I'm more nervous for them than I would be playing myself.
On a Saturday night in Western Australia, fifteen thousand voices gathered at Perth Rectangular Stadium to witness the opening of the FIFA Women's World Cup — a moment that placed a city long at the edge of the world's sporting map squarely at its centre. The tournament arrives without Australia's luminous captain Sam Kerr, sidelined by injury, yet the absence of one star has done little to dim the collective light. Perth, already transformed by a wave of international football, now hosts nine nations competing before a potential global audience of two billion, a reminder that sport's deepest power lies not in any single player, but in the human longing to gather and witness.
- Sam Kerr's calf injury casts a shadow over Australia's campaign, leaving the nation's most beloved footballer watching from the sidelines as the tournament she helped build anticipation for unfolds without her.
- Fifteen thousand fans filled the stadium hours before kick-off, among them former Chinese goalkeeper Zhao Lina — now a TikTok star — who confessed she was more nervous watching than she ever was playing.
- Perth is riding a sports boom, with over 70,000 fans having already turned out for EPL exhibition matches, signalling that the city's appetite for world-class football has outgrown its reputation as a remote outpost.
- Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti confirmed visitors from 24 countries have descended on Perth, injecting energy and revenue into hotels, restaurants, and local businesses across the city.
- Four more World Cup matches remain on Perth's calendar through early August, with the city's infrastructure, crowds, and global broadcast reach all pointing toward a month that could redefine its place in international sport.
When fifteen thousand fans filled Perth Rectangular Stadium on Saturday night, many had been waiting outside the gates for hours — flags and scarves in hand. Among them was Zhao Lina, once a goalkeeper for China's national team and now a TikTok personality with over a million followers, attending her first match in Perth to watch her former teammates compete. "I'm more nervous for them than I would be playing myself," she said.
The match between Denmark and China marked the beginning of the FIFA Women's World Cup in Western Australia, though it arrived under the shadow of Sam Kerr's absence. Australia's captain and most recognisable star has been ruled out with a calf injury, her return date uncertain. When asked in Brisbane whether her World Cup was over, Kerr was firm: "Definitely not." Still, the tournament has moved forward without her, and Perth has embraced it fully.
Over the coming weeks, the city will host four more matches as nine nations chase a place in the round of 16. Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti noted that visitors from 24 countries have already arrived, filling the city's hotels and restaurants. The World Cup follows a remarkable run of international football in Perth — Tottenham and West Ham recently drew more than 70,000 fans across two EPL exhibition matches, with both clubs also running coaching clinics at local schools.
"Events like these are brilliant for bringing our community together," Saffioti said, pointing to the clinics as the kind of experience young players carry with them for life. With matches scheduled through early August and a potential global broadcast audience of two billion, Perth has stepped, briefly but unmistakably, onto the world's sporting stage.
The Perth Rectangular Stadium filled with 15,000 voices on Saturday night, a crowd that had begun gathering hours before the Denmark-China match kicked off. Two hundred fans stood outside the gates in the hours before play, waving flags and scarves, among them Zhao Lina, who once guarded the goal for China's national team. Now a TikTok personality with more than 1.3 million followers, she had come to Perth for the first time to watch her former teammates compete. "I'm a loyal fan of the team as I'm an ex-player," she said. "I'm more nervous for them than I would be playing myself. The competition is very strong."
The match marked the opening of the FIFA Women's World Cup in Western Australia, a tournament that has arrived without Australia's most recognizable player. Sam Kerr, the captain and the team's brightest star, remains sidelined by a calf injury. She was ruled out of Australia's upcoming match against Nigeria in Brisbane on Thursday, with uncertainty hanging over whether she would be fit for the Canada game in Melbourne four days after that. When asked on arrival in Brisbane whether her World Cup was finished, Kerr was definitive: "Definitely not." But her absence has not dampened the momentum that the tournament has brought to the city.
Over the next two weeks, Perth will host four more matches as nine countries compete for advancement to the round of 16. The games will be broadcast globally to as many as two billion viewers, and the economic impact has already begun to register. Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti noted that travellers from 24 different countries have flown into Perth to attend the matches, filling hotels, restaurants, bars, and local businesses. The tournament arrives on the heels of a sports boom that has already transformed the city's summer calendar. Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, both English Premier League clubs, recently played exhibition matches at Optus Stadium that drew more than 70,000 fans across the two games. Tottenham's squad included Harry Kane and was managed by Ange Postecoglou, an Australian coach who has become a significant draw in his own right.
The EPL clubs did more than play matches. They conducted coaching clinics at local schools and football clubs, giving young players an experience that many will remember for years. Saffioti described the effect as one of sport's greatest gifts: the power to bring a community together and inspire the next generation. "Events like these are brilliant for bringing our community together," she said. "It was so great to see both EPL clubs engaging with local schools and football clubs to take coaching clinics and give our next generation of stars an experience they will never forget."
The calendar ahead is dense with matches. Canada will play the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday. Panama faces Jamaica on Saturday. Haiti and Denmark will meet on August 1, followed by Morocco against Colombia on August 3. All games are being played at HBF Park, which has been renamed Perth Rectangular Stadium for the duration of the tournament. The infrastructure is in place, the crowds are arriving, and the global attention is fixed on a city that, for the next month, has become one of the world's stages for women's football.
Notable Quotes
I'm more nervous for them than I would be playing myself. The competition is very strong.— Zhao Lina, former China goalkeeper
Definitely not— Sam Kerr, on whether her World Cup was over
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a Women's World Cup match in Perth matter to anyone outside Western Australia?
Because it signals something shifting in how sport is valued and where it's played. A city that might have been overlooked a decade ago is now hosting matches broadcast to two billion people. That's visibility and economic reality at once.
But Sam Kerr isn't playing. Doesn't that undercut the whole thing?
It would seem that way, but the 15,000 people who showed up suggest otherwise. The tournament itself has become the draw, not just one player. Though you can feel the question mark—everyone's waiting to see if she'll be back.
What's the connection between the EPL games and the World Cup?
They're part of the same strategy. Perth is positioning itself as a destination for major sporting events. The EPL clubs came, drew 70,000 fans, ran coaching clinics, spent money in the city. Now the World Cup arrives. It's momentum building on momentum.
Is this sustainable, or is it a summer spike?
That depends on whether the city can convert interest into infrastructure and ongoing investment. The coaching clinics matter because they're planting seeds—kids who might become players, fans, or simply people who remember Perth as a place where world-class sport happens.
Who is Zhao Lina, and why is her presence significant?
She's a former goalkeeper for China, now a major social media personality. Her being there—nervous, invested, traveling to Perth for the first time—shows that the tournament is drawing not just casual fans but people with deep connections to the sport. She represents the global reach of what's happening in that stadium.