The road to Australian Open 2027 spans the globe, with a packed calendar of events and experiences bringing the AO to key international markets, all while a search for the world’s biggest tennis superfan is underway.
"The Australian Open is truly a global brand and connects with fans year-round, bringing the excitement of the tournament to audiences around the world," Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo said.
"Our strategy is simple – we want to bring AO experiences directly to fans wherever they are in the world and create ongoing, meaningful connections throughout the year – whether they are travelling to attend in person, tuning into the broadcast or following our channels.
The calendar of AO global events ranges from AO 1 Point Slams and the Asia Pacific Wildcard Playoff in China, to Ballkid trials in Korea and India, and major junior events in Japan and Brazil – many graced by the presence of the magnificent AO singles trophies – the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy. The global event lineup includes:
- Six-city AO 1 Point Slam across China, including Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu
- China Open collaboration
- AO Asia Pacific Wildcard Playoff in Chengdu, China
- Consulate events in Mumbai and Bengaluru and business networking events slated for India in December
- AO Reserve launches with Mark Philippoussis in Hong Kong and Singapore
- AO Travel & Experience business and networking events in New York, following a successful foray into the market with a symposium with the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco last year
- Ballkid trials and business events in Korea
- AO Junior Series South America in Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Dunlop Road to the AO Junior Championships and Asia Pacific Elite 14/u Trophy in Japan
- BOSS, new Official Outfitter of the AO will launch their collab range in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan
- "AO by the Quay" live site event at Clarke Quay in Singapore for the last four days of AO 2027, in conjunction with our broadcast partner beIN Sports.
AO 2027 will also introduce a brand-new global fan initiative, AO Superfans, celebrating some of the tournament's most passionate supporters from around the world.
Superfans is a unique content series that will capture the energy, emotion and excitement that make tennis one of the world's most passionately followed sports.
The top six superfans will be selected from a field of thousands of hopefuls. They will travel to AO 2027 for the experience of a lifetime. But their journey comes with a unique twist.
Each superfan's fate in the series will be tied directly to their favourite player. As long as their tennis idol continues winning, they remain in the series! The moment their favourite player is eliminated from the Australian Open, their Superfans journey comes to an end.
Throughout the tournament, cameras will follow the six selected fans from arrival to elimination, capturing their unfiltered reactions as they watch practices, experience the Australian Open behind the scenes and cheer on their heroes from the stands.
From ballkid trials in India and Korea to the expansion of the 1 Point Slam across China, AO junior pathways in South America and Japan, and premium AO Reserve experiences in Hong Kong and Singapore, the Australian Open continues to strengthen its position as one of the world's most globally connected sporting events.
Visitation fast facts
- The total expenditure stimulus generated in Melbourne by Australian Open 2026 is $722.32 million – this 27 per cent uplift on the previous year includes visitor and event organiser spend plus all attendee spend related to the AO.
- The Australian Open has generated more than $3.9 billion for Victoria over the past 10 years.
- Australian Open 2026 generated 705,239 bed nights in Melbourne, up 59.2 per cent on AO 2025, the biggest on record.
- 18.6 per cent of all Australian Open 2026 attendees were from interstate, 10.9 per cent from intrastate and 7.9 per cent from overseas.
- 90.6 per cent of visitors who attended Australian Open 2026 agree that the AO is a major highlight in the sporting calendar and 91.7 per cent believe that it puts the attention of the world onto Australia during the event.
- More than 60 per cent of visiting attendees would recommend visiting Victoria, indicating a positive perception of the region.
Global viewership
- Australian Open 2026 had a global cumulative reach of 2.2 billion people, with more than 781 million hours viewed.
- A record 136,769 coverage hours were broadcast around the globe.
- The top five countries by total hours viewed were Australia, China, USA, Japan and Poland.
- AO 2026 was the most-watched AO in the US in over a decade with 100m hours viewed. Viewership growth was achieved across all demographics, most notably with a 61 per cent YOY increase in 18–34-year-olds.
Media, Content and Digital
- AO social channels had more than 4.6 billion impressions.
- There were more than 142 million AO web and app visits.
- 1.1 billion impressions generated by more than 700 AO influencers – up 160 per cent year on year.
- There were 16 million total AO social followers – with an additional 6.2 million on China social platforms.
Tickets for AO 2027 are on sale via Ticketmaster.
*Tennis Australia commissioned IER Pty Ltd to conduct the economic impact assessment for the Australian Open 2026.
**Global viewership figures based on 2026 Futures Report.