As the Matildas prepare for the biggest match in Australian football history, cities around the country are racing to accommodate the legions of fans at live sites around the country.
The World Cup semi-final against England kicks off at 8pm AEST on Wednesday night, and there’s no shortage of places to watch the match surrounded by fellow fans.
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Melbourne’s Fed Square has been open to supporters as an official live site for every game this tournament, with massive crowds turning up – and a couple of flares to boot.
And Rod Laver Arena was also open to Matildas fans on Saturday night to watch the quarter-final victory over the French.
But that venue is hosting the Australian Boomers on Wednesday night, so Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed AAMI Park will be opened up to show the game.
“Big game needs a bigger stadium,” Andrews tweeted.
“AAMI Park. Wednesday night. Be there.”
Under the name ‘Melbourne Rectangular Stadium’, the 29,000-capacity venue has hosted a number of matches this tournament – including the Matildas 4-0 win over Canada – and has been boosted by video screen upgrades before the Cup began.
The last time the venue was opened as a live site was when the Socceroos faced Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – and was so popular that additional areas of the stadium had to be opened up to accommodate the flood of fans, despite the 6am kick-off on a Sunday morning.
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NSW Premier Chris Minns announced that two stadiums will be opened in Sydney as new live sites.
Commbank Stadium in Parramatta and the Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park will both show the match.
Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour has been the official live site for Sydney throughout the tournament.
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ELSEWHERE
The game itself will be hosted at Stadium Australia, with nearly 80,000 set to attend.
There have been no confirmed updates on additional live sites in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, but governments in each of those areas are discussing plans for new venues.
There is set to be a new venue opened up on the Gold Coast, while Brisbane is also expected to add another venue, as will South Australia.
The three live sites in those cities that have been used throughout the tournament are below.
Brisbane
•FIFA Fan Festival – Riverside Green, South Bank, South Brisbane
Adelaide
•FIFA Fan Festival – Festival Plaza, Adelaide
Perth
•FIFA Fan Festival – Forrest Place, Perth
