Argentines hope for WC win over Aust hosts

Australia's round-of-16 World Cup clash with two-time champions Argentina will be extra special for members of Australia's football-mad Argentine community.

For many Argentinians, football is a way for staying connected to their homeland on the other side of the Pacific.

Despite a smaller presence than other migrant communities, South American communities in Australia are quickly growing, with the number of people born in Argentina living in Australia rising from 13,000 in 2016 to 18,000 in 2021.

Chilean Marcelo Veloz, who owns the City Tattersalls Club in Sydney's CBD, runs a community outreach program for South American expats in Sydney and will be hosting the official Argentinian watch party for the game on Sunday morning.

"Everybody loves Argentinian football so we thought we'd reach out to them," Mr Veloz told AAP.

"And we wanted to make sure that those students that have come back here felt that they've got somewhere safe to go and watch the game."

The club's Castlereagh Sports Bar has hosted watch parties for South American football fans in previous tournaments, including last year's South American Football Championships, Copa America.

Mr Veloz said football is incredibly significant for South American countries like Argentina and the game plays an important role for expat communities in maintaining connections to each other and their home country.

"People have a common interest for the sport," he said.

"It's a bit of a gel, it brings cultures together and gives people the opportunity to mingle and feel comfortable in a home away from home."

For many Argentinians, this tournament has added significance as it will likely be the last chance for their talisman and possibly the game's greatest ever player, Lionel Messi, to win a long-coveted World Cup medal.

Mr Veloz said no matter the outcome, he hopes Argentinian fans will come to his bar in droves and experience a true South American atmosphere when the game kicks off at 6am AEDT Sunday.

"I think that whether Argentina or Australia wins, there'll be free beer for a while."

Fans hoping for a more Australian-centric experience will be able to attend live sites in major cities across the country, after the jubilant scenes at Melbourne's Federation Square during the Socceroos' win over Denmark inspired premiers to organise public live streams of their own.