The Socceroos returned to Australia for the first time in over two years on Thursday night and with it came a reminder of their still growing popularity.
Despite persistent rain in Western Sydney, over 23,000 fans attended the 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia at CommBank Stadium as they welcomed the team home with open arms.
Along with those in the stands, a further 447,000 fans tuned in via Channel 10 with that audience the 10th highest of any free-to-air program on Thursday night, according to Mediaweek.
Those numbers become even stronger when you look at specific demographics with the match taking top spot among those aged between 16-39 and 18-49.
The Socceroos game was also streamed online via 10Play and Paramount Plus meaning those TV numbers don't even paint the full picture.
ViacomCBS, the parent company on Network 10 and Paramount+, put enormous faith in Australian football recently as they secured a five-year deal to broadcast the A-Leagues and FFA Cup along with the Matildas and Socceroos outside of the World Cup.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported in June that all up Network 10's owners have invested around $300 million into showing the round ball game in Australia.
That investment could grow even further with the English Premier League rights up for grabs this month and ViacomCBS believed to be one of four serious bidders having recently wrapped up a deal for the FA Cup.
While the addition of the most popular football competition globally would be a massive acquisition for Network 10, their early TV ratings for the Socceroos suggest the initial investment will pay off.
Football is the most popular sport in terms of participation among Australian kids and that involvement is slowly but surely converting into more eyeballs on the local game.
As Thursday night highlighted, the Socceroos are a big draw card among younger demographics and those ratings should only rise in years to come.
Though still early days, Network 10 have covered the game strongly so far too with regular and captivating ads for football winning over old and new fans of the game alike.
After a tough few years for the game on and off the pitch, the future of football in Australia is suddenly looking very bright.