Football Australia urges Victoria to lift ban on Federation Square for 2026 World Cup

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Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

Football Australia has asked the government in Victoria to lift the ban on spectators watching the 2026 World Cup in Federation Square this summer.

Socceroos fans have gathered at the square to watch Australia matches since the World Cup in Germany in 2006.

Normally a fun-filled, jubilant affair, there have been issues at recent events in the square and, as Australia qualified for the last 16 of the tournament in Qatar in 2022, it became a sea of flare smoke, while some people were injured by thrown projectiles

Following the chaos of fans breaching barricades during the Australia vs. England semi-final, officials also cancelled the public screening of the 2023 Women's World Cup third-place play-off at the square.

The Melbourne Arts Precinct, which manages the venue, said behaviour in previous years had been "unacceptable and damaging".

"After careful consideration, we've made the decision not to show the World Cup on Fed Square's Big Screen this year," said Melbourne Arts Precinct director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick on Wednesday.

"This is due to the behaviour of a small number of people at previous screenings which was simply unacceptable and damaging to Fed Square."

Football Australia has criticised the "disappointing" decision, calling on the state government and the Melbourne Arts Precinct to reverse it for the benefit of local businesses, Victorians, and football fans alike.

Martin Kugeler, chief executive of the governing body, said: "Melbourne is one of Australia's sporting and multicultural capitals, and this decision goes against this tradition.

"Federation Square has created some of the most memorable moments in Australian sporting history, dating back to the Socceroos' historic 2006 Fifa World Cup matches and the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup."

Football Supporters Association Australia chairman Patrick Clancy added: "The pictures and videos of Fed Square during World Cup 2022 went viral around the world. We want to see this repeated."

Australia have been drawn in a group alongside one of the tournament hosts, the United States, as well as Paraguay and Turkiye.