2025–26 in Australian soccer
| Season | 2025–26 | |
|---|---|---|
The 2025–26 season is the 57th season of national competitive association football in Australia and 143rd overall.
National teams
Men's senior
Friendlies
| 5 September 2025 Soccer Ashes | Australia | v | | Canberra, Australia |
| 19:45 UTC+10 | Source | Stadium: GIO Stadium |
| 9 September 2025 Soccer Ashes | New Zealand | v | | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 19:00 UTC+12 | Source | Stadium: Go Media Stadium |
| 14 October 2025 | United States | v | | Commerce City, United States |
| 19:00 UTC−6 | Source | Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park |
Women's senior
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies (to be) played by the women's senior national team in 2025–26.
| 5 July 2025 | Australia | 0–1 | | Bunbury, Australia |
| 14:30 UTC+8 | Report |
|
Stadium: Hands Oval Attendance: 10,272 Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand) |
| 8 July 2025 | Australia | 3–2 | | Perth, Australia |
| 18:00 UTC+8 | Report |
|
Stadium: HBF Park Attendance: 10,657 Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley (New Zealand) |
2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup
| 1 March 2025 Group stage | Australia | v | | Perth, Australia |
| 17:00 (UTC+8) | Source | Stadium: Perth Stadium |
| 5 March 2025 Group stage | Iran | v | | Gold Coast, Australia |
| 19:00 (UTC+10) | Source | Stadium: Gold Coast Stadium |
| 8 March 2025 Group stage | Australia | v | | Sydney, Australia |
| 20:00 (UTC+11) | Source | Stadium: Stadium Australia |
Men's under-23
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies (to be) played by the men's under-23 national team in 2025–26.
2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification
| 3 September 2025 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification | Australia | v | | Xi'an, China |
| 15:30 UTC+8 | Source | Stadium: Fengdong Football Park East Stadium |
| 6 September 2025 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification | Timor-Leste | v | | Xi'an, China |
| 15:30 UTC+8 | Source | Stadium: Fengdong Football Park East Stadium |
| 9 September 2025 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification | Australia | v | | Xi'an, China |
| 19:35 UTC+8 | Source | Stadium: Xi'an International Football Centre |
Women's under-23
Football Australia decided to sent the under-23 team to the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship.[1]
ASEAN Women's Championship
| 7 August 2025 Group stage | Myanmar | 2–1 | | Phú Thọ, Vietnam |
| 16:30 UTC+7 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) |
| 10 August 2025 Group stage | Australia | 1–0 | | Phú Thọ, Vietnam |
| 19:30 UTC+7 |
|
Report | Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) |
| 13 August 2025 Group stage | Australia | 9–0 | | Phú Thọ, Vietnam |
| 19:30 UTC+7 | Report | Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium Referee: Mu Mingxin (China) |
| 16 August 2025 Semi-final | Vietnam | 1–2 | | Haiphong, Vietnam |
| 20:00 UTC+7 | Report | Stadium: Lạch Tray Stadium Attendance: 16,890 Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) |
| 19 August 2025 Final | Myanmar | 0–1 | | Haiphong, Vietnam |
| 19:30 UTC+7 | Report |
|
Stadium: Lạch Tray Stadium Attendance: 4,286 Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan) |
Men's under-20
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies (to be) played by the men's under-20 national team in 2025–26.
FIFA U-20 World Cup
The draw for the group stage was held on 29 May, with Australia grouped with Italy, Argentina and Cuba.[2]
| 28 September 2025 U-20 World Cup Group Stage | Italy | v | | Valparaíso, Chile |
| 17:00 UTC−3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander |
| 1 October 2025 U-20 World Cup Group Stage | Argentina | v | | Valparaíso, Chile |
| 20:00 UTC−3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander |
| 4 October 2025 U-20 World Cup Group Stage | Australia | v | | Santiago, Chile |
| 17:00 UTC−3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos |
Women's under-20
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies (to be) played by the women's under-20 national team in 2025–26.
AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup qualification
After their poor showing at the U20 World Cup in 2024, the beginning of the next cycle of qualification begins in August, with Australia in Pot 1 due to their third-place finish in the last U20 Asian Cup.[3]
| 6 August 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers | Australia | 14–0 | | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
| 22:00 UTC+5 | Report | Stadium: Pamir Stadium Referee: Dong Fangyu (China) |
| 8 August 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers | Palestine | 0–3 | | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
| 19:00 UTC+5 | Report |
|
Stadium: Pamir Stadium Referee: Haruna Kanematsu (Japan) |
| 10 August 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers | Australia | 3–0 | | Dushanbe, Tajikistan |
| 19:00 UTC+5 |
|
Report | Stadium: Pamir Stadium Referee: Dong Fangyu (China) |
Men's under-17
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies (to be) played by the men's under-17 national team in 2025–26.
AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification
| 28 November 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers | Philippines | v | | Zarqa, Jordan |
| Source |
Women's under-17
Friendlies
The following is a list of friendlies (to be) played by the women's under-17 national team in 2025–26.
ASEAN U-16 Women's Championship
| 21 August 2025 Group stage | Australia | v | | Surakarta, Indonesia |
| 15:30 WIB | Source | Stadium: Sriwedari Stadium |
| 23 August 2025 Group stage | Singapore | v | | Surakarta, Indonesia |
| 19:30 WIB | Source | Stadium: Sriwedari Stadium |
AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualification
| 13 October 2025 Group stage | Northern Mariana Islands | v | | Singapore |
| Source |
| 17 October 2025 Group stage | Australia | v | | Singapore |
| Source |
AFC competitions
AFC Champions League Elite
Melbourne City qualified to the League stage as runners-up in the 2024–25 A-League Men. The Premiers Auckland FC could not qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) number of matches won; 5) penalty shoot-out if only two teams remain tied and played each other on the final matchday 6) fair play ranking; 7) drawing of lots
AFC Champions League Two
Macarthur FC qualified to the Group stage as winners of the 2024 Australia Cup.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
AFC Women's Champions League
Melbourne City qualified for the competition as Premiers of the 2024–25 A-League Women.[4]
Domestic leagues
A-League Men
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for AFC Champions League Elite and Finals series |
| 2 | Auckland FC[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Finals series[b] |
| 3 | Brisbane Roar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Central Coast Mariners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Macarthur FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Melbourne City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Melbourne Victory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Newcastle Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Perth Glory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for 2026 Australia Cup play-offs |
| 10 | Sydney FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Wellington Phoenix[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Western United (W) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrawn[c] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) wins; 5) head-to-head results; 5a) head-to-head points; 5b) head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(W) Withdrawn before the start of the season.
Notes:
- ^ a b Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation.
- ^ The top two teams enter the finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth enter the finals series at the elimination-finals.
- ^ Western United's license was revoked on 8 August 2025.[5] The decision has been appealed by the club.[6]
A-League Women
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for AFC Women's Champions League and Finals series |
| 2 | Brisbane Roar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 3 | Canberra United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Central Coast Mariners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Melbourne City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Melbourne Victory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Newcastle Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Perth Glory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Sydney FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Wellington Phoenix[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Western United (W) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrawn[b] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) wins; 5) head-to-head results; 5a) head-to-head points; 5b) head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(W) Withdrawn before the start of the season.
Notes:
- ^ Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Women's Champions League as they are based in New Zealand, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation.
- ^ Western United's licence was revoked on 8 August 2025.[7] The decision has been appealed by the club.[8]
National Premier Leagues
The following teams qualified for the 2025 Australian Championship:
Australian Championship
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Melbourne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 2 | Sydney Olympic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 2025 NPL Queensland Premiers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Broadmeadow Magic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marconi Stallions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 2 | Wollongong Wolves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 2025 NPL Victoria Premiers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 2025 NPL Tasmania Premiers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avondale FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 2 | Preston Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | NWS Spirit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | 2025 NPL Capital Football Premiers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APIA Leichhardt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 2 | Sydney United 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | North Eastern MetroStars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Bayswater City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Domestic cups
Australia Cup
Retirements
- 3 July 2025: Jimmy Jeggo, 33, former Australia, FFV NTC, Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United, and Melbourne City midfielder.[9]
- 10 July 2025: Mitchell Langerak, 36, former Australia, Melbourne Victory, and South Melbourne goalkeeper.[10]
- 19 July 2025: Jessica McDonald, 37, former United States, Melbourne Victory, and Western United forward.[11]
- 28 July 2025: Marco Rojas, 33, former New Zealand, Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne Victory, and Brisbane Roar forward.[12]
References
- ^ "Australia's next gen returns to ASEAN Women's Championships". Football Australia. 10 July 2025.
- ^ "Young Socceroos' FIFA U20 World Cup 2025 Fixtures Set". the Mirage. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "CommBank Young Matildas opponents revealed for AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers". Football Australia. 29 April 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Melbourne City to enter AFC Women's Champions League". Twitter.com. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ Rugari, Vince (8 August 2025). "Aloisi 'devastated' as former champions Western United stripped of A-League licence". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Western United Club Statement". Western United. 8 August 2025.
- ^ Rugari, Vince (8 August 2025). "Aloisi 'devastated' as former champions Western United stripped of A-League licence". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Western United Club Statement". Western United. 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Jimmy Jeggo announces retirement from professional football". Melbourne City. 3 July 2025.
- ^ "Mitch Langerak announces retirement from professional football". Melbourne Victory. 10 July 2025.
- ^ McDonald, Jessica (19 July 2025). "What an absolute honor and blessing it was to have played alongside each of you! It was an incredible journey that was nothing short of amazing! ♥️ cheers to retirement!" – via Instagram.
- ^ Comito, Matt (28 July 2025). "Isuzu UTE A-League great confirms retirement in emotional statement: 'I'm ready... it's time'". A-Leagues.