{"id":348754,"date":"2026-06-05T23:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T23:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/348754\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T23:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T23:42:10","slug":"aussie-aussie-aussie-oi-oi-oi-oakland-get-ready-to-hear-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/348754\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi: Oakland, get ready to hear it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you ready for Oakland\u2019s Aussie Summer? Not since September 1986, when Crocodile Dundee was the No. 1 movie in U.S. theaters, or since June 2015 when Melbourne-borne Andrew Bogut helped the Golden State Warriors bring an NBA championship to Oakland, has there been this much excitement in The Town for the Land Down Under.<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s biggest event in f\u00fatbol kicks off on June 11, with men\u2019s soccer teams from 48 countries playing in 16 locations scattered across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara will host four matches in group play, and in February, the \u201cSocceroos\u201d of Australia announced that they would be calling the Oakland Roots and Soul practice facility<\/a> their temporary home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mayor Barbara Lee called it \u201ca proud moment for Oakland.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans wait for Australia men\u2019s national team players to sign autographs after the open practice. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

\"\"Alexander Romero, foreground, takes a selfie with Australia midfielder Jackson Irvine after the open practice. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

On May 12, a gaggle of Oakland officials, including the mayor and City Council President Kevin Jenkins, joined representatives from the Oakland Roots and Soul, the Golden State Valkyries, and the Bay Area Host Committee to hoist a FIFA flag to mark the 30-day countdown to the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The gathered officials exhorted the crowd to cheer on the US team. And then Kim Bardakian from the mayor\u2019s office waved a different flag \u2014 the flag of one of Team USA\u2019s rivalsl in group play, Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving Oakland confirmed as our official base camp provides the players with a first-class environment to prepare for the rigours of a World Cup,\u201d Heather Garriock, the Socceroos executive director of football, said. \u201cWe look forward to forging close ties with the local community, both on and off the field.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s not just the team coming. Australia\u2019s supporters are also expected to show up in large numbers. \u201cAustralia has an incredible fan base,\u201d said Oakland Roots and Soul SC President Lindsay Barenz. As in prior World Cups, Australian fans make up one of the largest national groups<\/a> among the half-a-billion (that\u2019s billion with a B) people who have requested World Cup tickets. Even those who didn\u2019t secure tickets to the matches are expected to come to Oakland to show their love for the team, and watch matches at the many sports bars, restaurants and other venues in the city that are catering to soccer fans for the duration. (The tournament runs through July 19.)<\/p>\n

\"\"Australia team manager Tony Popovic, right, appears with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, waving an Australian flag, and Oakland Roots president Lindsay Barenz before the open practice on June 3. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

\"\"A sign welcomes the Australia men\u2019s national team, knowns as the Socceroos, to the Roots\/Soul practice facility. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

Oaklanders got their first chance to meet the Socceroos on June 3, at an open Community Training Session<\/a> at the Roots\/Soul facility. State Attorney General (and soccer dad<\/a>) Rob Bonta showed up, joining Lee, the Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft of Alameda, and around 900 fans to officially welcome the team to their new home.<\/p>\n

The Oaklandside spoke with Jamie Chreszczyk, a soccer fan who grew up in a small town south of Melbourne, Australia, called Werribee. Chreszczyk moved to the US in 2004, and became a Roots fan during their inaugural season in 2019 when he was living near Laney College, where the team originally played. \u201cIt\u2019s a little surreal,\u201d he said, to be here and have his national team nearby where he can see them.<\/p>\n

It makes sense, that the Socceroos chose to come here, he said, because the Bay \u201chas a sensibility that reminds me so much of home. The weather\u2019s the same, the language is the same, the food is very similar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Australia defender Jordan Bos takes the field. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

\"\"Australia defenders Lucas Herrington, 25, and Jason Geria, 6. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

The food here is about to get even more similar thanks to \u201cAustralia a la Carte<\/a>\u201d \u2014 a promotion the Roots put together to welcome Socceroos supporters, in which seven participating local restaurants will create menus using Australian ingredients. The event kicks off on June 6 at Bakesale Betty<\/a>, as it turns out Betty herself \u2014 otherwise known as Alison Barakat \u2014 is an Australian-born Oakland icon. She will be serving her famous fried chicken with Oaktown Spice Shop\u2019s version<\/a> of Chicken Salt, an ingredient Chreszczyk says can be found in every kitchen in Australia.<\/p>\n

Boichik Bagels<\/a> is celebrating Australia by offering customers a Vegemite spread. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an acquired taste!\u201d owner Emily Winston told The Oaklandside. But she said the strong-flavored yeast extract \u201cis growing on me, and because it\u2019s so savory, I like pairing it with our onion or everything bagels.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oakland Roots will then welcome Aussie World Cup fans to their own pitch at the Coliseum with a party at the Roots\u2019 June 17 match<\/a> against Birmingham Legion FC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Fans look through their World Cup trading and sticker cards at the Oakland Roots\/Soul training facility as they wait for the Australia men\u2019s national team to hit the field. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

To help fans of every nation find a place to enjoy the World Cup together, the Oakland Sports Group<\/a> \u2014 a consortium that includes the Oakland Roots and Soul, the Oakland Ballers, the fan group the Oakland 68\u2019s, the Oakland Marathon and the clothing retailer Oaklandish \u2014published the East Bay Soccer Trail<\/a>, a website with information about where and when to catch each match, grab a meal, or book a hotel.<\/p>\n

For Team USA\u2019s inaugural match against Paraguay on June 12, the Oakland Sports Group is hosting a free watch party at Raimondi Park<\/a>, home of the Ballers. Casey Pratt, a spokesperson for the Oakland Sports Group and the Oakland Ballers, notes that it can be expensive to attend live sporting events. \u201cWhat makes watching a game at Raimondi special is we can bring people together with free tickets and a giant screen,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is just the beginning of all the great stuff Oakland Sports Group are going to do together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Australia forwards Nishan Velupillay, left, and Nestory Irankunda collide while competing for possession of the ball during the open practice on June 3 at the Oakland Roots\/Soul training facility. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

\"\"Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan is unable to stop a shot by midfielder Conor Metcalfe during the open practice. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople should be hyped for the World Cup because it\u2019s the beautiful game,\u201d said Jorge Leon, founder of the Oakland 68\u2019s<\/a>, which is hosting a Mexico vs. South Africa watch party on June 11 at the Aloha Club in Fruitvale. In an increasingly unsettled world, Leon said, \u201cf\u00fatbol community is what unites us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Cup, which continues through the July 19 final, overlaps with the season of another sport that is wildly popular Down Under, Major League Cricket<\/a>. Oakland\u2019s home team, the San Francisco Unicorns,<\/a> is packed with Aussies and will be hosting league play June 24 through 28 at the Oakland Coliseum, and then returning to the Coliseum July 15 to 18 to host the playoffs and championship game. Among the five Aussies on the Unicorns is team captain Matt Short<\/a>, who also plays for the Australia national team.<\/p>\n

Unicorns CEO David White, himself an Australian who moved here to advance his beloved sport, notes that because of FIFA, \u201cthousands of people will be in the Bay Area who are familiar with the sport\u201d of cricket. He has been in conversations with the Australian government about how to engage the Aussie fans in Major League Cricket while they are stateside.<\/p>\n

With FIFA matches at Levi\u2019s Stadium, cricket matches at the Coliseum, and watch parties all across town, Oaklanders and Australians alike are in for a lot of good days ahead \u2014\u00a0as well as g\u2019days, mate.<\/p>\n

\"\"A Socceroo fan watches the Australia men\u2019s national team during their open practice. Credit: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

“*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Are you ready for Oakland\u2019s Aussie Summer? Not since September 1986, when Crocodile Dundee was the No. 1…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348755,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144,8450,1083,127,47118],"class_list":["post-348754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-oakland-roots","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}