FIFA World Cup 2026 live sites in Australia: Where to watch the matches in public, fan zones; Socceroos fan reactions
The Socceroos have just kicked off in their FIFA World Cup clash against Paraguay and thousands of Aussie hopefuls have been turned away from one fan site.Hoards of fans had been gathering outside Melbourne’s Federation Square since early this morning, eager for the gates to open at 10.30 for the midday kick-off.AdvertisementBut with the venue already at capacity before kick-off even began, police and security are ushering large crowds down to second viewing location AAMI Park instead.Federation Square can safely host around 7000 fans, but a lot more were eager to get a spot in front of the large screens inside, to cheer their team to victory.If the Socceroos win or draw they guarantee progression into the last-32 and will be set for a knockout clash in Dallas at 4am AEST on Saturday against the runner-up in Group G, which is likely to be Iran or Belgium.Thousands of fans are congregating at sites both locally and around the world, to cheer their team to victory.For those cheering the Socceroos on locally, fan sites have been established across the country.In NSW you can cheer them on at Tumbalong Park, Cathy Freeman Park, Parramatta Square, Blacktown Football Park, Cirillo Reserve, Dyin Ngurra (Merrylands Civic Square) and North Bondi Park.In Victoria, there are fan sites at Federation Square, AAMI Park, Marvel Stadium and Broadmeadows Town Hall car park.AdvertisementIn Queensland, you can don your green and gold at South Bank, while in South Australia, Adelaide’s The Drive is the place to be.In Western Australia, fans are gathering at Northbridge Piazza and in the Top End, Darwin Football Stadium is hosting a viewing party, while fans in the capital can head to University of Canberra Refectory and Garema Place and in Tasmania, Odeon is the official local fan site.Today foreign correspondent, Lauren Tomasi was on the ground in Santa Clara, California, where a hoard of Aussies in green and gold were preparing to march their way to the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, where their team will hopefully knock out Paraguay’s La Albirroja and secure a placement in the next round.AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, locally hundreds of Socceroos fans were also lined up to the gates at Federation Square in Melbourne this morning, hours before the midday (local time) kick-off.A strong security presence has remained at the site to ensure fans behave themselves regardless of the outcome from today’s game.Today cameras captured footage of full drink bottles being thrown among the restless fans, with concerns for the safety of those at the centre of the burgeoning crowd.AdvertisementThe 2026 FIFA World Cup has already been a raging success so far, with crowd numbers of 3.6 million surpassing the previous record set in 1994.The record was broken during yesterday’s match between Ecuador and Germany, which was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, before a crowd of 80,663 spectators.The number of attendees at that game boosted the total attendance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches to 3,605,357, setting a new all-time record, according to FIFA officials.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe 2026 FIFA World Cup is also on track to reach the highest stadium occupancy rate in its history, currently sitting at 99.7 per cent.An estimated 15,500 Australians have travelled overseas to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the actual stadium presence predicted to be even higher.
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