Officially opened today ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup getting underway in Australia tonight, the FIFA Fan Festival is the place where you can have a FIFA World Cup experience outside of official competition game venues, and entry is free.

This FIFA Women’s World Cup is a tournament of firsts. It’s the first time in 30 years a FIFA tournament has been hosted in Australia. Adelaide is hosting five FIFA Women’s World Cup matches, with China PR and Panama being based here throughout the group stage of the tournament.

Marijana ‘MJ’ Rajcic, former professional football player, both of the world game and Australian Rules, is involved with the FIFA Fan Festival program as part of a panel discussion hosted by Ali Clarke on inclusivity in sport in August.

The program features free concerts from Kimbra, San Cisco and Montaigne and a South Australian music showcase, along with dance and cultural performances. See Kimbra perform on the opening weekend on Friday, 21 July at 9.00pm.

There is a family-friendly space featuring a mini pitch for football clinics and demonstrations, as well as dart football, a reaction station, and other activities. Fans will also be treated to a showcase of the state’s exceptional culinary scene curated by local chef Callum Hann. Don’t forget to get a selfie with Tazuni, the official FIFA Women’s World Cup mascot.

Adelaide will host its first match on Monday, 24 July, when Brazil takes on Panama at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The FIFA Fan Festival in Adelaide is the perfect place to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup matches live in a World Cup atmosphere, whilst also enjoying an exciting football and entertainment program, that brings together the best of football, music, culture and lifestyle.

FIFA Fan Festival is open from Thursday 20 July – Sunday 20 August at Festival Plaza. Visit southaustralia.com/whats-on for opening hours and more program information – or visit fifa.com to get to know about FIFA Fan Festivals across Australia and New Zealand.

Opening times for the first weekend of the FIFA Fan Festival:

• Thursday 20 July: 12pm until 11pm – watch the Matildas live from 7.30pm
• Friday 21 July: 11am until 11pm – headline music act Kimbra at 9pm
• Saturday 22 July: 10am until 12am – watch England v Haiti from 7pm
• Sunday 23 July: 11am until 11pm – watch Netherlands v Portugal from 5pm

Quotes attributable to Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Katrine Hildyard

Excitement is incredibly high as the FIFA Women’s World Cup gets underway in Sydney tonight! This is the largest and most significant sporting event Australia has hosted since the Sydney Olympics. Billions of people will be inspired by it. And South Australia is an important part of this ground-breaking global story.

We know this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. It’s a chance to go beyond greatness – to honour the women who have paved the way, those playing right now and every young footballer who dreams big.

Seeing these magnificent athletes in action and celebrated for their strength and talent will be transformative in terms of the way women and the roles they can play are seen. This global event will inspire the next generation of footballers and help us to leave a lasting legacy – a legacy that helps to advance gender equality and create a more equal future, celebrates women’s sport and grows participation in football.

The creation of the FIFA Fan Festival in Festival Plaza creates a new offering, one that has something for all fans and one that will bring our community and visitors together to embrace this global event. Whether you are a football fanatic or someone who is just beginning to learn about the sport, the FIFA Fan Festival is for you.

Quotes attributable to Marijana Rajcic, former Adelaide United player

To see the way the FIFA Women’s World Cup has been embraced is amazing and a wonderful support for women’s sport. The FIFA Fan Festival has created a sense of a place where we can showcase Adelaide’s vibrancy and passion for football from grass roots all the way to the Matildas – it is just brilliant.

I encourage the football fanatics, the casual fans and everyone else who just wants to be part of the party atmosphere to check out the program of events and join us for a good time. Come down tonight and cheer for Australia who take on Ireland!