Fans flocking to Optus Stadium for western derby 57 will be hit with a double feature of sports blockbusters, with the amphitheatre outside of the ground to showcase the Matildas’ World Cup quarterfinal against France.
The cut-throat encounter between the home-crowd heroes and European giants kicks off from 3pm WA time ahead of a 6.10pm bouncedown between West Coast and Fremantle.
It means thousands of derby-bound fans are likely to watch some or all of the Matildas’ clash on the big screen outside the south-west entrance of Optus Stadium before piling into the arena to cheer on a different kind of football.
The country has risen behind the Matildas, with the tournament becoming the most attended Women’s World Cup in history already, as they ploughed through the group stages and produced a clinical performance to knock Denmark out of the World Cup at the Round of 16 stage.
Superstar and WA-grown talent Sam Kerr is also expected to make her first start of the tournament after making a substitute cameo against Denmark, returning from a shock calf injury.
Fans who don’t want to head across to Burswood can be swept up in the World Cup fever in Forrest Place, with the dedicated fan hub in the heart of Perth.
The mega screen has drawn between 1,000 and 4,500 soccer die-hards daily since the tournament began, and Saturday’s quarterfinal is expected to attract thousands more.
As well as the match on the screen, there is a range of family-friendly activities – an inflatable football pitch, live music and performances on stage, an official merchandise store, food and beverage trucks, snooker football, a PlayStation FIFA zone and foosball.
After the World Cup, pride goes on the line as the Eagles look to lift themselves off the bottom of the AFL while Fremantle look to extend their recent stranglehold on the derby.