Hobart soccer fans will have another chance to cheer on the Socceroos when Australia takes on Egypt in a knockout World Cup match this Saturday.
The game, streaming live from Dallas Stadium in Texas, will be shown on two massive screens in the city – one at the Odeon and one at In The Hanging Garden.
Doors to both venues will open at 3:30am ahead of the 4am kick-off.
Free tickets will be available from 10am today on the In The Hanging Garden website, with a limit of five per order.
Up to 1,600 fans will be able to gather across the two sites.
The Odeon will be fully seated and alcohol-free, suitable for all ages, with under 15s required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
In The Hanging Garden will be standing-room only with bars open and heaters running under the pitched roof, with under 18s needing a parent or guardian present.
Breakfast rolls from El Jardin and hot drinks from a coffee van on Liverpool Street will also be available.
The screening is a collaboration between DarkLab, ABC Radio Hobart and the City of Hobart.
DarkLab’s Leigh Carmichael said the community response to the previous two screenings had been overwhelming.
“We’re delighted to offer another live screening of the Socceroos this weekend as they take on Egypt in the World Cup,” he said.
“The atmosphere at the last two screenings has been electric, and there’s something really special about the community coming together to celebrate and support.”
“It’ll be a tough match, but the Socceroos might just go through,” Carmichael added.
The events have proven hugely popular, with up to 1,500 people packing the precinct last Friday to watch Australia play Paraguay.
Free tickets for the screening of the Socceroos versus the United States on Saturday June 20 sold out in around 40 minutes.
Carmichael said the screenings showed Hobart needed more public spaces for large community gatherings.
“[It is] really important for a city to be able to get the community together to celebrate sport, art, festivals, whatever it might be,” he told Pulse last week.
ABC Radio Hobart breakfast presenter Ryk Goddard, who helped drive the idea, said the whole thing came together in around two weeks.
“This community has such incredibly goodwill and it’s great to have fun,” Goddard said.
