Bathurst soccer fans rejoice as Australia books a spot in the FIFA World Cup

After battling it out over 90 minutes of regular time and then 30 minutes of extra-time, the Socceroos progressed to the finals of one of the world's biggest sporting events following a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

One local fan that was watching on (for most of the game, at least) was Collegians third grade goal keeper Maz Stockdale.

She said she was thrilled to see a goal keeper in the spot light, with Andrew Redmayne making the winning save to secure Australia's spot in the World Cup.

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"As a goal keeper, you can kind of feel like [Redmayne] did. I've had a few moments like that put in front of me," he said.

"It was a good match until I had to go to work, so I missed the penalty shootout. I ended up watching the replay.

"Well done to them. It's good for all the soccer fans, especially the up and coming soccer players and goal keepers especially. It would've really encouraged them."

Australia coach Graham Arnold opted to substitute team captain and goal keeper Mat Ryan off for the relatively inexperienced Andrew Redmayne and the gamble paid off, with the Sydney FC shot-stopper making the decisive save.

The win for the Socceroos now means they will compete at the World Cup at Qatar at the end of the year, the fifth consecutive time the green and golds have played in the tournament.

Australia has been drawn in a group with France, Denmark and Tunisia, with the Socceroos having played France and Denmark at the 2018 World Cup.

And with Australia and New Zealand set to host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup next year, it's set to be a massive 12 months for the sport down under.

"You hear the talk about Australia at training, at games and with the juniors," Ms Stockdale said.

"It's put a lot of spirit and life back into soccer locally and all over Australia. It's a big achievement to get both the men at the World Cup and women hosting it."

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will run from November 21-December 18, while the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup will run from July 20-August 20, with the final to take place at Sydney's Stadium Australia.

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