- Forrest Place to become the go to Perth FIFA Fan Festival site
- FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 begins today
- Western Australia to host five blockbuster matches at Perth Rectangular Stadium
- FIFA Women’s World Cup events secured by WA Government
The centre of Perth will come alive with activity over the next month as the Perth FIFA Fan Festival kicks off today from midday to late.
The launch of the fan festival comes ahead of the first match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 tonight, where people can watch the Matildas take on Ireland live when the match kicks off at 6pm WST.
The Perth FIFA Fan Festival, located in the heart of the city at Forrest Place, is a dedicated fan zone where Western Australians can visit for free and enjoy live broadcasts of world cup matches, live music and performances, football activations, and food and beverages.
Children aged under 16 that attend the FIFA Fan Festivaland wear their team colours will also receive free fairy floss.
Perth will host five World Cup matches throughout the tournament, which were secured with the support of the WA Government.
The first Perth match is between Team Denmark and the People’s Republic of China on Saturday. This match will be followed by:
- Wednesday 26 July: Republic of Ireland v Canada;
- Saturday 29 July: Panama v Jamaica;
- Tuesday 1 August: Haiti v Denmark; and
- Thursday 3 August: Morocco v Colombia.
Teams Denmark and Haiti are calling Perth home for the duration of the tournament.
The Official FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy visited four tourism destinations across WA from 7-10 July, starting in Perth, followed by Busselton, Kununurra and Broome.
The WA matches are expected to attract thousands of out-of-state visitors and inject millions into the WA economy, while showcasing the State to a global audience of up to two billion people.
The WA Government has invested $35 million to deliver upgrades to Perth Rectangular Stadium to support the matches.
Further investment has been made in WA’s new $46 million State Football Centre in Queens Park, jointly funded by the WA and Australian Governments, as one of two training grounds being used by teams competing in Perth during the tournament.
Perth is one of eight host hities across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, as joint host nations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.
Tickets are on sale at fifa.com/tickets and read more about the Perth FIFA Fan Festival at westernaustralia.com/FIFAFanFestival.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
“WA is the centre of the sports universe right now and this benefits our tourism and hospitality sectors, as well as the local WA sporting communities.
“We have some great sporting personalities and athletes coming through our State who inspire Western Australians young and old.
“It’s vital we have wrap around events to complement major sporting events being hosted in Perth and that’s what the Perth Fan Festival site is all about. Providing a place for people to come and enjoy the fanfare and follow the Women’s World Cup live.”
As stated by Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti:
“The long-awaited FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is a huge event for Western Australia.
“It will give fans and players the chance to be part of one of the world’s biggest spectacles, andthe largest sporting event to be hosted on Australian soil since the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
“The FIFA Fan Festival in the heart of the Perth CBD at Forrest Place will give the whole WA community an opportunity to come together and celebrate this historic moment for our State and our country.
“WA will see major tourism benefits from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, with visitors travelling here for the tournament set to inject millions into our economy.
“As well as all the on-field action, the FIFA Women’s World Cup is a terrific opportunity to showcase our State to thousands of visitors and up to two billion viewers are expected to tune in to the tournament over the coming weeks.”
As stated by Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman:
“It’s an incredibly exciting time for Western Australia, fans of women’s football and the footballers themselves as ‘go-time’ for this pinnacle event has finally arrived.
“I encourage everyone to come kick the football around on our giant inflatable mini-pitch at the FIFA Fan Festival in Forrest Place, or battle it out with our FIFA miniature players on football tables while soaking up the amazing FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 atmosphere.
“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is a unique opportunity to realise a truly meaningful and lasting legacy for women’s football, the community, and the State by highlighting pathways into the sport, boosting participation, and encouraging young women to play at an elite level.
“There has been almost half a billion dollars in combined investment in some of WA’s premier sporting facilities ahead of the tournament, to be used not only over the life of this event, but well into the years and decades ahead.”
