Watching the Matildas playing in their first Women's World Cup semi-final came with heightened emotion from the start, but one thing almost sent me over the edge.
Nearly all of the country watched Sam Kerr score an exquisite goal that night, including her girlfriend (and USA midfielder) Kristie Mewis who was sitting near me in the stands.
That arguably the most famous and popular woman in Australia is an out lesbian feels like a major milestone of queer representation and excellence, and one that would have been a game-changer for me as a child.
So does the whole tournament, which has been dubbed "the gayest ever" due to the number of players who have public queer personas.
Think Ellie Carpenter, Cortnee Vine, Caitlin Foord, Mackenzie Arnold, Katrina Gorry, Tameka Yallop, Emily Van Egmond, Kyah Simon, Alex Chidiac - these Matildas have all become household names.
It's not just the Matildas; Sweden's Magdalena Eriksson is dating Denmark captain Pernille Harder, and don't even get me started on how many queer Latin Americans there are at the tournament.
Canada's Quinn became the first out non-binary player to feature at a Women's World Cup during this tournament.
Madeleine Wedesweiler (centre) at the Matildas' Women's World Cup semi-final with her partner (left) and sister (right). Source: Supplied
But in a way all these relationships and identities also feel completely unremarkable, and indeed haven't been remarked on that much by press or fans.
It's normalised to be queer in women's football, which has long been considered a safe space for the LGBTIQ+ community.
If you met me when I was a child and you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd tell you I wanted to be the first woman to play for Manchester United.
I was so obsessed with football and I couldn't even conceive of women's teams playing at a top level, I'd simply never seen it.
I didn't see many queer people either.
It wasn't until my early twenties that I actually started meeting queer people en masse, and identifying as one of them.
Now, I'm super comfortable being a proud member of the community and I play on a football team that consists only of queers and allies.
The Assenal - a Sydney football team of queers and allies. Source: Supplied
Shoshana Booth lives with her wife in Sydney. She told me watching the Women's World Cup "feels like a vision for the future where not only is queer sexuality is not an issue, but it is openly talked about and celebrated."
"Attending the games and seeing how many queer women and queer families are there is meaningful, because there are very few spaces where queer families can be out in public and feel safe and also normalised."
The Matildas have had a pride flag at their training facilities for the Women's World Cup and in February they donned rainbow jerseys to celebrate Sydney WorldPride, for a friendly against Spain.
“To wear the rainbow colours, something that I’ve always been really proud and passionate about, is really special,” Kerr said in a video statement at the time.
“In being myself, being true to who I am and being really open with everyone about who I am, I hope the message that’s received by the public is a really positive one.”
As for professional men's football, at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 there were no out gay players.
Australian Josh Cavallo, who plays for A-League club Adelaide United, became the only out gay player in any top-flight league in the world when he came out in 2021.
Inter Milan player Jakub Jankto came out earlier this year, while Jake Daniels plays for Blackpool in England's second division and is also out.
This Women's World Cup has been special to Australians for so many reasons and a major national moment we will tell future generations about.
But I want everyone to remember the queer women who gave it to us.
