He declared the tournament in Australia and New Zealand will be "the greatest FIFA Women's World Cup ever" and, while those words are no surprise, on this occasion they should ring true.
A record 1.4million tickets have been sold, with the vast majority in Australia, where there is a growing buzz about the tournament.
The excitement is building because there is a real belief Australia can go all the way, despite previously never getting past the quarter-finals.
There are clear parallels with England last year, when the Lionesses won the Euros, and one senses the Matildas will surely capture more of the nation's attention if they go deep in the tournament.
"I think for years to come this will be talked about, hopefully for decades to come," said Australia captain Sam Kerr before she was ruled out of her country's opener against the Republic of Ireland this morning. "You saw what happened in England with the Euros, so hopefully we can replicate that."
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