It's official: the Women's World Cup has infiltrated the lives of all Canberrans whether you like it or not. But let's be honest, we are all loving it.
Students at Taylor Primary School paused their schoolwork at midday on Friday to participate in their own mini World Cup.
Year 5 and 6 students have also been undertaking projects researching the Matildas and soccer, learning more about the event that has truly stopped the nation. Step aside Melbourne Cup.
Mustapha El Ayadi, coach at Weston Molonglo Football Club, said he will be missing players in his under-14s girls team on the weekend because so many of them will be watching the quarter-finals in person.
But he said he is happy the girls are making the most of a "truly amazing and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" where they will likely come back as better players as a result.
"When the girls tell me they're going to a game, I say 'OK, but make sure to watch the goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, or make sure you watch Caitlin Foord, because that could be you one day'," Mr El Ayadi said.
"It's an amazing way for our girls to learn, I train them in structures and I can say to them, 'look how the Matildas do it', and they listen.
"For as long as I can remember, there have been male soccer players who have their idols that they look up to, but now there is that for women, and we can support these women, and we really, really do."
When Mr El Adayi moved to Australia from Morocco in the 1990s, he said things were a lot different to what they are like today for women's sports.
He said the change has only made him more passionate about women's football.
"There are more people than ever watching the game, I'm getting text messages from friends who never paid much attention to football saying, 'these Matildas are amazing!'" he said.
"Mothers are playing and being mothers at the same time, people are openly gay, and there is a player from the Moroccan team who plays with a hijab. You would never see that years ago, and it's become more than just football now.
"My daughter who plays in my team, her and about five others have multiple Matildas shirts which they all wear to trainings most of the time.
"It's all the girls talk about, even to the point where I have to say 'okay, shut up now, we've got work to do'. But I love it."
And despite no games coming to Canberra, it seems most venues with the capacity to do so have been hosting watch parties.
A popular venue known for streaming sport, The Dock in Kingston, had even sold out of tickets for the live stream for Saturday night's quarter-final by Wednesday.
"We had a full house [at the first group stage game], with over 180 people here watching the game," manager Jackson Leckie said in July.
"People that came in definitely stayed in because it was such a good atmosphere and they wanted to be around with everyone cheering, and those extra walk ins we got ended up joining in on the party.
"[We've been] showing the game live from start to finish on all the TVs and projectors."
The University of Canberra, who has also been showing live streams since the first group stage game, is doing the same over the weekend following the success of every single other one.
"The atmosphere in the UC Refectory was great. We turned it into a mini arena which some of our portable grandstands, and the crowd really for into the match with some amazing energy with Steph Catley scored that match winning penalty," associate director of student experience at the University of Canberra Andrew Giumelli said.
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