Members of both bidding parties - Australia-New Zealand and Colombia - had to watch the announcement from their respective countries, with travel restrictions still in place due to the pandemic.

For both countries in Oceania, it meant a late night or early morning, depending on which way a 2am engagement is viewed. There was no sign of sleepiness, however, as the news came through to those congregated in the Football Federation Australia (FFA) headquarters.

Chief executive James Johnson was among those to jump up in celebration, adorned with an Australia-New Zealand twist on the contentious half-and-half scarves usually found at football matches.

It was indeed a significant moment for both the FFA and New Zealand Football. The tournament is set to be the first World Cup held in Oceania and is a tangible result of the investment and resources poured into the development of women’s football in the region.

The decision was also monumental for women’s sport in both countries. For the next three years, Australia and New Zealand will welcome a series of flagship events in women’s sport.

New Zealand is set to host the Women’s Cricket World Cup next year from February 6 to March 7, before welcoming the Rugby World Cup from September 18 to October 16. These dates are, of course, pandemic-dependent. 

Women’s sport will then briefly leave Oceania for 2022, which boasts a packed schedule of events such as the World Athletics Championships in Oregon and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, before returning for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.

The proliferation of events in Australia and New Zealand is yet more evidence of how seriously both countries take women’s sport.

In Australia, contracted Super Netball players earn a minimum wage of AUD30,000 (£16,700/$20,600/€18,300), while the average player salary is AUD67,000 (£37,300/$46,000/€41,000). They also receive other benefits such as private health insurance and maternity leave.

Women’s National Basketball League players are guaranteed a minimum base wage of AUD13,000 (£7,200/$9,000/€8,000), while the women’s football team are one of the few national sides to make headway in the fight for equal pay.

In November, the FFA and Professional Footballers Australia announced a four-year deal, allowing players to earn the same as their male counterparts. The Matildas now share an equal split of all commercial revenues and are able to travel business class for international matches, as the men do. Coaching and operational support is also being brought to the same standard as the men's team. 

The New Zealand women’s football team has already been receiving equal payments and prize money since 2018. The Black Ferns, the women’s rugby team, achieved a landmark agreement in the same year, with players able to earn from NZD30,000 (£15,600/$19,300/€17,200) to NZD45,000 (£23,000/$29,000/€26,000) a year.

Of course, the situation is not perfect, and many of the benefits given to Australian and New Zealand sportswomen are essentially basic workers’ rights and should be a given. Nonetheless, the Oceanic countries are at the forefront when it comes to women’s sport and are willing to put the investment in to bid for flagship events.

Not only do they bid to host the events, but they also organise them well.  

Although it seems like a lifetime ago, it was only in March that sport was taking place in front of spectators. This included the Women’s T20 World Cup, which was held in no country other than Australia.

Melbourne Cricket Ground, packed full with a crowd 86,174 people, witnessed Australia obliterate India in the final of the tournament. The spectacle epitomised the success of the competition, which was well-organised, well-marketed, and subsequently well-received. It was a masterstroke to organise the final for International Women’s Day, and book American singer Katy Perry as a performer to raise the profile of the event. 

Following the conclusion of the tournament, the International Cricket Council reported that it had set new television and digital records. The official social channels produced 34 million engagements and more than two billion impressions with fans, for example.

The women’s cricket team also seemed to produce emotional resonance among spectators at home. 

Market-research firm True North Research recently published results from a study ranking Australian teams based on their "emotional connection" with fans. Australia's female cricketers finished first, followed by the Matildas, the women’s rugby sevens team and then the women’s netball team. In fifth was the men’s football team.

What was striking was not only the number of women’s teams to appear in the rankings, but that they occupied the top four spots in the table. It seems unlikely that any other country in the world could produce similar results.

It is again a sign that women’s sport is perceived differently in Australia, and likely New Zealand. Through the successful organisation and promotion of the cricket, rugby and football World Cups in the next three years, both countries could also help the rest of the world see women’s sport in a different light. 

This could not come at a better time. Women's sport is expected to be severely impacted by the pandemic and there are concerns the crisis will lead to a loss of momentum in terms of investment and attention. The sporting events in Australia and New Zealand could be a real help in not only regaining some of the lost interest in women's sport, but attracting new fans.