And Remy Siemsen was there, as one of thousands of fans cheering on the national team against Thailand from the stands.

The team's return to Western Sydney on Saturday, however, was very different for the 21-year-old.

This time Siemsen was on the other side of the fence, stepping onto the pitch, donning the green and gold herself and contributing to a 3-1 win over South American powerhouse Brazil.

She described her debut as surreal, with friends, family and her NPL club Manly United out in support.

"It felt like Christmas Day," she said.

"It's a dream come true. I've dreamt of this moment for practically my whole life.

"I've followed this team for so long, and I was definitely one of those little kids on the other side of the fence, cheering on the Matildas.

"I went to the last Bankwest game, when the Matildas played, and it was pretty crazy to be entering the stadium but as a player this time.

"I've looked up to them the majority of my life, so I'm still pinching myself I get to play alongside them."

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Saturday marked a number of milestones for the Matildas; Siemsen's debut, 18-year-old Bryleeh Henry's debut, Alanna Kennedy's 100^th cap and the side's return to Australian soil in almost 600 days.

Despite all the milestones, the players had to keep their distance from the crowd as part of Football Australia's bubble agreement with the NSW government.

Siemsen said it made her debut bittersweet but the fact several of the other players had not been able to see their families for more than a year was not lost on her.

And the atmosphere helped.

"The fans made it amazing, the atmosphere was electric. We were on the bus heading in and we saw all these fans going towards the stadium and in all their jerseys.

"I could just tell around the group we were just all so ecstatic and excited to be back on home soil playing in front of our friends and family and fans, so I think it was a really special moment," she said.

"It was definitely bittersweet, I think when you have such a special moment like your debut, the first thing that I wanted to do was go hug my family and my close friends that have been there along my journey but I was just very grateful that we could even have fans. It was hard from a distance, but I know that all the love was there, it was definitely shared and we all felt that.

"I know that for some girls they couldn't even have their families come in, due to border restrictions, so I was just really grateful that my family could be there."

The Sydney FC attacker is looking to expand her playing CV and has her sights set on playing overseas after the upcoming A-League Women's season.

But for now, Siemsen has Tuesday's rematch on her mind, and the chance for another glimpse into the support the Matildas can expect during the 2023 World Cup.

"We actually spoke about that as a group, we were saying how amazing the atmosphere was and we can't imagine what it's going to be like in 2023," she said.

"Every time Ellie [Carpenter] or Sam [Kerr] or even anyone in the team got on the ball, you could hear the roar of the crowd and it was just, it was amazing, electrifying I could say.

"So to be able to have that on our doorstep, with fans and friends and family, it's just going to be so special and I think [Saturday] night was just a small taste of what it's going to be like, so we're all very excited."