Perth has landed AC Milan, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus, and Palermo FC for a three-match Italian football tournament at Optus Stadium this August, in what the state government is billing as part of a “Winter of Unmissable Sport.”
Tourism Minister Reece Whitby commented, “Western Australia is ready to welcome these giants of Italian football to Perth this winter as part of our Winter of Unmissable Sport, featuring unforgettable events that are sure to draw fans from around the world and place our State firmly on the international stage.”
The tournament, called Calcio Italiano, is an Australian-exclusive pre-season event supported by the Cook Government through Tourism WA. Three matches are scheduled across the first two weeks of August:
- AC Milan take on Inter on Wednesday, August 5th
- Juventus face Inter on Saturday, August 8th
- Juventus meet Palermo FC on Tuesday, August 11th
Two of the fixtures recreate Italian football’s most famous rivalries. The AC Milan v Inter match is the Derby della Madonnina — one of the most charged club encounters in European football — while the Juventus v Inter clash is the Derby d’Italia, a rivalry that cuts across the entire country and dates back well over a century. Perth getting both in the same tournament, in the same week, will be a spectacle!
The event is the direct result of a relationship that started in 2024, when Perth hosted AC Milan and AS Roma in a friendly at Optus Stadium. That match drew close to 7,500 people from interstate and overseas and generated nearly $9 million for the WA economy — strong enough numbers to accelerate conversations about something bigger.
Calcio Italiano is that something bigger. Much bigger. AC Milan and Inter are currently first and second in the 2025-26 Serie A table. AC Milan has won seven UEFA Champions League titles. Inter has claimed 20 Serie A titles. Juventus, with 38 Serie A titles and a social media following pushing 150 million, is arguably the most globally recognised club in the tournament. Palermo FC, founded in 1900, rounds out the field as one of Sicily’s most storied sides.
“Attracting these clubs to Perth for this specific event across a week is truly a unique opportunity for football fans in Australia and around the world to experience a global event in the winter months.”
“It’s fantastic to continue strengthening our relationship with Italy’s major football clubs, ensuring we can secure exclusive opportunities like Calcio Italiano and demonstrate that Western Australia is a world-class host for major sporting events,” added Whitby.
Part of a bigger winter of unmissable sports
The tournament lands in the middle of a packed events window for Perth. The same four-week period includes a Wallabies v Italy rugby union match under the Nations Championship banner, AFL fixtures, the Perth SuperSprint, an NRL game between Melbourne Storm and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, the Backroads Gravel, and the Avon Descent.
The government’s pitch is that stacking events creates extended stays — visitors coming for one event, staying for another — thereby compounding the economic return beyond what any single fixture would generate on its own.
Tickets
Pre-sales open on Tuesday, April 14th, with general sales from Wednesday, April 15th. More information is at calcioperth.com.
