In a year set to elevate European football’s global reach, the audacious project of hosting a regular-season Serie A match in Australia has now died. The clash between AC Milan and Como, scheduled to be played in Perth on 8 February 2026, would have been confirmed as the first competitive fixture of a major European domestic league ever to take place outside its home continent.
But what started as brash marketing’s coup de grâc ended in a heap of “unacceptable demands,” financial risks and high-level bureaucracy.8 Penguins 4, RANGERS 2 The Penguins closed strong at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night to gain a season-high fourth win in a row.
The notion of playing in Australia wasn’t some off-the-cuff marketing nonsense. It was born out of necessity. Well, AC Milan’s very own iconic home, the San Siro (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza), currently can’t be used for that February window as it will instead stage the opening ceremony of Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
With their home turf off limits, the Lega Serie A and Western Australian government saw an open goal. For more than 12 months they thrashed out a deal which would have seen the match played at the Optus Stadium in Perth and injected an estimated $280 million into the local economy.
Why the Deal Collapsed?
Ebrahim’s plan, who has received ‘green light’ from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), all 20 Serie A clubs and is also approved by UEFA in “a reluctant way”, met a late brick wall during final negotiation hours.
The AFC Factor
It is understood the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which oversees football in Australia’s region, had made a string of “onerous and unacceptable demands”. These conditions allegedly included:
To appoint the match officials: The AFC was said to have demanded that it would be in charge of selecting the referees (something which didn’t quite sit well with Serie A, as they wanted their own registered referees for a high-stake league fixture).
Sanctions and Conditions: Ezio Simonelli, President of Serie A, referred to an “insurmountable escalation of requests” which rendered the logistics untenable.
Mitigating Financial Risks
In a statement, the Western Australian government and Serie A confirmed that “the financial risks could not be mitigated.” Rita Saffioti, Sport and Recreation Minister of Western Australia insisted the state will not expose itself to “unacceptable levels of risk” from last-minute legal and political hurdles, despite being lured by the economic windfall.
Player Welfare Concerns
The proposed 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) round trip was also met with strong opposition from the dressing room. High-profile stars like AC Milan’s Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot were among those who worried about the toll that such an enormous travel commitment during a grinding European season would take on players’ bodies.
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Comparison: A Common Theme in Football
The cancellation mirrors what has happened in Spain. Just two months ago, the league was forced to scrub plans to play a game between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami because of internal uproar and numerous unwelcome questions about regulatory approval. It seems that while leagues are ceaselessly looking to sell their “product,” the leap from European clubs to global host federations is a frail and treacherous one.
What Happens Now?
Now AC Milan and Como, two clubs separated by less than an hour’s drive in the north of Italy, are seeking a “temporary home” for the match on February 8. If the San Siro is still in use for Olympic celebrations, the tie is likely to stay in Italy at a neutral venue or switched to Como’s home ground if logistics permit.
And the “dream” of Australian fans to witnessing Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leão and Cesc Fàbregas’ Como play for competitive points on home soil has been put on the backburner indefinitely
