Overview
History has been made! Following Australia's 1–0 defeat of Denmark, the 2022 Socceroos are the most successful FIFA World Cup team to ever come out of this country, advancing to the Round of 16 for just the second time ever with two wins in the group stage. Next up: Argentina.
This momentous match will be going down at 6am AEDT on Sunday, December 4. To mark the occasion, the New South Wales Government will be lighting the Sydney Opera House's sails green and gold from 8pm Saturday till dawn Sunday, making all public transport free from 4am–midday on Sunday and setting up an official live site to watch the match.
While this early-morning viewing time means you may opt to stay in and watch the match from the comfort of your couch, there are a range of spots around Sydney that you can head to if you want to catch a screening of the must-win showdown side-by-side with your fellow countrypeople.
To help you plan your Sunday morning, we've compiled a list of all the spots around Sydney that have currently confirmed they will be showing the game.
Jason Tong via Flickr
OFFICIAL LIVE SITES
The NSW Government's official live site will be at set up at Darling Harbour's Tumbalong Park. A sizeable screen ready to accommodate large crowds will grace the venue, showing the game for free, and neighbouring Darling Harbour retailers have been encouraged to open their doors early in order to keep the football fans well-fed and well-caffeinated.
In southwest Sydney, there will be a couple of viewing zones. The City of Canterbury Bankstown has earmarked Earlwood to host a showing of the match. Socceroos fans in Sydney's southwest can head down to Beaman Park from 5.30am, where there will be a viewing party with a barbecue breakfast. And, Liverpool City Council has arranged for the match to be broadcast live from Macquarie Mall, opening from 5am.
If you're in the Inner West, you're also in luck. Following a successful live site in Summer Hill for the Australia vs. Tunisia game, the Inner West Council will again be activating an official viewing zone. This time, the game will be shown at Enmore Park.
Steven Woodburn
PUBS AND CLUBS
While plenty of pubs and clubs had events for the Australia–Tunisia game due to its 9pm start time, 6am is less conducive to your local opening up. Despite this, there are a few that have already announced viewing parties. Following a shoutout from Australian coach Graham Arnold himself, The Sackville Hotel has renamed itself The Sacky-Roo for the remainder of the Socceroos' campaign and will be showing the match on Sunday.
Elsewhere, The Star Casino's 24/7 Sports Bar will live up to its name and have the game playing live (as well as the Netherlands vs USA game beforehand), and Bankstown Sports will be hosting viewing parties of the Messi–Leckie showdown across the multi-level mega-venue.
There are sure to be more venues announcing special opening hours to facilitate the game, so keep an eye on your favourite spot's social feeds.
Kimberly Low
CINEMAS
If you want a unique viewing experience of the World Cup, head to The Ritz Cinema in Randwick. The lush east-Sydney theatre isn't one to shy away from unique screenings, especially sporting-related ones.
It's previously hosted showings of the NRL and AFL Grand Finals, State of Origin and previous World Cup matches. Come Sunday morning, you can get comfy in a cinema chair and watch the clash. Tickets are $10.
AT HOME
If you haven't been tuning into this year's FIFA World Cup, but this run of success from our national team has now piqued your interest, the simplest way to tune in is from home. SBS is the official broadcaster of all games here in Australia.
The network is showing all games of the tournament live and free, both on its free-to-air TV channel and on SBS On Demand. And if you sleep in, you can always catch up on the replay on the latter afterwards.
Australia take on Argentina at 6am AEDT on Sunday, December 4. For more information about the 2022 FIFA World Cup, head the tournament's website.
Top image: Doozeydouche via Wikimedia Commons.