Football Australia Slams Fed Square Decision to Axe World Cup Broadcasts

Melbourne ends 20-year World Cup live site tradition at Fed Square

The decision has drawn criticism from Football Australia and fans’ groups, who say most supporters are being punished for the actions of a minority.

Since 2006, hundreds of thousands have gathered at Melbourne’s CBD venue to watch Australia’s World Cup games on the big screen...

Melbourne officials are facing criticism after it was announced that Fed Square will not broadcast any World Cup matches on its large outdoor screen for the first time in more than two decades, with management citing disruptive fan behavior during Australia’s matches as the reason.

Since the 2006 World Cup in Germany, hundreds of thousands of supporters have converged on the CBD location to watch Australia’s games on the big screen.

Clips of supporters celebrating wildly during Australia’s 2022 run to the round of 16 in Qatar spread widely online.

However, the festivities were marred by several incidents, including fans suffering injuries from flares and objects being thrown into the crowd.

During the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England, fans broke through barricades, which led management to call off the planned screening of the Matildas’ third-place playoff at the same venue.

“After careful consideration, we've made the decision not to show the World Cup on Fed Square's Big Screen this year,” Melbourne Arts Precinct Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick said in a statement 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.”

The move sparked immediate backlash from Australian football analysts and a supporters’ group, who argued that the actions of a small number of troublemakers were unfairly penalizing the vast majority of respectful fans.

“The pictures and videos of Fed Square during World Cup 2022 ‌went viral around the world, we want to see this repeated,” Patrick Clancy, chair of Football Supporters Association Australia, told local media.

Football Australia expressed deep disappointment and called on the Melbourne Arts Precinct to reconsider and overturn the ban.

“Melbourne is one of Australia's sporting and multicultural capitals, and this decision goes against this tradition,” Football Australia CEO Martin Kugeler said.

“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.

“We are asking our fans to join us in calling on the Melbourne Arts Precinct and the Victorian government to correct their decision in the best interests of football fans, local businesses and all Victorians.“

. @FootballAUS has released a statement calling for Federation Square operators the Melbourne Arts Precinct to overturn its decision not to host public watch parties during the #Socceroos games at the coming World Cup. @ESPNAusNZ pic.twitter.com/lOawoOBg1p

— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) May 6, 2026

Australia are drawn against Turkey, Paraguay, and the United States in the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19.