MCG to host Argentina versus Brazil World Cup qualifier

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is to host a FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifying match between Argentina and Brazil on 11th June.

Unlike exhibition matches generally played in Australia, the ‘Superclasico’ fixture is the final match of the COMNEBOL (South American) World Cup qualifying group, and while both teams have qualified for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, their long-standing rivalry will see the match have more significance than as a warm-up game for both teams ahead of tournament in Qatar at the end of the year.

The two nations last met at the MCG in 2017 in a match that attracted 95,569 fans - marking the largest crowd for a football match at the venue, surpassing the previous record which was set during a friendly between Liverpool and Melbourne Victory in 2013.

The Superclasico was created in 2011 as a two-game series between Brazil and Argentina before becoming a one-off match at a neutral venue from 2014. The most recent edition took place at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2019.

Announcing the event, Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula, stated “to have two of the most successful football teams in the world return to the MCG to continue their longstanding rivalry reinforces our position as one of the world’s great sporting cities and Australia’s event capital.”

Stuart Fox, Chief Executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club, manager of the MCG, added “we are delighted to welcome two footballing giants back to the MCG to dazzle Melbourne and Australian football and general sports fans, and in a World Cup year no less.”

Superstars Lionel Messi and Neymar are expected to feature in the game, with Minister Pakula all but promising the game's biggest players will be there.

Pakula told radio station 3AW “our expectation, based on the discussions we've had, is that players like Messi and Neymar will be here.

"We can't be 100% certain about that but we've been told this is an important preparation for them in the lead-up to the World Cup."

The last game between the teams, a World Cup qualifier in September last year, had to be abandoned early over players who officials said had not adhered to proper COVID-19 quarantine requirements.

Image: Brazilian superstar Neymar in action against Argentina at Rio de Janiaro's Maracanã Stadium during the 2021 Copa America de Futebol. Credit: A.RICARDO/Shutterstock.com