2025 Australian Championship

Australian Championship

Season	2025
Dates	10 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 were determined by the end of August.

Moreton City Excelsior

Wollongong Wolves

North Eastern MetroStars

Broadmeadow Magic

Bayswater City

South Hobart

Canberra Croatia

Sydney

Melbourne

Sydney clubs:
APIA Leichhardt
Marconi Stallions
NWS Spirit
Sydney Olympic
Sydney United 58

Melbourne clubs:
Avondale FC
Heidelberg United
Preston Lions
South Melbourne

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Locations of the 2025 Australian Championship clubs

APIA Leichhardt

Marconi Stallions

NWS Spirit

Sydney Olympic

Sydney United 58

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Locations of the 2025 Australian Championship clubs in Sydney

Avondale FC

Preston Lions

South Melbourne

Heidelberg United

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Locations of the 2025 Australian Championship clubs in Melbourne

Foundation clubs Club Federation APIA Leichhardt New South Wales Avondale FC Victoria Marconi Stallions New South Wales Preston Lions Victoria South Melbourne Victoria Sydney Olympic New South Wales Sydney United 58 New South Wales Wollongong Wolves New South Wales

Qualified from 2025 NPL Club Qualifying method Canberra Croatia 2025 NPL Capital Football premiers NWS Spirit 2025 NPL NSW premiers [a] Broadmeadow Magic 2025 NPL Northern NSW premiers Moreton City Excelsior 2025 NPL Queensland premiers North Eastern MetroStars 2025 NPL South Australia premiers South Hobart 2025 NPL Tasmania premiers Heidelberg United 2025 NPL Victoria runners-up [b] Bayswater City 2025 NPL Western Australia premiers

Stadiums and locations

Club	City	Home ground	Capacity
Avondale FC	Melbourne	Avenger Park	2,500
Bayswater City	Perth	Frank Drago Reserve	3,000
Broadmeadow Magic	Newcastle	Magic Park	3,500
Canberra Croatia	Canberra	Deakin Stadium	1,500
Heidelberg United	Melbourne	Olympic Park	12,000
Marconi Stallions	Sydney	Marconi Stadium	9,000
Moreton City Excelsior	Brisbane
North Eastern MetroStars	Adelaide	T.K. Shutter Reserve	2,000
NWS Spirit	Sydney
Preston Lions	Melbourne	Genis Steel Stadium	9,000
South Hobart	Hobart	South Hobart Oval	4,500
South Melbourne	Melbourne	Lakeside Stadium	12,000
Sydney Olympic	Sydney	Jubilee Oval	20,500
Sydney United 58	Sydney	Sydney United Sports Centre	12,000
Wests APIA	Sydney	Leichhardt Oval	20,000
Wollongong Wolves	Wollongong	Collegians Sports Centre	5,000

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows. ^[5] 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	Broadmeadow Magic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification for Finals series
2	Moreton City Excelsior	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	South Melbourne	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Sydney Olympic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: 10 October. Source: NNSWF

Home \ Away	BRO	MCE	SOU	SYO
Broadmeadow Magic	—
Moreton City Excelsior		—
South Melbourne			—
Sydney Olympic				—

Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

South Melbourne v Sydney Olympic

10 October1	South Melbourne	v	Sydney Olympic	Melbourne
		Source		Stadium: Lakeside Stadium

Broadmeadow Magic v Moreton City Excelsior

12 October1	Broadmeadow Magic	v	Moreton City Excelsior	Newcastle
13:00		Source		Stadium: Magic Park

Sydney Olympic v Broadmeadow Magic

19 October2	Sydney Olympic	v	Broadmeadow Magic	Sydney
13:00		Source		Stadium: Jubilee Oval

South Melbourne v Moreton City Excelsior

19 October2	South Melbourne	v	Moreton City Excelsior	Melbourne
16:30		Source		Stadium: Lakeside Stadium

Broadmeadow Magic v South Melbourne

26 October3	Broadmeadow Magic	v	South Melbourne	Newcastle
13:00		Source		Stadium: Magic Park

Moreton City Excelsior v Sydney Olympic

26 October3	Moreton City Excelsior	v	Sydney Olympic
		Source

Sydney Olympic v South Melbourne

1 November4	Sydney Olympic	v	South Melbourne	Sydney
15:00		Source		Stadium: Jubilee Oval

Moreton City Excelsior v Broadmeadow Magic

2 November4	Moreton City Excelsior	v	Broadmeadow Magic
		Source

Sydney Olympic v Moreton City Excelsior

8 November5	Sydney Olympic	v	Moreton City Excelsior	Sydney
13:00		Source		Stadium: Jubilee Oval

South Melbourne v Broadmeadow Magic

8 November5	South Melbourne	v	Broadmeadow Magic	Melbourne
15:00		Source		Stadium: Lakeside Stadium

Broadmeadow Magic v Sydney Olympic

16 November6	Broadmeadow Magic	v	Sydney Olympic	Newcastle
13:00		Source		Stadium: Magic Park

Moreton City Excelsior v South Melbourne

16 November6	Moreton City Excelsior	v	South Melbourne
		Source

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Heidelberg United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification for Finals series
2	Marconi Stallions	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	South Hobart	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Wollongong Wolves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: 12 October. Source: NNSWF

Home \ Away	HEI	MAR	SHO	WOL
Heidelberg United	—
Marconi Stallions		—
South Hobart			—
Wollongong Wolves				—

Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Heidelberg United v Marconi Stallions

12 October1	Heidelberg United	v	Marconi Stallions	Melbourne
13:00		Source		Stadium: Olympic Park

South Hobart v Wollongong Wolves

12 October1	South Hobart	v	Wollongong Wolves	Hobart
13:00		Source		Stadium: South Hobart Oval

Marconi Stallions v South Hobart

18 October2	Marconi Stallions	v	South Hobart	Sydney
13:00		Source		Stadium: Marconi Stadium

Wollongong Wolves v Heidelberg United

18 October2	Wollongong Wolves	v	Heidelberg United	Wollongong
15:00		Source		Stadium: Collegians Sports Centre

Marconi Stallions v Wollongong Wolves

25 October3	Marconi Stallions	v	Wollongong Wolves	Sydney
13:00		Source		Stadium: Marconi Stadium

Heidelberg United v South Hobart

25 October3	Heidelberg United	v	South Hobart	Melbourne
13:00		Source		Stadium: Olympic Park

Marconi Stallions v Heidelberg United

31 October4	Marconi Stallions	v	Heidelberg United	Sydney
19:00		Source		Stadium: Marconi Stadium

Wollongong Wolves v South Hobart

2 November4	Wollongong Wolves	v	South Hobart	Wollongong
13:00		Source		Stadium: Collegians Sports Centre

South Hobart v Marconi Stallions

9 November5	South Hobart	v	Marconi Stallions	Hobart
13:00		Source		Stadium: South Hobart Oval

Heidelberg United v Wollongong Wolves

9 November5	Heidelberg United	v	Wollongong Wolves	Melbourne
13:00		Source		Stadium: Olympic Park

Wollongong Wolves v Marconi Stallions

15 November6	Wollongong Wolves	v	Marconi Stallions	Wollongong
15:00		Source		Stadium: Collegians Sports Centre

South Hobart v Heidelberg United

16 November6	South Hobart	v	Heidelberg United	Hobart
		Source		Stadium: South Hobart Oval

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	Canberra Croatia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	NWS Spirit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Preston Lions	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: 11 October. Source: NNSWF

Home \ Away	AVO	CAN	NWS	PRE
Avondale FC	—
Canberra Croatia		—
NWS Spirit			—
Preston Lions				—

Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Preston Lions v NWS Spirit

11 October1	Preston Lions	v	NWS Spirit	Melbourne
15:00		Source		Stadium: Genis Steel Stadium

Avondale FC v Canberra Croatia

12 October1	Avondale FC	v	Canberra Croatia	Melbourne
16:30		Source		Stadium: Avenger Park

NWS Spirit v Avondale FC

18 October2	NWS Spirit	v	Avondale FC
16:30		Source

Canberra Croatia v Preston Lions

19 October2	Canberra Croatia	v	Preston Lions	Canberra
13:00		Source		Stadium: Deakin Stadium

Preston Lions v Avondale FC

24 October3	Preston Lions	v	Avondale FC	Melbourne
19:00		Source		Stadium: Genis Steel Stadium

NWS Spirit v Canberra Croatia

26 October3	NWS Spirit	v	Canberra Croatia
16:30		Source

Canberra Croatia v Avondale FC

1 November4	Canberra Croatia	v	Avondale FC	Canberra
13:00		Source		Stadium: Deakin Stadium

NWS Spirit v Preston Lions

2 November4	NWS Spirit	v	Preston Lions
16:30		Source

Preston Lions v Canberra Croatia

8 November5	Preston Lions	v	Canberra Croatia	Melbourne
13:00		Source		Stadium: Genis Steel Stadium

Avondale FC v NWS Spirit

9 November5	Avondale FC	v	NWS Spirit	Melbourne
16:30		Source		Stadium: Avenger Park

Avondale FC v Preston Lions

15 November6	Avondale FC	v	Preston Lions	Melbourne
13:00		Source		Stadium: Avenger Park

Canberra Croatia v NWS Spirit

16 November6	Canberra Croatia	v	NWS Spirit	Canberra
13:30		Source		Stadium: Deakin Stadium

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	Bayswater City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	North Eastern MetroStars	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Sydney United 58	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: 11 October. Source: NNSWF

Home \ Away	API	BAY	NEM	SYU
APIA Leichhardt	—
Bayswater City		—
North Eastern MetroStars			—
Sydney United 58				—

Source: Australian Championship
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

North Eastern MetroStars v APIA Leichhardt

11 October1	North Eastern MetroStars	v	APIA Leichhardt	Adelaide
12:30		Source		Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve

Sydney United 58 v Bayswater City

12 October1	Sydney United 58	v	Bayswater City	Sydney
16:30		Source		Stadium: Sydney United Sports Centre

APIA Leichhardt v Sydney United 58

17 October2	APIA Leichhardt	v	Sydney United 58	Sydney
19:00		Source		Stadium: Leichhardt Oval

Bayswater City v North Eastern MetroStars

19 October2	Bayswater City	v	North Eastern MetroStars	Perth
13:30		Source

Sydney United 58 v North Eastern MetroStars

26 October3	Sydney United 58	v	North Eastern MetroStars	Sydney
13:00		Source		Stadium: Sydney United Sports Centre

Bayswater City v APIA Leichhardt

26 October3	Bayswater City	v	APIA Leichhardt	Perth
		Source

APIA Leichhardt v North Eastern MetroStars

2 November4	APIA Leichhardt	v	North Eastern MetroStars	Sydney
13:00		Source		Stadium: Leichhardt Oval

Bayswater City v Sydney United 58

2 November4	Bayswater City	v	Sydney United 58	Perth
		Source

Sydney United 58 v APIA Leichhardt

7 November5	Sydney United 58	v	APIA Leichhardt	Sydney
19:00		Source		Stadium: Sydney United Sports Centre

North Eastern MetroStars v Bayswater City

9 November5	North Eastern MetroStars	v	Bayswater City	Adelaide
16:00		Source		Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve

North Eastern MetroStars v Sydney United 58

16 November6	North Eastern MetroStars	v	Sydney United 58	Adelaide
12:30		Source		Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve

APIA Leichhardt v Bayswater City

16 November6	APIA Leichhardt	v	Bayswater City	Sydney
16:30		Source		Stadium: Leichhardt Oval

See also

• 2025 National Premier Leagues
• 2025–26 A-League Men

Notes

1. or second-place if the Premiers are one of the five NSW teams that have already qualified as "Foundation Clubs".
2. The second-placed team qualified since the Premiers (Avondale FC) have already qualified as a "Foundation Club".

References

1. "Football Australia unveils the "Australian Championship"". Australian Championship . 12 February 2025.
2. "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. "2025 Australian Championship Fixtures Announced". Football Australia . 20 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.