The Socceroos have made a brilliant start to their World Cup campaign, defeating Türkiye 2-0 and sparking scenes of celebration across Australia.
In Melbourne, Federation Square became the epicentre of fan festivities, with capacity crowds packing into the CBD venue for a Socceroos viewing party.
The atmosphere had been building for hours before kick-off.
About 7,000 passionate football fans, some covered head to toe in green and gold, had poured in ahead of the match, queuing patiently to get the best positions in front of the giant viewing screens.
Some supporters said they had waited almost 2 hours to get into the venue as anticipation grew before the Socceroos’ first World Cup showdown.
Some supporters waited almost 2 hours to get into Federation Square for the occasion. (ABC News: Costa Haritos)
The crowd was a sea of Australian flags, scarves and painted faces, with chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” echoing through the CBD as supporters counted down to the start of the match.
A smaller group of Turkish supporters were also in attendance, adding to the atmosphere as football fans came together to enjoy the game.
Among those caught up in the emotion was Socceroo fan Ethan, who said he had gone to great lengths to show his support for the national side.
“I grabbed whatever I could find that was green and gold in my wardrobe,” he said before the match.
“Hopefully we can give the boys some energy.”
Ethan said he had followed the Socceroos through previous World Cup campaigns but admitted he had been nervous about Australia’s chances on football’s biggest stage in this tournament.
“It’s a tough side. We’ve really got to get up,” he said.
In a move that dismayed football fans and Football Australia, the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation previously announced that screenings would not take place at Federation Square due to “antisocial” and “dangerous” behaviour by attendees at previous events.
But Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan intervened to overturn the unpopular decision to not host fan events at Federation Square during the men’s World Cup.
The lighting and throwing of flares causing injury to attendees was a particular concern for the corporation, which said it counted more than 100 flares left at Federation Square after the last Socceroos match it screened.
Ms Allan said she disagreed with the decision and that there would be “zero tolerance” for bad behaviour at match screenings later this year.
During the Australia vs Türkiye match, the ABC witnessed two flares being lit, with police dealing with the disruption swiftly. No other public disturbance was recorded at the time of publishing.
A fan lights a flare during the match. (ABC News: Costa Haritos)
As the Socceroos battled through a tense first half to score their first goal, every tackle, save and attacking move prompted gasps and cheers from the packed crowd.
When Australia secured its second goal after half-time, strangers hugged, tears flowed and supporters climbed onto shoulders as celebrations erupted throughout Federation Square.
Many fans reflected on how far Australian football had come since the Socceroos first qualified for the World Cup after a 32-year absence in 2005, before embarking on a run of consecutive tournament appearances.
Australia next plays USA in Group D (Match 2) on Saturday, June 20 at 5am AEST.
