9th April 2026
April 9 – AC Milan, Internazionale Milano and Juventus will play a series of pre-season friendlies in August at Perth Stadium after plans to stage a Serie A match in the Australian city earlier in the season were scrapped.
Milan are set to face arch-rivals Inter on August 5, taking the Derby della Madonnina beyond the San Siro, while Inter meet Juventus on August 8, before Juve take on Serie B side Palermo on August 11.
The fixtures come against the backdrop of some leagues pushing to take domestic European football to new markets. Serie A had explored staging a competitive match between Milan and Como in Perth earlier this year, but plans were dropped in December following conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation.
Similarly, La Liga planned to host a match between FC Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami last December – but those plans were scrapped due to organisational issues and fan backlash.
For Milan, it will be a third consecutive year in Western Australia, having faced AS Roma in May 2024 and Perth Glory in July 2025. As with those trips, the club said it will combine pre-season preparations with the usual commercial and fan engagement activity, reconnecting with a growing supporter base in the region.
The matches are expected to deliver an economic boost to Western Australia. The state’s tourism minister Reece Whitby said: “We are consistently seeing the positive impact these major events have on our communities – boosting our tourism sector, supporting local jobs and businesses, and diversifying Western Australia’s economy.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [moc.l1775730797labto1775730797ofdlr1775730797owedi1775730797sni@g1775730797niwe.1775730797yrrah1775730797](javascript:;)