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  • Tasmania
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Melbourne Bars To Watch the Fifa Women's World Cup 2023

Updated August 21st, 2023

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For the first time, the Fifa Women’s World Cup has landed in Australia. And while Brisbane might be hosting more matches than Melbourne, that doesn’t mean we’re immune to World Cup fever. With tickets hard to come by, the next best spot to enjoy the world game is at your local pub.

The largest Women’s World Cup to date, the tournament will see a full field of 32 teams taking to the turf. That means you’ll have plenty of chances to catch a game – and with soccer fans flocking to the city, you won’t be watching alone.

Grab a beer, don your Matildas scarf and watch as the Aussies take their chance at a championship win. (And we’ve all got a little skin in the game, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese all but guaranteeing a public holiday if Matildas captain Sam Kerr can lead the team to its first World Cup victory.)

This is a growing list of our favourite pubs where you can catch the games.

Related pages
Best Pubs in Melbourne
Best Sunday Roasts in Melbourne

  • The Great Northern Hotel

    Bar

    One of the city’s OG craft beer destinations, this boozer has dozens of indie brews on tap, and the beer garden is an excellent spot to work your way through them. We’d expect nothing less from a pub owned by Feral Brewing’s founder.

  • Lamaro’s Hotel

    Restaurant

    Lamaro’s is a love letter to long lunches and refined pub dinners. A woodfired grill lends the steaks their smokiness and char, while the rest of the menu blends classic pub fare with Southeast Asian and French flavours.

  • The Empress

    Bar

    Hit this north-side favourite for Italian-leaning pub fare and strong community vibes. When the sun is shining, the retractable roof peels back and the beer garden teems with locals seeking shade among the palms.

    Book a Table

  • Corner Hotel

    Bar

    You’re not a live music fan in Melbourne unless you’ve been to the Corner. The room – and its infamous solitary column – is rightfully an icon. But did you know it also has a killer rooftop and beer garden upstairs?

  • Hardimans Hotel

    Bar

    This art deco boozer was originally built to resemble a ship, which explains its striking, wedge-like facade. Snag a spot in the front dining room for a brewery-inspired menu of woodfired pizzas, and one unbeatable street-side vantage point.

    Book a Table

  • Builders Arms Hotel

    Bar

    Under the stewardship of star chef Andrew McConnell, this classic bar and dining room in a heritage building feels as vital as ever. Throw back easy-drinking lagers and cocktails with a burger or the rotisserie of the day.

    Book a Table

  • Prince Alfred Hotel Richmond

    Restaurant

    There’s always action in the Prince’s grand front bar, but it’s the breezy, shaded beer garden that really commands the crowds. It’s a south-side magnet, so get down early if you plan to eat your burger or a steak at a table.

  • Hotel Railway

    Restaurant

    Once a notorious pub with a chequered past, this north-side institution is now a glowing venue for special occasions, date nights and good times. It offers a Mediterranean diner, late-night vinyl-only bar and sprawling beer garden.

  • The Post Office Hotel

    Bar

    At this art deco pub, you’re just as likely to catch scruffy rockers playing in the front bar as you are a bijou wedding in the gorgeous dining hall. This place is a beautiful mixed bag, just like Coburg itself. If you’re eating here, expect elegant pub dishes and a specials board devoted to gnocchi.

  • The Terminus

    Restaurant

    Kick back in the beer garden or balcony bar and enjoy city refinement in a country setting at this historic gastropub.

  • Hawker Hall

    Restaurant

    A buzzing food and beer hall inspired by Singaporean and Malaysian hawker halls. Work your way through a hit-list of hawker market dishes. Expect various dishes of noodles, rice, roti and curry (from the trusted team behind Chin Chin, Society and Baby Pizza). Plus, order lots of easy-drinking beers. Bookings recommended.

    Book a Table

  • Yakimono

    Restaurant

    Enter the cyberpunk facade to find Chris Lucas’s two-level Japanese diner. Watch chefs turn skewered meat over jumping flames, slurp your noodles and call it good manners (it is in Japan), and sip cocktails named after Tokyo’s neighbourhoods. Book your table for the game here.

  • The Orrong Hotel

    Bar

    Shuttered for years, this classic pub was carefully restored to its former glory by a crack team of publicans. Find hibachi-grilled skewers, classic prawn cocktails, a coolroom turned pool room and a knock-off-ready courtyard.