This tournament alone has already generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the economy. Not to mention the outright positive social, mental and physical health ramifications of football inspiring a whole generation of kids to play sport.

less than zero return on investment

You could not be more wrong.

Here's an excellent article that explains it

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/sometimes-you-strike-it-lucky-how-a-25-cent-phone-poll-gave-the-matildas-their-name-20230517-p5d93q.html

The tournament has been a resounding success, and hopefully inspires many more Australians to enjoy the beautiful game.