State Government expected to announce Optus Stadium to host one of Matildas Olympic qualifiers in Perth

The Matildas’ Perth visit and Sam Kerr’s homecoming is set for a new venue as demand for tickets appears to have forced a change in stadium. Premier Roger Cook has called a press conference for 12.30pm at Optus Stadium, where it is expected he and Football Australia will announce the Matildas will play one of their three games at the 60,000-seat stadium. The West Australian understands matchday two of their three Olympic qualifier double-headers - a 3pm kick-off on Sunday October 29 - is slated to be moved to Optus Stadium, after tickets were exhausted for all three matchdays at HBF Park. This would pave the way for almost 40,000 extra seats to be made available for the matchday, which will feature both Australia vs The Philippines and Iran vs Chinese Taipei. Fans who previously brought tickets for matchday two at HBF Park or who purchased a three-day pass would likely be prioritised and receive special access to tickets. The Matildas’ first matches in Perth since 2018 were previously locked in at HBF Park, the venue for all three of their Olympic qualifiers in late October and early November, but tickets for all three matchdays sold out quickly in the wake of their captivating Women’s World Cup campaign. If Optus Stadium was to host the game, it would be required to meet strict FIFA and International Olympic Committee protocols. Football Australia chief executive James Johnson told The West Australian in August while his preference was for all three games to remain at HBF Park, he was not opposed to moving games to Optus Stadium if Football Australia was confident they could sell out the ground. “We’d need to talk to Tourism WA, the Department of the Premier and also the Asian Football Confederation as well,” Johnson said at the time. “But if there is a demand and if we feel that we’re going to be able to sell-out Optus Stadium, of course we’d be open to exploring that.” The Matildas’ World Cup opener was moved from the smaller Sydney Football Stadium to the much-larger, oval-shaped Stadium Australia, and Johnson previously said if the demand was there, they would consider a move. “You saw first-hand advocacy around shifting the opening Matildas match of the Women’s World Cup from Sydney Football Stadium to Stadium Australia because the data showed me that tickets were strong and we’d already effectively sold Sydney Football Stadium out,” he said. “There was commercial logic to shift that match to Stadium Australia because the demand was there. So I’m not afraid to make those kinds of decisions. “You’re weighing up a smaller audience potentially that are going to have an amazing experience because we’re in the right type of stadium for a football match, against potentially access and the ability of the community to come and watch the team live.” The games take place during a FIFA international window, meaning stars like Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley and Mackenzie Arnold will likely form part of the squad. The Matildas are joined in their Olympic qualifying group by The Philippines, Iran and Chinese Taipei, and all group games will be played in Perth. All three fixtures are double-headers, meaning Perth fans will get two games on each matchday.