at this World Cup, with almost 1.4 million tickets already sold, surpassing the previous record set at Canada 2015.
From CNN's Ben Church
Australia manages to hold on to record its first win of this year's Women's World Cup.
The co-host had to weather a mighty Irish storm in the final few moments but defended resolutely when it mattered.
The full-time whistle was greeted with celebrations on the pitch and from fans packed into Stadium Australia.
Disappointment for Ireland which stepped up on its tournament debut, but a magical opening day for both co-hosts as they both take three points.
From CNN's Paul Devitt
Australia certainly has lots of support in Sydney for its opening match but, despite the game being held on the other side of the world, plenty of Irish fans are making their voices heard.
While many Irish spectators are already living in Australia, some have made the trip over to watch their side play in the Women's World Cup for the first time.
Oscar, Kerryn, Joshua and Samantha have traveled all the way from Limerick, Ireland, to be inside Stadium Australia — a roughly 10,800-mile trip one way.
To be here now seeing how different the game is and the people who have come to support, as well as our boys, it’s absolutely amazing,” Samantha told CNN.
They won't be too happy with the result so far and their team is holding on a bit now with five minutes left to play.
From CNN's Ben Church
Deafening sound inside the stadium as Australia finally has the breakthrough... but Ireland is furious.
The Matildas have been piling on the pressure since the restart and were rewarded with a penalty after Hayley Raso was clumsily brought down in the box.
Ireland's players protested the decision, but the referee had very little choice.
Captain Steph Catley stepped up and fired her spotkick into the top corner of the net. The crowd liked that one.
From CNN's Ben Church
Ireland gets the game underway again and has 45 minutes left to secure another shock result on the opening day of the Women's World Cup.
Australia will need to do something different after the break and the crowd inside the stadium expects a victory.
The co-host is a notoriously slow starter at the World Cup, having lost the opening game of the last three tournaments.
Can the Matildas deliver this year?
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland
New Zealand's victory over Norway marked the country's first ever World Cup win, despite the Football Ferns’ previous five appearances in the women’s tournament.
Coach Jitka Klimkova told reporters Thursday that the win “means so much” especially for the three current players who were part of the previous winless World Cup squads.
“Seeing them having tears in their eyes and enjoying it in front of their families and friends and fan, incredible moment for me as a coach,” Klimkova said.
Klimkova added that she “will never forget" the moment when she saw the reaction from experienced players.
"Finally, finally it came," she said. "Well deserved."
From CNN's Hilary Whiteman in Brisbane
An advertisement by telecoms company Orange and the French national team that uses visual effects to draw attention to the quality of the women’s game is spreading quickly on social networks.
The video is proving popular by making the point that — despite the pay disparity — women are just as skillful as men.
Targeting perceptions: According to trade sites, Orange and French creative agency Marcel sought to overturn prejudices that “all too often surround the players” — that the women’s game is less skilled and exciting than the men’s.
“Many football ‘fans,’ without ever having watched women’s football, have strong opinions about the level of the players,” according to trade journal Marketing Communication News.
For the Orange ad, producers scoured the French Football Federation’s archives for weeks to find technical moves by the French Women’s National Team before searching for their “exact replicas” during the men’s game.
The videos are cut together with dramatic music and screaming fans to give the impression of a male highlights reel.
The assumptions that women’s sports are inferior to men’s, so are less deserving of investment and reward, has long been an issue perpetuated by misogynistic attitudes among some fans.
In 2022, a survey of 1,950 male football fans in the United Kingdom by Durham University found that “openly misogynistic attitudes” still dominate football fandom.
Those with misogynistic attitudes saw women’s sport as inferior, and its coverage as “positive discrimination” or “PC nonsense,” author Stacey Pope wrote for the Conversation.
“Simply increasing the visibility of women is not enough to end sexism and misogyny in the sport,” she wrote. “What we need to reach equality and justice on the pitch and beyond is a gender revolution.”
From CNN's Tara Subramaniam in Auckland
New Zealand women's soccer coach Jitka Klimkova told reporters Thursday that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins congratulated the team after their historic win over Norway.
"He came to the locker room and he was very proud," Klimkova said. "It was a very nice moment for us to have this kind of guest."
New Zealand is known more for its rugby than soccer and Klimkova said Thursday she believes this World Cup will "wake up a lot of passion in football."
"I believe the performance and the result [will] keep inspiring the nation," Klimkova said.
"If we will have this crowd behind us every time we step on the field, that’s what we need. We need this kind of push.
"The fans for us are so important. I want to thank to them for coming and supporting us," she said. "I hope they will keep coming and the love for football will just grow in this country."
From CNN's Ben Church
Australia has struggled to lay a glove on the Republic of Ireland so far in this match -- the co-host has hit the target only once in its first attempts on goal.
While Ireland has defended resolutely, it has looked dangerous at times itself but has been let down by decision-making around Australia's box.
Ireland's Katie McCabe has been brilliant in the opening 45 minutes, leading her team's charge against the Matildas and getting stuck in with some strong tackles.
Ireland will be happy with the scoreline so far but will surely face yet more pressure after the break.