2026 New Zealand National League

This article is about the men's season. For the women's season, see 2026 New Zealand Women's National League .

New Zealand National League

Season	2026
← 2025 2027 →

The 2026 New Zealand Men's National League (known as the Dettol Men's National League for sponsorship reasons) will be the sixth scheduled season of the National League since its restructuring in 2021; the 2021 National League was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in northern regions. ^[1] 32 clubs compete in the competition, with four qualifying from the Northern League, three qualifying from the Central League and two qualifying from the Southern League for the National Championship phase. ^{[2] [3]} Auckland FC Reserves and Wellington Phoenix Reserves qualify automatically for the championship phase. Each team can field a maximum of four foreign players as well as one additional foreign player who has Oceania Football Confederation nationality. ^[4]

Qualifying leagues

2026 Northern League

Northern League

Season	2026
← 2025 2027 →

Northern League teams

Twelve teams are competing in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the NRFL Championship. The promoted teams are Manukau United and Melville United. ^[5] Manukau United return after a two-year absence, while Melville United return after one. They replaced Manurewa and West Coast Rangers (both relegated after a three-year Northern League spell). ^[6]

Team	Home ground	Location	2025 season
Auckland City	Kiwitea Street	Sandringham, Auckland	4th
Auckland FC Reserves	Fred Taylor Park	Whenuapai, Auckland	9th
Auckland United	Keith Hay Park	Mount Roskill, Auckland	3rd
Bay Olympic	Olympic Park	New Lynn, Auckland	8th
Birkenhead United	Shepherds Park	Beach Haven, Auckland	2nd
East Coast Bays	Bay City Park	Northcross, Auckland	6th
Eastern Suburbs	Madills Farm	Kohimarama, Auckland	5th
Fencibles United	Riverhills Domain	Pakuranga, Auckland	10th
Manukau United	Centre Park	Māngere East, Auckland	1st in Championship (promoted)
Melville United	Gower Park	Melville, Hamilton	2nd in Championship (promoted)
Tauranga City	Links Avenue Reserve	Mount Maunganui	7th
Western Springs	Seddon Fields	Westmere, Auckland	1st

Northern League personnel

Team	Manager	Captain
Auckland City	Rudy Mozr [7]	Mario Ilich
Auckland FC Reserves		Codey Phoenix [8]
Auckland United	Ben Sippola [9]	Ross Haviland [10]
Bay Olympic	Peter Smith [11]	Callum McNeill [12]
Birkenhead United	Paul Hobson [13]	Dino Botica [14]
East Coast Bays	Joe Hall [15]	Louie Caunter [16]
Eastern Suburbs	Michael Built [17]	Jake Mechell
Fencibles United	Rhys Ruka [18]	Jake Moosbally [19]
Manukau United
Melville United	Aaron Scott Harry Trethowan [20]
Tauranga City	Barry Gardiner [21]	Campbell Higgins [22]
Western Springs	Scott Hales [23]	Reid Drake [14]

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in the table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Melville United	Jarrod Young [24]	Stepped down	30 August 2025	Preseason	Aaron Scott Harry Trethowan [20]	24 November 2025
Manukau United	Tashreeq Davids [25]	Signed by Manurewa	15 November 2025
Auckland FC Reserves	Luke Casserly [26]	Promoted to OFC Pro League team	1 December 2025
Auckland United	José Figueira [27]	Stepped down	12 December 2025		Ben Sippola [9]	21 December 2025
Auckland City	Paul Posa [28]	Stepped down	15 December 2025		Rudy Mozr [7]	16 December 2025

Northern League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Auckland City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Winner of Northern League and qualification to National League Championship
2	Auckland FC Reserves [a]	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification to National League Championship
3	Auckland United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Bay Olympic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Birkenhead United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	East Coast Bays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Eastern Suburbs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Fencibles United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Manukau United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Melville United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Tauranga City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation to NRFL Championship
12	Western Springs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: March 2026. Source: NRF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss ^[30]
Notes:

1. Auckland FC Reserves gain automatic entry into the National League Championship phase and cannot be relegated due to the A-League Men requirements. ^[29]

Northern League results table

Home \ Away	AKC	AFC	AKU	BAY	BIR	ECB	EAS	FEN	MAN	MEL	TGA	WSP
Auckland City	—
Auckland FC Reserves		—
Auckland United			—
Bay Olympic				—
Birkenhead United					—
East Coast Bays						—
Eastern Suburbs							—
Fencibles United								—
Manukau United									—
Melville United										—
Tauranga City											—
Western Springs												—

First match(es) will be played: March 2024. Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

2026 Central League

Central League

Season	2026
← 2025 2027 →

Central League teams

Ten teams are competing in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the one team promoted from the 2025 Central League 2. The promoted team is FC Western. ^[31] This is their first season in the Central League, since New Zealand football's restructuring in 2021. They replaced North Wellington (relegated after a five-year Central League spell). ^[32]

Team	Home ground	Location	2025 season
FC Western	Lynmouth Park	Lynmouth, New Plymouth	1st in Central League 2 (promoted)
Island Bay United	Wakefield Park	Island Bay, Wellington	6th
Miramar Rangers	David Farrington Park	Miramar, Wellington	2nd
Napier City Rovers	Bluewater Stadium	Napier	5th
Petone	Memorial Park	Petone, Lower Hutt	9th
Upper Hutt City	Maidstone Park	Maidstone, Upper Hutt	8th
Waterside Karori	Karori Park	Karori, Wellington	7th
Wellington Olympic	Wakefield Park	Island Bay, Wellington	1st
Wellington Phoenix Reserves	Fraser Park	Taitā, Lower Hutt	4th
Western Suburbs	Endeavour Park	Porirua	3rd

Central League personnel

Team	Manager [33]	Captain
FC Western	Josh Dobson
Island Bay United	Callum Holmes [34]
Miramar Rangers	Jamie O’Connor [35]
Napier City Rovers	Bill Robertson	Jim Hoyle [36]
Petone	Sam Pickering [37] [38]	Hami Paranihi-Nuku
Upper Hutt City
Waterside Karori	Sam Morrissey [39]	Harry Fautley
Wellington Olympic	Ekow Quainoo [40]	Ben Mata [41]
Wellington Phoenix Reserves	Chris Greenacre	Isaac Hughes
Western Suburbs	Matthew Calvert	Harry Fautley

Managerial Changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in the table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Island Bay United	Martín Pereyra-García	End of contract	30 August 2025	Pre-season	Callum Holmes [34]	21 October 2025
Petone	Jamie O’Connor [42]	Stepped down	21 October 2025		Sam Pickering [37] [38]	28 October 2025
Miramar Rangers	Kale Herbert [43]	Stepped down	6 December 2025		Jamie O’Connor [35]	14 December 2025
Wellington Olympic	Paul Ifill [44]	Stepped down	13 December 2025		Ekow Quainoo [40]	24 December 2025
Upper Hutt City	Rory Fallon [45]	Stepped down	19 December 2025

Central League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	FC Western	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Winner of Central League and qualification to National League Championship
2	Island Bay United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification to National League Championship
3	Miramar Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Napier City Rovers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Petone	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Upper Hutt City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Waterside Karori	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Wellington Olympic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Wellington Phoenix Reserves [a]	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification to National League Championship
10	Western Suburbs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegation to Central League 2

First match(es) will be played: March 2024. Source: Capital Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss ^[30]
Notes:

1. Wellington Phoenix Reserves gain automatic entry into the National League Championship phase and cannot be relegated due to the A-League Men requirements. ^[2]

Central League results table

Home \ Away	FCW	IBU	MRA	NCR	PET	UHC	WKA	WOP	WPX	WES
FC Western	—
Island Bay United		—
Miramar Rangers			—
Napier City Rovers				—
Petone					—
Upper Hutt City						—
Waterside Karori							—
Wellington Olympic								—
Wellington Phoenix Reserves									—
Western Suburbs										—

First match(es) will be played: March 2024. Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

2026 Southern League

Southern League

Season	2026
← 2025 2027 →

The 2026 Southern League is the 5th season of a full 10 team league, 6th season since the restructure of the leagues, of a South Island wide football league. The League starts in March and finishes in September, with the top two side qualifying for the National League Championship.

Southern League teams

Ten teams are competing in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season and the winner of the Southern League play-offs. The promoted team is Northern. ^[46] This is their first season in the Southern League. They replaced Selwyn United (relegated after five seasons in the Southern League). ^[47]

Team	Home ground	Location	2025 season
Cashmere Technical	Garrick Memorial Park	Woolston, Christchurch	3rd
Christchurch United	United Sports Centre	Spreydon, Christchurch	2nd
Coastal Spirit	Tāne Norton Park	Linwood, Christchurch	1st
Dunedin City Royals	Tahuna Park	Tainui, Dunedin	7th
Ferrymead Bays	Ferrymead Park	Ferrymead, Christchurch	6th
Nelson Suburbs	Saxton Field	Stoke, Nelson	4th
Nomads United	Tulett Park	Casebrook, Christchurch	5th
Northern	Caledonian Ground	Dunedin North, Dunedin	1st in Southern Premiership League (promoted via play-offs)
University of Canterbury	English Park	St Albans, Christchurch	9th
Wānaka	Wānaka Recreation Centre	Wānaka	8th

Southern League personnel

Team	Manager	Captain
Cashmere Technical	Dan Schwarz [48]	Tom Schwarz [48]
Christchurch United	Albert Riera [49]	Matt Tod-Smith
Coastal Spirit	Robbie Stanton [50] [51]	Joe Hoole [52] [53]
Dunedin City Royals	Blair Scoullar [54]	Jared Grove
Ferrymead Bays	Alan Walker [55]	James Deehan
Nelson Suburbs	Ryan Stewart	Lennon Whewell [56]
Nomads United	Matthew Jansen [57]	Caleb Cottom
Northern	Arran Wilkinson	Luka Mandich
University of Canterbury	Ricardo Felitti	Max McGuinness
Wānaka		Jake Thompson

Managerial Changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in the table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Christchurch United	Ryan Edwards [58]	New job with South Island United	29 November 2025	Pre-season	Albert Riera [49]	13 November 2025
Wānaka	Ben Sippola [9]	Signed by Auckland United	21 December 2025

Southern League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Cashmere Technical	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Winner of Southern League and qualification to National League Championship
2	Christchurch United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification to National League Championship
3	Coastal Spirit	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Dunedin City Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Ferrymead Bays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Nelson Suburbs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Nomads United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Northern	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	University of Canterbury	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Wānaka	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Relegated to the Nelson Premiership/Canterbury Premiership/Southern Premiership

First match(es) will be played: March 2026. Source: Mainland Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record; 7) Coin toss ^[59]

Southern League results table

Home \ Away	CAS	CHU	CSP	DCR	FMB	NEL	NOM	NOR	UCF	WĀN
Cashmere Technical	—
Christchurch United		—
Coastal Spirit			—
Dunedin City Royals				—
Ferrymead Bays					—
Nelson Suburbs						—
Nomads United							—
Northern								—
University of Canterbury									—
Wānaka										—

First match(es) will be played: March 2026. Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Qualified clubs

There are 11 men's National League Championship qualifying spots (4 plus Auckland FC Reserves for the Northern League, 3 plus Wellington Phoenix Reserves for the Central League and 2 for the Southern League). ^[2]

Auckland

Wellington

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Location of clubs in New Zealand for the 2026 National League season

Auckland FC Reserves

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Location of clubs in Auckland Region for the 2026 National League season

Wellington Phoenix Reserves

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Location of clubs in Wellington Region for the 2026 National League season

Association	Team	Position in Regional League	App (last)	Previous best (last)
Northern League (4 berths)		1st
		2nd
		3rd
		4th
Central League (3 berths)		1st
		3rd
		4th
Southern League (2 berths)		1st
		2nd
Auckland FC (automatic berth)	Auckland FC Reserves	Automatic qualification	2nd (2025)	4th (2025)
Wellington Phoenix (automatic berth)	Wellington Phoenix Reserves	Automatic qualification	5th (2025)	5th (2024)

Championship phase

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Auckland FC Reserves [a]	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Wellington Phoenix Reserves [a]	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Northern League 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Qualification to Grand Final
4	Northern League 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Northern League 3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Northern League 4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Central League 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Central League 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Central League 3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Southern League 1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Southern League 2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

First match(es) will be played: September 2026. Source: New Zealand Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals for; 4) Goals against; 5) Head to head; 6) Disciplinary record ^[60]
Notes:

1. Auckland FC Reserves and Wellington Phoenix Reserves can not qualify for the Grand Final. ^[60]

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DEFAULTSORT:2024 New Zealand National League Category:2023–24 in New Zealand association football New Zealand Category:New Zealand National League seasons