After a very anxious wait, it has finally been announced that the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

The joint bid by Football Federation Australia (FFA) and New Zealand Football received 22 of the 35 valid votes cast by the FIFA council members in the first ballot, with the Colombian Football Association having obtained 13 votes.

Japan and Brazil were originally in the mix to claim the sporting event, but both countries pulled out of the race earlier this month.

You can check out the voting breakdown in full below:

The #FIFAWWC 2023 hosts are @FFA & @NZ_Football.

Here you can find the FIFA Council vote breakdown. pic.twitter.com/uOxwl6ElL1

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 25, 2020

The result of which was announced by FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the early hours of Friday morning. Here’s how the FFA and our beloved Matildas reacted to the news:

"The host of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 will be…. Australia & New Zealand!!"

Cue pandemonium 🥳🤪#AsOne pic.twitter.com/JfqowJlDWg

— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 25, 2020

The Sydney Opera House also lit up this morning in celebration of the win:

And the @SydOperaHouse lights up after the 2023 @FIFAWWC hosts are revealed! 🎉

What an incredible moment for football in Australia & New Zealand. #AsOne pic.twitter.com/UhQr44SNTy

— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 25, 2020

The World Cup is scheduled to take place between 10 July and 10 August 2023 across 12 cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, and Launceston in Australia.

Roughly 1.5 million fans are expected to come through the gates across those venues for an average of 24,000 spectators per game.

The FFA is expecting to earn more than $250 million in direct revenue from ticket sales, hospitality and broadcast deals, and the flow-on economic benefits have been estimated at $500 million.

Tourism & Transport Forum CEO Margy Osmond said that after flood, fire, virus, and border closures over recent months, the Australian tourism industry was in desperate need of some good news, and that this announcement was like the sector scoring a winning goal in extra time.

“As Australians, we are known around the world for being sporting mad. We will turn up in droves to watch sport in whatever shape, form or fashion, and this tournament will be a welcome boost to tourism no end,” she said.

“A consumer sentiment survey commissioned by TTF and conducted by Newgate Research revealed that spectating at sporting events was the sixth most preferred type of tourism activity for Australians.

“But in terms of inbound tourism, to have the world game of football coming to Australia in 2023, we can only lick our lips as to the sheer volume of international visitors that will travel here, not only for the tournament but in the years to follow.

“We all remember the buzz of the Sydney Olympics back in 2000 – well, a FIFA tournament is right up there in terms of global stature, global attention and widespread economic value.

“From hotel bed nights, restaurant and café bookings, group tours and visits to attractions, to airfares, shopping, regional trips, and public and private transport use, this will be a massive tourism-led injection into the Australian economy.”

Osmond congratulated the Australian and New Zealand governments for securing the major sporting event for the Tasman region.

“Hosting a global sporting event seems like a world away from where we sit right now, but running from 10 July to 20 August 2023, the tournament is exactly three years away and provides us with a realistic mark in the ground as we continue to rebuild the tourism industry towards recovery,” she said.

“Our world-class tourism industry is more than capable of rising to this three-year challenge, and will relish this opportunity to welcome back international visitors and show off Australia to the world.

“And this trans-Tasman cooperation also provides additional drive to progress the trans-Tasman travel ‘bubble’ which is currently under consideration by both governments.”

Tourism Accommodation Australia CEO Michael Johnson said the 2023 World Cup will bring thousands of visitors and millions of dollars into cities across the country.

“The triple hit of drought, bushfires and the COVID-19 crisis has put our hotels in the worst position in history, so good news of this nature is extremely welcome,” he said.

“At the moment, JobKeeper is the only thing keeping the industry afloat, and the Women’s World Cup announcement is a great reminder that times will get better and things will eventually return to normal.”

“These huge international events are exactly the type of financial kick our industry needs to claw our way back to a strong position.”

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the first edition to feature 32 teams, and will also be the first to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand and across two confederations (the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation).

Featured image: Twitter/AsOne2023