2024 Australia Cup

Last updated

2024 Australia Cup
Tournament details
CountryAustralia
New Zealand
Dates9 February – 29 September 2024
Teams759 (qualifying competition)
32 (main competition)
Final positions
Champions Macarthur FC (2nd title)
Runners-up Melbourne Victory
AFC Champions League Two Macarthur FC
Tournament statistics
Matches played31
Goals scored114 (3.68 per match)
Attendance73,650 (2,376 per match)
Top goal scorer(s) Nishan Velupillay (5 goals)
  2023
2025  

The 2024 Australia Cup was the eleventh season of the Australia Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. This edition was the third under the new name of the "Australia Cup" following the renaming of Football Federation Australia to Football Australia. [1] Thirty-two teams contested the competition proper.

Contents

Sydney FC were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Oakleigh Cannons in the Round of 32.

Macarthur FC won its second Australia Cup after defeating Melbourne Victory in the final. Macarthur FC qualified to the group stage of the AFC's 2025–26 AFC Champions League Two competition.

Round and dates

For the first time in the competition's history, the draws for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals are combined. [2] [3]

RoundDraw dateMatch datesNumber of fixturesTeamsNew entries this round
Preliminary roundsVarious9 February–24 July737759 → 32751
Round of 3219 June30 July–7 August1632 → 168
Round of 167 August25–28 August816 → 8None
Quarter-finals11–14 September48 → 4None
Semi-finals21–22 September24 → 2None
Final29 September12 → 1None

Teams

A total of 32 teams will participate in the 2024 Australia Cup competition proper.

A-League Men clubs represent the highest level in the Australian league system, whereas Member Federation clubs come from level 2 and below. [4]

A-League Men clubs
Adelaide United Central Coast Mariners Macarthur FC Melbourne City
Melbourne Victory Newcastle Jets Perth Glory Sydney FC
Wellington Phoenix Western Sydney Wanderers  
Member federation clubs
Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg O'Connor Knights (2) Flag of New South Wales.svg APIA Leichhardt (2) Flag of New South Wales.svg Blacktown City (2) Flag of New South Wales.svg NWS Spirit (2)
Flag of New South Wales.svg Rockdale Ilinden (2) Flag of New South Wales.svg Edgeworth FC (2) Flag of New South Wales.svg Lambton Jaffas (2) Flag of the Northern Territory.svg Darwin Hearts (2)
Flag of Queensland.svg Brisbane City (2) Flag of Queensland.svg Lions FC (2) Flag of Queensland.svg Moreton City Excelsior (2) Flag of Queensland.svg Olympic FC (2)
Flag of South Australia.svg Campbelltown City (2) Flag of South Australia.svg Modbury Jets (2) Flag of Tasmania.svg Glenorchy Knights (2) Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Heidelberg United (2)
Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Hume City (2) Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Melbourne Srbija (4) Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg Oakleigh Cannons (2) Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg South Melbourne (2)
Flag of Western Australia.svg Olympic Kingsway (2) Flag of Western Australia.svg Perth RedStar (2)

Preliminary rounds

Member federation teams competed in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 22 places in the competition proper (at the Round of 32). All Australian clubs (other than youth teams associated with A-League franchises) were eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective member federation; however, only one team per club was permitted entry into the competition. The preliminary rounds operated within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition is staggered in each state/territory, determined by what level the club sits at in the Australian soccer league system. This ultimately lead to round 7, with the winning clubs from that round entering directly into the round of 32. Slot allocations were the same as the previous year.

The top eight placed A-League Men clubs from the 2023–24 A-League Men season gained automatic qualification to the Round of 32. The remaining four teams entered a play-off series to determine the remaining two positions.

FederationAssociated competitionRound of 32 qualifiers
Football Australia A-League Men 10
Capital Football (ACT) Federation Cup (ACT) 1
Football NSW Waratah Cup 4
Northern NSW Football Northern NSW State Cup 2
Football Northern Territory NT Australia Cup Final 1
Football Queensland Kappa Queensland Cup [5] 4
Football South Australia Federation Cup (SA) 2
Football Tasmania Milan Lakoseljac Cup 1
Football Victoria Dockerty Cup 5
Football West (WA) State Cup 2

Bracket

Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                  
Moreton City Excelsior 5
Campbelltown City 1
Moreton City Excelsior 3
Perth Glory 2
Perth Glory (a.e.t.)5
Melbourne City 4
Moreton City Excelsior 0
Melbourne Victory 4
NWS Spirit 3
Glenorchy Knights 0
NWS Spirit 0
Melbourne Victory 4
Lambton Jaffas 1
Melbourne Victory 4
Melbourne Victory 1
Adelaide United 0
Olympic Kingsway 4
Edgeworth Eagles 1
Olympic Kingsway 2
Adelaide United 3
Blacktown City 2
Adelaide United (a.e.t.)3
Adelaide United (a.e.t.)2
Western Sydney Wanderers 1
Perth RedStar 1
Lions FC 4
Lions FC 0
Western Sydney Wanderers 4
Brisbane City 1
Western Sydney Wanderers 2
Melbourne Victory 0
Macarthur FC 1
Darwin Hearts 0
Hume City 6
Hume City 1
Melbourne Srbija 0
Melbourne Srbija (p)1 (4)
Modbury Jets 1 (1)
Hume City 2
South Melbourne (a.e.t.)3
South Melbourne 1
Wellington Phoenix 0
South Melbourne (a.e.t.)3
Olympic FC 2
Olympic FC (a.e.t.)1
APIA Leichhardt 0
South Melbourne 0
Macarthur FC 1
Oakleigh Cannons 3
Sydney FC 1
Oakleigh Cannons (p)1 (4)
Heidelberg United 1 (1)
Heidelberg United (a.e.t.)3
Central Coast Mariners 1
Oakleigh Cannons 0
Macarthur FC 1
Rockdale Ilinden 1
Newcastle Jets 2
Newcastle Jets 3
Macarthur FC 4
O'Connor Knights 1
Macarthur FC 2

Round of 32

The draw took place on 19 June. [6] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Melbourne Srbija. They were the only level 4 team left in the competition.

Times are AEST (UTC+10) as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

30 July 2024 Moreton City Excelsior (2) 5–1 Campbelltown City (2) Brisbane
19:00
Report
Stadium: Wolter Park
Attendance: 869
Referee: Alireza Faghani
30 July 2024 Oakleigh Cannons (2) 3–1 Sydney FC (1) Melbourne
19:30 Report
Stadium: The Home of the Matildas
Attendance: 1,200
Referee: Shaun Evans
30 July 2024 O'Connor Knights (2)1–2 Macarthur FC (1) Canberra
19:30
Report
Stadium: GIO Stadium Canberra
Attendance: 3,210
Referee: Sam Kelly
30 July 2024 Darwin Hearts (2)0–6 Hume City (2) Darwin
19:30 (19:00 ACST) Report
Stadium: Darwin Football Stadium
Attendance: 1,443
Referee: Rebecca Durcau
31 July 2024 Blacktown City (2)2–3 (a.e.t.) Adelaide United (1) Sydney
19:30
Report
Stadium: Landen Stadium
Attendance: 1,531
Referee: Jack Morgan
31 July 2024 Brisbane City (2)1–2 Western Sydney Wanderers (1) Brisbane
19:30 Report Stadium: Imperial Corp Stadium
Attendance: 1,794
Referee: Casey Reibelt
31 July 2024 Rockdale Ilinden (2)1–2 Newcastle Jets (1) Sydney
19:30 Report
Stadium: Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Attendance: 1,797
Referee: Ben Abraham
31 July 2024 Perth RedStar (2)1–4 Lions FC (2) Perth
20:30 (18:30 AWST)
Report
Stadium: Percy Doyle Reserve
Attendance: 616
Referee: Daniel Cook
3 August 2024 Perth Glory (1) 5–4 (a.e.t.) Melbourne City (1) Perth
19:30 (17:30 AWST)
Report Stadium: Sam Kerr Football Centre
Attendance: 2,015
Referee: Alireza Faghani
6 August 2024 Lambton Jaffas (2)1–4 Melbourne Victory (1) Newcastle
19:30
Report
Stadium: Jack McLaughlin Oval
Attendance: 1,172
Referee: Tim Danaskos
6 August 2024 South Melbourne (2) 1–0 Wellington Phoenix (1) Melbourne
19:30 Sawyer Soccerball shade.svg4' Report Stadium: Lakeside Stadium
Attendance: 4,196
Referee: Jonathon Barreiro
6 August 2024 Melbourne Srbija (4) 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–1 p)
Modbury Jets (2) Melbourne
19:30 Report Stadium: The Home of the Matildas
Attendance: 1,069
Referee: Zijad Ahmetovic
Penalties
6 August 2024 Olympic Kingsway (2) 4–1 Edgeworth FC (2) Perth
20:30 (18:30 AWST)
Report Stadium: Kingsway Reserve
Attendance: 1,405
Referee: Daniel Elder
7 August 2024 Heidelberg United (2) 3–1 (a.e.t.) Central Coast Mariners (1) Melbourne
19:30
Report
Stadium: Olympic Village
Attendance: 2,077
Referee: Alex King
7 August 2024 NWS Spirit (2) 3–0 Glenorchy Knights (2) Sydney
19:30
Report Stadium: Christie Park
Attendance: 624
Referee: Nathan Shakespear
7 August 2024 Olympic FC (2) 1–0 (a.e.t.) APIA Leichhardt (2) Brisbane
19:30
Report Stadium: Goodwin Park
Attendance: 1,400
Referee: Adam Kersey

Round of 16

The draw for all remaining rounds took place on 7 August. [7] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Melbourne Srbija. They were the only level 4 team left in the competition.

Times are AEST (UTC+10) as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

25 August 2024 Newcastle Jets (1)3–4 Macarthur FC (1) Maitland
15:00
Report
Stadium: Maitland Sportsground
Attendance: 2,971
Referee: Ben Abraham
25 August 2024 South Melbourne (2) 3–2 (a.e.t.) Olympic FC (2) Melbourne
17:30
Report
Stadium: Lakeside Stadium
Attendance: 2,572
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro
27 August 2024 Hume City (2) 1–0 Melbourne Srbija (4) Melbourne
19:30 Report Stadium: Hume City Stadium
Attendance: 3,163
Referee: Tim Danaskos
27 August 2024 Lions FC (2)0–4 Western Sydney Wanderers (1) Brisbane
19:30 Report Stadium: Luxury Paints Stadium
Attendance: 1,853
Referee: Daniel Elder
27 August 2024 Olympic Kingsway (2)2–3 Adelaide United (1) Perth
20:30 (18:30 AWST)
Report
Stadium: Kingsway Reserve
Attendance: 1,950
Referee: Adam Bavcar
28 August 2024 NWS Spirit (2)0–4 Melbourne Victory (1) Sydney
19:30 Report
Stadium: Christie Park
Attendance: 1,854
Referee: Daniel Cook
28 August 2024 Oakleigh Cannons (2) 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–1 p)
Heidelberg United (2) Melbourne
19:30
Report
Stadium: The Home of the Matildas
Attendance: 1,500
Referee: Shaun Evans
Penalties
28 August 2024 Moreton City Excelsior (2) 3–2 Perth Glory (1) Brisbane
19:30
Report Stadium: Perry Park
Attendance: 1,490
Referee: Adam Kersey

Quarter-finals

The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Hume City, Moreton City Excelsior, Oakleigh Cannons and South Melbourne. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.

Times are AEST (UTC+10) as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

11 September 2024 Hume City (2)2–3 (a.e.t.) South Melbourne (2) Melbourne
19:30
Report
Stadium: Hume City Stadium
Attendance: 1,758
Referee: Tim Danaskos
12 September 2024 Adelaide United (1) 2–1 (a.e.t.) Western Sydney Wanderers (1) Adelaide
19:30 (19:00 ACST)
Report Stadium: ServiceFM Stadium
Attendance: 2,906
Referee: Shaun Evans
14 September 2024 Oakleigh Cannons (2)0–1 Macarthur FC (1) Melbourne
15:00 Report Stadium: The Home of the Matildas
Attendance: 807
Referee: Jack Morgan
14 September 2024 Moreton City Excelsior (2)0–4 Melbourne Victory (1) Brisbane
18:00 Report
Stadium: Perry Park
Attendance: 1,850
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro

Semi-finals

The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was South Melbourne. They were the only level 2 team left in the competition.

21 September 2024 Melbourne Victory (1) 1–0 Adelaide United (1) Melbourne
19:30 AEST
Report Stadium: AAMI Park
Attendance: 5,131
Referee: Alex King
22 September 2024 South Melbourne (2)0–1 Macarthur FC (1) Melbourne
18:00 AEST Report
Stadium: Lakeside Stadium
Attendance: 4,138
Referee: Ben Abraham

Final

Melbourne Victory 0–1 Macarthur FC
Report
AAMI Park , Melbourne
Attendance: 13,289
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro

Top goalscorers

As of 22 September 2024
RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nishan Velupillay Melbourne Victory 5
2 Flag of France.svg Valère Germain Macarthur FC 4
3 Flag of Croatia.svg Marin Jakoliš Macarthur FC 3
Flag of Greece.svg Nikos Vergos Melbourne Victory
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Marquez Walters Moreton City Excelsior
6 13 PlayersVarious2

Note: Goals scored in preliminary rounds not included.

References

  1. "Football Australia CEO James Johnson annouces[sic] FFA Cup will be renamed Australia Cup | FFA Cup". www.theffacup.com.au. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  2. "How to watch the Australia Cup 2024 Round of 32 draw". Football Australia. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  3. "Australia Cup 2024 Draw Principles Explained". Football Australia. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  4. "Australia Cup 2024 Preliminary Rounds near completion | Australia Cup". www.australiacup.com.au. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  5. "KAPPA QUEENSLAND CUP". Football Queensland. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  6. "Australia Cup 2024 Round of 32 Draw Confirmed". Australia Cup . Football Australia. 19 June 2024.
  7. "Explained Australia Cup 2024 Draw Principles". Australia Cup . Football Australia. 6 August 2024.