Women’s World Cup: Co-host New Zealand beats Norway in stunning first match

Sydney/ Aukland: After a shooting in Auckland that left three people dead and six injured, co-hosts Australia and New Zealand kicked off the ninth Women's World Cup on Thursday with victories and record crowds.

The shooter was one of those killed, according to the police, and there was no longer a threat, according to Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand.

After an opening ceremony honouring traditional Maori culture that featured the well-known Haka battle dance, Hannah Wilkinson's spectacular goal at Eden Park was the deciding factor in the 1-0 victory over Norway.

The 42,137 spectators broke the previous record set by the host country for an international football match, Reuters reported.

Following the incident in New Zealand's largest city, the authorities increased the number of police and security around the stadium.

“Seeing the heavier police presence, I feel a lot safer now knowing that they’re watching out,” said Isabella Beeortegui, a 22-year-old student attending the opening ceremony.

“I’m so excited. The energy is crazy. Everyone looks like they’re super stoked to be here.”

A record-breaking 75,784 spectators watched Australia's Matildas beat Ireland 1-0 to start their season. This was the largest crowd ever to watch women's football in the nation.

However, they suffered a setback before the game began when legendary striker Sam Kerr, who is thought to be the tournament's face, was forced to withdraw due to a calf injury.

Up until 1970, women were prohibited from using official facilities in England, the home of the game, and many other nations also discriminated against female players.

But with significant increases in female participants and viewers around the world, the sport has gained greater prominence recently.

Many grassroots football club members, according to Tracey Taylor, a professor of sports administration at RMIT University in Melbourne, believed the competition would significantly increase the number of women participating in sports in Australia.

“They say it’s such a game changer for them in positioning the sport, not only globally, but also within the local community and raising awareness,” she said.

However, in many nations, the conditions for female football players continue to lag well behind those for male players.

The Matildas recently released a video criticising the "disrespect" for women's soccer that led to teams having to compete on artificial fields in the 2015 World Cup and prize money that still trails below that of men's World Cup competition.

In recent months, a number of competing teams, notably tournament giants England and Spain, have been at odds with their administrators about payment and working conditions.

Australia is a sports-mad country, and players like Kerr are well-known there. Tickets for home matches sell out months in advance.

“I’m sure that the whole of Australia will be behind the team tonight,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a radio interview with state broadcaster ABC on Thursday.

“I think that Australians are really realizing just how big this event is.”