Sunday will be no day of rest for excited Australian football fans as they rise at the crack of dawn and flock to public live sites to cheer the Socceroos against powerhouse Argentina.
The match will be Australia’s most important since the World Cup last-16 clash with Italy in 2006 and interest in the game is expected to eclipse other major sporting events such as the Olympics.
The Socceroos shocked the football world by beating Denmark 1-0 early on Thursday to secure a spot in the knockout stage for the second time.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet called the game a true testament to the Australian spirit, saying the players had been “tenacious in every tackle”.
At 6am (AEDT) on Sunday, Australia will face the might of Argentina and its megastar Lionel Messi in Qatar – but the unfancied Socceroos will have the passionate support of the nation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised a public holiday if Australia wins the World Cup.
In Sydney, the game will be live streamed on a big screen at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour from 5.30am.
Other live sites will pop up throughout the city, including at the Liverpool CBD and at Enmore in Sydney’s inner west.
While a much-hyped event at the Sydney Opera House forecourt did not come to pass, the sails of the Opera House will be lit up in green and gold from 8pm on Saturday until dawn on Sunday.
Public transport will be free throughout Sydney from 4am to midday.
Fans will again fill Melbourne’s Federation Square with noise and colour and other states are scurrying to secure live viewing sites after vision of celebrations went viral.
There will also be a public event for Canberrans to cheer on the side. The ACT Government have organised for the match to be live streamed in Civic Square outside the Canberra Theatre Centre early Sunday morning from 5am.
The governments of South Australia, Queensland and NSW, as well as the City of Perth, have promised to stage public live streams of the match.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews flagged a second venue could be set up alongside Federation Square.
Socceroos legend Craig Foster called on premiers to celebrate the team’s historic achievement in the quest for its first World Cup quarter final.
“Let’s get Australia out this Sunday to share the journey with each other in all our multicultural beauty,” he tweeted on Thursday.
Football NSW director Morris Iemma said the Socceroos and their fans deserved more recognition from governments.
“Unfortunately when it comes to football (in Australia), it’s often not thought about as the biggest sport in the world,” he told ABC radio.
“But this is the biggest tournament in the world.”
Thousands of fans gathered across Sydney in pubs to watch the 2am game on Thursday despite no public viewing site, with celebrations spilling onto George Street in the CBD.
Coach Graham Arnold’s local, the Sackville Hotel in Sydney’s inner west, rebranded itself to “The Sacky-roos” for the do-or-die match against Denmark.
“We’re celebrating for him,” Sackville manager Rob Squillacioti told AAP.
“We had a full pub when Australia scored. Everyone up celebrating, strangers hugging each other.”
Australians will be able to stream the match on SBS for free.
