For the opening night, a performance sent from the heavens, telegraphing to the watching world French panache, speed of thought and technical excellence.
For any who doubt that the technical levels of the men's and women's games are converging, here was the evidence in plain sight.
The victory, against the world's 14th ranked country who barely broke French turf, was of less significant than the individual moments of class.
Wendie Renard scored twice as France secured a comfortable win over South Korea in the opening match of the World Cup
Forward Eugenie Le Sommer helped the hosts get off to the best possible start by opening the scoring on 9 minutes
Les Bleues all but ended the match as a contest in the first half with three goals including two from defender Renard
The 2019 Women's World Cup got underway at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Friday night with France hosting South Korea
The opening ceremony before the match showcased performers representing every country participating in the competition
The first match of the tournament saw France take on South Korea in Group A, with Norway and Nigeria facing off on Friday
Performers wowed the crowds with a mix of visual displays, dancing and singing before the football got underway
The 30-yard pass out of defence, flicked nonchalantly first time to the flank by right-sided forward Delphine Cascarino. The same player drawing down another high, raking pass down with her right foot.
France (4-3-3): Bouhaddi; Torrent, Mbock Bathy Nka, Renard, Majri (Perisset 73); Henry, Bussaglia; Cascarino (Gauvin 70), Thiney, Le Sommer; Diani.
Goals: Le Sommer 9, Renard 35, 45, Henry 85
Manager: Corinne Diacre
South Korea (4-3-3): MJ Kim; HR Kim, Hwang, DY Kim, Jang Y (Kang C 52); Lee Y (Lee M 69), Cho; Kang, Ji, Lee; Jung
Manager: Duk-Yeo Yoon
Referee: Claudia Ines Umpierrez Rodriguez (URU)
Attendance: 45,269
Centre-half Griedge Mbock Bathy executing an overhead kick, five minutes before finding the net with a crisp volley ruled out by VAR because she was literally a foot's width offside.
It would have been a sobering night's viewing for Phil Neville and his players on the Mediterranean coast because a host nation which can sustain football like this take some beating.
The Americans have arrived here as favourites but they don't marry that speed and power of theirs with levels of skill quite like this. The French beat them in January.
The French captain Amandine Henry, whose contribution was stellar, had told her teammates this week: 'Do not dream. You have to be present on the pitch.'
She was the one who set the opening minutes of the tournament alight – arcing a right foot shot narrowly wide of the right post and then, just nine minutes in, providing the cross from which Eugene Le Sommer volleyed home.
Le Sommer rifled the ball off the crossbar and into the back of the net after excellent work
