Women's World Cup 2023: Can football shine in Australia and New Zealand?

Sydney's Stadium Australia is a strange place to watch football - far from the sort of place built with hosting a World Cup final in mind.

A cavernous arena of more than 80,000 seats and a large ring of grass surrounds the playing field, evoking memories of the running track on which Cathy Freeman won her historic 400m gold at the 2000 Olympics.

The view isn't great from some seats yet in the years since the Olympics, Australia's football fans have simply learned to make do.

It's not perfect, but it's symbolic: the site of the 2006 penalty shootout that that sent the Socceroos to their first World Cup in three decades, the Asian Cup triumph in 2015 and countless other victories there have made the women's national team, the Matildas, a symbol of national sporting pride.

Yet, with the 2023 Women's World Cup set to kick off here in less than three weeks' time, the fanfare that typically accompanies a tournament of its magnitude has been slow to start.

With the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australian Football League (AFL) seasons in full swing, only in the last couple of weeks have banners been hoisted and marketing events started in earnest - a fact not lost on ABC women's football journalist Samantha Lewis.

"I've had countless conversations with strangers over the past few weeks who have no idea that there's a Women's World Cup happening," she tells BBC Sport, "let alone that we're co-hosting it."

It's a telling snapshot that, with a World Cup about to land on its doorstep, Australia is yet to figure out its relationship with the beautiful game.

The next couple of months have the potential to chart a new path for football in a region where, despite moments of promise, the sport has seldom thrived and