2026 Australia Cup

2026 Australia Cup
Tournament details
CountryAustralia
Dates31 January 2026–10 October 2026
Teams777 in total
32 (main competition)
Tournament statistics
Matches played31

The 2026 Australia Cup, known as the Hahn Australia Cup for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the 13th season of the Australia Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. Thirty-two teams contest the competition proper.

All eligible A-League clubs entered at the Round of 32. The qualifying competition began on 31 January, with the competition proper starting in July 2026.

New Zealand-based A-League clubs Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC were excluded from the competition for the first time, to align with the Asian Football Confederation's qualification requirements for the AFC Champions League Two.[2][3]

Newcastle Jets were the defending champions,[4] but were knocked out in the Round of 32.

Round and dates

Round Draw date Match dates Number of fixtures Teams New entries this round
Preliminary rounds Various 31 January – 17 June 777 → 32 766
Round of 32 22 June 14–30 July 16 32 → 16 11
Round of 16 30 July 8–12 August 8 16 → 8 None
Quarter-finals 18–26 August 4 8 → 4
Semi-finals 8–20 September 2 4 → 2
Final — 10 October 1 2 → 1

Preliminary rounds

Member federation teams competed in various state-based preliminary rounds to win places in the competition proper (from 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.[a] 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 unofficial Australian soccer league system.

All ten Australian A-League Men clubs gained automatic qualification to the Round of 32. South Melbourne qualified automatically as winners of the 2025 Australian Championship.[6]

Federation Associated competition Round of 32 qualifiers
Football Australia A-League Men 10
Australian Championship 1
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 4
Football South Australia Federation Cup (SA) 2
Football Tasmania Milan Lakoseljac Cup 1
Football Victoria Dockerty Cup 4
Football West (WA) State Cup 2

Teams

A total of 32 teams participated in the competition proper; this included all ten of the Australian-based A-League Men's clubs, plus South Melbourne as the winner of the 2025 Australian Championship. The remaining 21 teams were from member state federations, as determined by the qualifying rounds. A-League Men clubs represent the highest level in the Australian league system, whereas Member Federation clubs come from level 2 and below.

A-League Men clubs
Adelaide United Brisbane Roar Central Coast Mariners Macarthur FC Melbourne City
Melbourne Victory Newcastle Jets Perth Glory Sydney FC Western Sydney Wanderers
Member federation clubs
Australian Capital Territory Tigers FC (2) New South Wales APIA Leichhardt (2) New South Wales SD Raiders (2) New South Wales Sydney Olympic (2) New South Wales Sydney United 58 (2)
New South Wales Maitland FC (2) New South Wales Weston Bears (2) Northern Territory Azzurri United (2) Queensland Peninsula Power (2) Queensland Marlin Coast Rangers (5)
Queensland Lions FC (2) Queensland Rochedale Rovers (2) South Australia Cumberland United (3) South Australia FK Beograd (2) Tasmania Kingborough Lions United (2)
Victoria (state) Brunswick Juventus (3) Victoria (state) Heidelberg United (2) Victoria (state) North Sunshine Eagles (3) Victoria (state) Preston Lions (2) Victoria (state) South Melbourne (2)
Western Australia Bayswater City (2) Western Australia Fremantle City (2)

Bracket

Round of 32Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
                  
Marlin Coast Rangers 0
Brunswick Juventus 4
Brunswick Juventus 1
Preston Lions 4
Preston Lions 3
Newcastle Jets 2
Preston Lions 1
South Melbourne 2
South Melbourne 2
Adelaide United 1
South Melbourne (p) 3 (3)
Fremantle City 3 (1)
Maitland FC 1
Fremantle City 2
South Melbourne
Lions FC
Lions FC (p) 1 (4)
Perth Glory 1 (2)
Lions FC 2
Melbourne City 0
Weston Bears 0
Melbourne City 3
Lions FC 4
North Sunshine Eagles 0
FK Beograd 2
North Sunshine Eagles 3
North Sunshine Eagles (p) 0 (4)
Heidelberg United 0 (3)
Cumberland United 0
Heidelberg United 3
 
 
Sydney Olympic 0
Brisbane Roar 3
Brisbane Roar 2
Sydney FC 4
Bayswater City 1
Sydney FC 5
SD Raiders 0
Sydney FC 1
Rochedale Rovers 1
SD Raiders 2
SD Raiders (p) 1 (5)
Macarthur FC 1 (3)
Azzurri United 0
Macarthur FC 3
Sydney FC
Melbourne Victory
APIA Leichhardt 2
Peninsula Power 1
APIA Leichhardt (p) 1 (3)
Sydney United 58 1 (2)
Sydney United 58 (p) 1 (11)
Central Coast Mariners 1 (10)
APIA Leichhardt 0
Melbourne Victory 1
Tigers FC 0
Western Sydney Wanderers 2
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (2)
Melbourne Victory (p) 1 (3)
Kingborough Lions United 0
Melbourne Victory 4

Round of 32

The draw took place on 22 June 2026[7] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Marlin Coast Rangers. They were the only level 5 team left in the competition.

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

14 July 2026 APIA Leichhardt (2) 2–1Peninsula Power (2)Sydney
19:30
  • Stewart 45'
  • Symons 67'
 Report
  • Gibbs 69'
 Stadium: Leichhardt Oval
Attendance: 648
Referee: Adam Bavcar
14 July 2026 Rochedale Rovers (2)1–2 SD Raiders (2) Brisbane
19:30
Report
  • Knezevic 36'
  • Kljajić red-colored football 48' (o.g.)
 Stadium: Underwood Park
Attendance: 1,136
Referee: Mackenzie Janes
15 July 2026 Marlin Coast Rangers (5)0–4 Brunswick Juventus (3) Cairns
19:30 Report
  • Xydias 20'
  • Sehavdic 42'
  • Bašić 46', 57'
 Stadium: Barlow Park
Attendance: 1,010
Referee: Noah Moss
15 July 2026 FK Beograd (2)2–3 North Sunshine Eagles (3) Adelaide
20:00 (19:30 ACST)
  • Konstandopoulos 58'
  • Torriani 87'
 Report
  • Barras 51'
  • Ahmed 60'
  • Dos Santos 83'
 Stadium: 1Solution Park
Attendance: 1,603
Referee: Tom Brinkworth
21 July 2026 Preston Lions (2) 3–2Newcastle Jets (1)Melbourne
19:30
  • Bonada 56', 62'
  • Lazarevski 90+3'
 Report
Stadium: Genis Steel Stadium
Attendance: 4,334
Referee: Eric Saba
21 July 2026 Lions FC (2) 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)		Perth Glory (1)Brisbane
19:30
Report
Stadium: Spencer Park
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Tom Fell
Penalties
  • Carlos football with check mark
  • Lagos football with check mark
  • Beakhurst football with check mark
  • Jarrard football with check mark
21 July 2026 Cumberland United (3)0–3 Heidelberg United (2) Adelaide
20:00 (19:30 ACST) Report
  • Theodoropoulos 2'
  • Duarte 6'
  • Humbert 50'
 Stadium: Lady Burra Stadium
Attendance: 1,022
Referee: Jayden Betterman
21 July 2026 Bayswater City (2)1–5 Sydney FC (1) Perth
20:30 (18:30 AWST)
  • Teece 36'
 Report
Stadium: Frank Drago Reserve
Attendance: 1,052
Referee: Michael Ouliaris
22 July 2026 Sydney United 58 (2) 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(11–10 p)		Central Coast Mariners (1)Sydney
19:30
  • Krslovic 90' (pen.)
 Report
  • Lavale 59'
 Stadium: Sydney United Sports Centre
Attendance: 2,578
Referee: Sophie Allum
Penalties
22 July 2026 Maitland FC (2)1–2 Fremantle City (2) Maitland
19:30
Report
  • Domfeh 88'
  • Ahmedov 90'
 Stadium: Maitland Regional Sportsground
Attendance: 987
Referee: Charles Hollings
22 July 2026 Tigers FC (2)0–2 Western Sydney Wanderers (1) Canberra
19:30 Report
Stadium: McKellar Park
Attendance: 1,948
Referee: Christopher Hodson
22 July 2026 Azzurri United (2)0–3 Macarthur FC (1) Darwin
20:00 (19:30 ACST) Report
Stadium: Darwin Football Stadium
Referee: Jack Powers
26 July 2026 Weston Bears (2)0–3 Melbourne City (1) Weston
14:00 Report
Stadium: Hunter City Motor Group Stadium
Attendance: 1,750
Referee: Joshua Attard
30 July 2026 South Melbourne (2) 2–1Adelaide United (1)Melbourne
19:30
Report
Stadium: Lakeside Stadium
Attendance: 3,080
Referee: Declan Woods
30 July 2026 Sydney Olympic (2)0–3 Brisbane Roar (1) Sydney
19:30 Report
Stadium: Belmore Sports Ground
Attendance: 1,115
Referee: Rowan Fisher

Round of 16

The draw for the remaining rounds took place on 30 July.[8][9] The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Brunswick Juventus and North Sunshine Eagles. They were the only level 3 teams left in the competition.

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

9 August 2026 Brisbane Roar (1)2–4 Sydney FC (1) Brisbane
17:00
Report
Stadium: Spencer Park
Attendance: 3,800
Referee: Tom Fell
9 August 2026 South Melbourne (2) 3–3 (a.e.t.)
(3–1 p)		Fremantle City (2)Melbourne
19:40
Report
Stadium: Lakeside Stadium
Attendance: 2,035
Referee: Jock Quartermain
Penalties
11 August 2026 Lions FC (2) 2–0Melbourne City (1)Brisbane
19:30
  • Nieuwenhuizen red-colored football 20' (o.g.)
  • Hore 62'
 Report Stadium: Spencer Park
Attendance: 1,710
Referee: Mackenzie Janes
11 August 2026 SD Raiders (2) 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 p)		Macarthur FC (1)Sydney
19:30
Report
  • Helweh 103'
 Stadium: Fairfield Showground
Attendance: 1,946
Referee: Noah Moss
Penalties
  • Eremugo football with check mark
  • Malfara football with check mark
  • Ragg football with check mark
  • Lee football with check mark
  • Malbasa football with check mark
12 August 2026 APIA Leichhardt (2) 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 p)		Sydney United 58 (2)Sydney
19:30
  • Kambayashi 21'
 Report
  • Nakano 53'
 Stadium: Leichhardt Oval
Attendance: 2,302
Referee: Tom Dale
Penalties
  • Deli football with check mark
  • Falato football with red X
  • Segreto football with check mark
  • Denmead football with red X
  • Caspers football with check mark
12 August 2026 Brunswick Juventus (3)1–4 Preston Lions (2) Melbourne
19:30
  • Sehavdic 26'
 Report
Stadium: CB Smith Reserve
Attendance: 2,648
Referee: Lucas Mattia
12 August 2026 North Sunshine Eagles (3) 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)		Heidelberg United (2)Melbourne
19:45 Report Stadium: Nasiol Stadium
Attendance: 1,356
Referee: Michael Ouliaris
Penalties
  • da Silva football with red X
  • Ahmed football with check mark
  • Chauve football with check mark
  • Olds football with check mark
  • Iedom football with check mark

Quarter-finals

The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was North Sunshine Eagles. They were the only level 3 team left in the competition. All times are AEST (UTC+10).

18 August 2026 SD Raiders (2)0–1 Sydney FC (1) Sydney
19:30 Report
Stadium: Fairfield Showground
Attendance: 3,841
Referee: Rowan Fisher
19 August 2026 APIA Leichhardt (2)0–1 (a.e.t.) Melbourne Victory (1) Sydney
19:30 Report
Stadium: Leichhardt Oval
Attendance: 2,117
Referee: Tom Dale
25 August 2026 Lions FC (2) 4–0North Sunshine Eagles (3)Brisbane
19:30
  • Beakhearst 14'
  • Hore 31', 38'
  • Deng 42'
 Report Stadium: Luxury Paints Stadium
Attendance: 2,730
Referee: Caitlin Williams
26 August 2026 Preston Lions (2)1–2 South Melbourne (2) Melbourne
19:30
  • Cuba 49'
 Report
  • Painter-Andrews 61'
  • Cocks 86'
 Stadium: Genis Steel Stadium
Attendance: 6,673
Referee: Tom Fell

Semi-finals

The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Lions FC and South Melbourne. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition. All times are AEST (UTC+10).

9 September 2026 Sydney FC (1) v Melbourne Victory (1) Sydney
19:30 Source Stadium: Jubilee Stadium
15 September 2026 South Melbourne (2) v Lions FC (2) Melbourne
19:30 Source Stadium: Lakeside Stadium

Final

Top goalscorers

As of 27 August 2026
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Australia Tiago Quintal Sydney FC 4
2 Australia Mitchell Hore Lions FC 3
3 Australia Marko Basic Brunswick Juventus 2
Argentina Nahuel Bonada Preston Lions
Australia Arran Cocks South Melbourne
Australia Bul Juach South Melbourne
Australia Harry Sawyer Melbourne Victory
Japan Takahiro Sekine Sydney FC

Note: Goals scored in preliminary rounds not included.

Notes

  1. ↑ This included Western United, who entered their youth team in the Victorian preliminary rounds,[2] as the club's A-League licence is dormant.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Hahn Secures Naming Rights To Australia Cup In Landmark New Partnership | Australia Cup". www.australiacup.com.au. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 Weiner, David (27 January 2026). "New Zealand teams axed from Australia Cup in major change for 2026 knockout competition". football360.com.au. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Refined Hahn Australia Cup structure announced for 2026". Australia Cup. 28 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Weiner, David (7 October 2025). "A snapshot of unity: 120 minutes that showed us at our best. More, please". Football360.com.au. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "United to Build for Future, A-Leagues Participation Paused". Western United F.C. 6 September 2025.
  6. ↑ Gibson, Tim (6 December 2025). "Report: South Melbourne claim inaugural Australian Championship over Marconi". Australian Championship. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  7. ↑ "Hahn Australia Cup 2026 Round of 32 Draw delivers fascinating fixtures". Australia Cup. Football Australia. 22 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Hahn Australia Cup 2026 Round of 16 fixtures confirmed". Australia Cup. 1 August 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "A-Leagues clubs learn their fate as Aus Cup Round of 16 draw confirmed". A-Leagues. 31 July 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
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