Coachella has become the ultimate girls’ trip but this year for the guys it’s the World Cup.
The pilgrimage to the US for arguably the world’s biggest sporting event begins soon — and the hottest ticket in town is the Australia v USA group match in Seattle on June 19.
Many of Melbourne’s big names have snapped up prime position to cheer on the Socceroos.
Among the round ball enthusiasts are former footballer Campbell Brown, gun media lawyer Justin Quill, media mogul Craig Hutchison, former athlete John Steffensen, poker star and podcaster Jackson Warne and PointsBet boss Andrew Catterall.
Others heading over are celebrity hairdresser Joey Scandizzo and Nadia Bartel’s partner Peter Dugmore who is celebrating his birthday.
Also expected to be in the stands is radio host Clint Stanaway who on Friday announced the big news he’s becoming a father.
Channel 9 newsreader Tom Steinfort was due to go as well but had his visa rejected having been to countries such as Afghanistan and North Korea for his work on 60 Minutes.
Scandizzo is heading to New York first to launch Kings Domain Melbourne products at Andy Lee’s Old Mates Pub.
“It’s going to be a ripping few weeks with the NBA finals, World Cup, baseball — a weekend of sport and fun,’’ Scandizzo said. “It’s only on every four years, the World Cup is huge.”
Partner at top tier law firm Thomson Geer, media lawyer Justin Quill said for the record he was “not a soccer fan”.
But the sports enthusiast — who travels around the world to attend premier events — said the World Cup was the best “by a mile”.
“It’s better than the Olympics, it’s better than the Superbowl, it’s even better than my obsession with tennis and Grand Slam finals,” he said.
“This is the ultimate, the World Cup.”
So move over Coachella — where Bec Judd and friends boogie in the Palm Springs desert — the World Cup is this year’s ‘Brochella’.