October 30 – Chief Executive Luigi De Siervo remains bullish on the Serie A game scheduled for Australia in February 2026.
Despite backlash from fans and pundits, he’s pushing ahead with plans to play AC Milan’s home match against Como Down Under.
“It’s about whether we want the egg today or the chicken tomorrow,” De Siervo told Cronache di Spogliatoio. “Anyone developing a sports property must think five or ten years ahead. If you want to become an international league, you have to make unpopular decisions.”
The idea is to grow Serie A’s global reach, but memories of La Liga’s failed attempt to play a league match in Miami still linger. De Siervo insists Serie A’s situation is different.
“Unlike Spain, we have unity,” he said. “All 20 clubs agreed, the FIGC Federal Council approved, UEFA approved, and the Australian federation approved. We’re just waiting on FIFA and the Asian confederation.”
He called it a “small sacrifice” — one of 380 fixtures, 0.26% of the season. “We’re not going to Australia for money,” De Siervo said. “We’re going because there’s a community of people there who are no less worthy than the Curva Sud fans.”
Still, FIFA’s final approval remains uncertain. After La Liga’s Miami fallout, Zurich may be wary of setting precedent. But De Siervo seems ready to dig in. He said: “We respect the rules and believe we have the right to do so. It’s difficult for these institutions to find a technical argument to say no.”
If it goes ahead, Milan-Como in Perth would mark the first Serie A match ever played outside Europe.