2025 Australian Championship

Australian Championship
Season2025
Dates10 October – 6 December 2025
2026 →

The 2025 Australian Championship will be the first edition of the Australian Championship, a national second-tier competition of soccer in Australia, held after the finish of the second-tier 2025 National Premier Leagues season.[1]

The tournament will consist of six home-and-away matches in four groups for teams in the group stage, culminating in a knockout finals series, and will begin on 10 October 2025 and end on 6 December 2025.[2][3]

Teams

Sixteen teams will compete in the tournament, eight Foundation Clubs[4] and Premiers from the eight 2025 National Premier Leagues competitions, which will be determined by mid-September.[5]

Locations of the 2025 Australian Championship clubs in Sydney
Locations of the 2025 Australian Championship clubs in Melbourne

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[6] The semi-finals and final are scheduled to be played at a neutral venue.

Round Dates
Group stage 10 October–16 November
Quarter-finals 22–23 November
Semi-finals 23 November
Final 6 December

Group stage

The draw was made on 1 May 2025, at which point none of the NPL winners had been decided.[2] Four of the foundation clubs (APIA Leichhardt, Avondale, Marconi Stallions and South Melbourne) were seeded into position 1 of the groups.

Group A

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
First match(es) will be played: 10 October. Source: NNSWF
Home \ Away SOU SYO QLD BRO
South Melbourne
Sydney Olympic
NPL Queensland Premiers
Broadmeadow Magic
Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
12 October 1 Broadmeadow Magic v NPL Queensland Premiers Newcastle
13:00 Source Stadium: Magic Park
19 October 2 South Melbourne v NPL Queensland Premiers Melbourne
16:30 Source Stadium: Lakeside Stadium
26 October 3 NPL Queensland Premiers v Sydney Olympic
Source
2 November 4 NPL Queensland Premiers v Broadmeadow Magic
Source
8 November 5 Sydney Olympic v NPL Queensland Premiers Sydney
13:00 Source Stadium: Jubilee Oval
16 November 6 NPL Queensland Premiers v South Melbourne
Source

Group B

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
First match(es) will be played: in October. Source: NNSWF
Home \ Away MAR WOL VIC TAS
Marconi Stallions
Wollongong Wolves
NPL Victoria Premiers
NPL Tasmania Premiers
Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
11 October 1 v
Source
12 October 1 v
Source
18 October 2 Marconi Stallions v NPL Tasmania Premiers Sydney
13:00 Source Stadium: Marconi Stadium
18 October 2 Wollongong Wolves v NPL Victoria Premiers Wollongong
15:00 Source Stadium: Collegians Sports Centre
25 October 3 v
Source
31 October 4 Marconi Stallions v NPL Victoria Premiers Sydney
19:00 Source Stadium: Marconi Stadium
2 November 4 Wollongong Wolves v NPL Tasmania Premiers Wollongong
13:00 Source Stadium: Collegians Sports Centre
8 November 5 v
Source
9 November 5 v
Source
15 November 6 Wollongong Wolves v Marconi Stallions Wollongong
15:00 Source Stadium: Collegians Sports Centre
16 November 6 v
Source

Group C

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
First match(es) will be played: 11 October. Source: NNSWF
Home \ Away AVO PRE NWS ACT
Avondale FC
Preston Lions
NWS Spirit
NPL ACT Premiers
Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
12 October 1 Avondale FC v NPL ACT Premiers Melbourne
16:30 Source Stadium: Avenger Park
18 October 2 v
Source
19 October 2 v
Source
25 October 3 v
Source
2 November 4 v
Source
2 November 4 v
Source
8 November 5 Preston Lions v NPL ACT Premiers Melbourne
13:00 Source Stadium: Genis Steel Stadium
9 November 5 Avondale FC v NWS Spirit Melbourne
16:30 Source Stadium: Avenger Park
15 November 6 Avondale FC v Preston Lions Melbourne
13:00 Source Stadium: Avenger Park
16 November 6 v
Source

Group D

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
First match(es) will be played: in October. Source: NNSWF
Home \ Away API SYU NEM BAY
APIA Leichhardt
Sydney United 58
North Eastern MetroStars
Bayswater City
Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ or second-place if the Premier is one of the five NSW teams that have already qualified as "Foundation Clubs".

References

  1. ^ "Football Australia unveils the "Australian Championship"". Australian Championship. 12 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Australian Championship Draw Confirmed With Historic Rivalries To Launch New Era". Australian Championship. 1 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Football Australia Domestic Match Calendar 2025/26" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Football Australia announces foundation clubs for National Second Tier". Australian Championship. 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Football Australia Domestic Match Calendar 2024/25" (PDF).
  6. ^ "2025 Australian Championship Fixtures Announced". Football Australia. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.