Italian giants to play pre-season friendlies in Australia this August
AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus will travel to Australia this August for a series of high-profile pre-season friendlies, according to reports in Italy. The matches, set to be officially confirmed shortly, will see a Milan derby and a clash between Juventus and Inter take place in Perth, followed by a fixture between Juventus and Palermo.
The derby between AC Milan and Inter is scheduled for August 5 at Perth's Optus Stadium. This will be followed on August 8 by a match pitting Juventus against Inter. A third all-Italian friendly will see Juventus face newly-promoted Palermo on August 11, a fixture expected to draw significant interest from Australia's large Sicilian diaspora. The tour represents a significant step up in scale from AC Milan's solo visit to Perth for a friendly against a local side last summer.
The plans come after an attempt to stage an official Serie A match in Australia last February was vetoed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). As these are pre-season friendlies with no competitive points at stake, no such obstacles are anticipated. For the clubs, the tour offers a lucrative opportunity to engage with a growing international fanbase and expand their commercial reach during the preparatory period for the 2024-25 campaign.
For AC Milan, the derby provides an early test against their city rivals after a league season in which manager Massimiliano Allegri's side took six points from the two league meetings. Juventus will get a stern examination against last season's champions, Inter, managed by former defender Cristian Chivu. The involvement of Palermo, owned by the City Football Group which also controls A-League side Melbourne City, underscores the strategic links between the global football group's holdings.
The Australian leg forms part of the clubs' broader pre-season preparations. Following the matches in Perth, AC Milan is expected to continue its tour elsewhere, with no match currently scheduled against Juventus. The friendlies will offer managers a first look at their squads after the summer transfer window and a chance to build fitness in front of sizable crowds, with the Optus Stadium capable of holding over 60,000 spectators.
This initiative highlights Serie A's continued push to globalize its brand and follows other recent international ventures by Italian clubs. The matches are seen as a compromise after the failed attempt to move a competitive fixture abroad, allowing the teams to fulfill commercial obligations without disrupting the sporting integrity of the league season. For Australian fans, it represents a rare chance to see some of Italy's most storied clubs and star players in person during the European off-season.
