Federation Square World Cup Screenings Back On After Premier Intervenes
Federation Square has hosted World Cup screenings for 20 years, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans.
Australia will play Turkey, Paraguay, and the US in the World Cup from June 11 to July 19...
Federation Square’s World Cup live sites will go ahead after Victoria’s premier stepped in to reverse the ban.
Melbourne’s Federation Square will screen World Cup matches again after the government overturned the decision to cancel broadcasts, which had been made over concerns about fan behavior.
On Wednesday, venue management announced they wouldn’t show games on the square’s “Big Screen,” the spot where hundreds of thousands of fans have watched World Cup matches for the past 20 years.
The decision sparked immediate backlash from supporter groups and football pundits, and Football Australia called for it to be reversed.
On Thursday, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the World Cup should unite people, not drive them apart.
“I disagree with that decision – and I am overturning it,” she said in a statement.
“There’s always a risk of bad behaviour from a few dickheads at every public gathering, but police and security will be on site, and there’ll be zero tolerance for it.”
“Now more than ever, people deserve more free stuff to do together in the city,” she said.
Clips of fans erupting in wild celebrations after every Australian goal spread widely during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as the Socceroos made it to the round of 16.
We are the sporting capital for a reason - let's prove it. pic.twitter.com/3KNWZiXG9x
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) May 7, 2026
The celebrations were marred by several incidents, with some supporters injured by flares and objects thrown into the crowd.
During the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England, fans broke through barricades. The incident led management to cancel plans to screen the Matildas’ third-place playoff at the square.
How dare we have scenes like this that went all around the world putting the City in the spotlight @FedSquare
— 𝒋𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒆 🇦🇺 🇨🇾 🫶 (@jenko0923) May 6, 2026
A truely backwards city and country. https://t.co/U8ZBOXAixn pic.twitter.com/iRUcqgRh0l
Australia will face Turkey, Paraguay, and the United States in the World Cup running from June 11 to July 19.
Allan said the state government would make sure Federation Square in central Melbourne had the backing needed to host the screenings.
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