Thousands of passionate football fans are expected to descend on Wheeler Place this Sunday to watch the Socceroos take on the might of Lionel Messi and his Argentinian teammates in a World Cup sudden death match in Qatar.
City of Newcastle will host an open-air broadcast of the World Cup thriller, offering Novocastrians a chance to cheer on the Australians in their round of 16 clash with the footballing heavyweights.
The Socceroos cemented their place in the knockout stages for just the second time in World Cup history with a thrilling one nil win over Denmark in Qatar overnight.
They will take on Argentina at 6am on Sunday, after the South Americans defeated Poland 2-0 this morning.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the live site will bring all the action of the World Cup to Newcastle, offering a family-friendly way for locals to enjoy the atmosphere and cheer on their football heroes from home.
“Novocastrians are passionate about football and turned out in droves to set an Australian crowd record for a women’s soccer match when the Matildas faced off against Brazil in Newcastle a few years ago,” Cr Nelmes said.
“While we may be 12,500km from the action in Qatar on Sunday morning I expect no less passion from fans in Wheeler Place as they gather to watch the Socceroos take on Argentina in this historic World Cup match.
“City of Newcastle is thrilled to be able to host this live site for the community and I encourage everyone to don their green and gold and get down to Wheeler Place to soak up the atmosphere and show their support for the Australian men’s team.”
Newcastle has a proud association with the Socceroos, with records showing more than 75 players from across the region have taken their place in the men’s national team in A-International fixtures since 1922.
In more recent times, Newcastle’s Col Curran and Ray Baartz were selected to represent Australia at the 1974 World Cup, and were followed by Novocastrian Socceroos Graham Jennings, David Lowe, Troy Halpin and Clayton Zane.
Novocastrian women have also played a significant role in the success of the Matildas, with Cheryl Salisbury, Joey Peters and Emily van Egmond all representing Australia more than 100 times each.
Further details on Sunday’s live site will be shared on City of Newcastle’s Facebook and What’s On website in the lead-up to Sunday’s event.