2026 Australian Championship
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 October – 13 December |
← 2025 2027 → | |
The 2026 Australian Championship will be the second edition of the Australian Championship, a national second-tier competition of soccer in Australia, held after the finish of the third-tier 2026 National Premier Leagues Men's 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, running from 16 October and concluding on 12-13 December.[2]
South Melbourne will be defending champions, after defeating Marconi Stallions in the final of the 2025 Australian Championship.[3]
Teams
● Foundation clubs, ● NPL qualifiers
Sixteen clubs will participate in the competition. Eight clubs gained automatic qualification as the competition's "foundation clubs": Avondale FC, Marconi Stallions, Preston Lions, South Melbourne, Sydney Olympic, Sydney United 58, Wests APIA, and Wollongong Wolves.[4][5]
The other eight will qualify via the 2026 National Premier Leagues Men's.[2][6]
| Qualified via | Team | City | Home ground | Cap. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation club | Avondale FC | Melbourne | Avenger Park | 2,500 |
| Marconi Stallions | Sydney | Marconi Stadium | 9,000 | |
| Preston Lions | Melbourne | B.T. Connor Reserve | 9,000 | |
| South Melbourne | Melbourne | Lakeside Stadium | 12,000 | |
| Sydney Olympic | Sydney | Jubilee Stadium | 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 | |
| NPL WA | Bayswater City | Perth | Frank Drago Reserve | 5,000 |
| NPL Northern NSW | Broadmeadow Magic | Newcastle | Magic Park | 3,500 |
| NPL Capital | Canberra Croatia | Canberra | Deakin Stadium | 1,500 |
| NPL Victoria | Oakleigh Cannons | Melbourne | Jack Edwards Reserve | 4,000 |
| NPL Queensland | Lions FC | Brisbane | Lions Stadium | 5,000 |
| NPL SA | Adelaide City | Adelaide | Adelaide City Park | 5,000 |
| NPL NSW | Sutherland Sharks | Sydney | Seymour Shaw Park | 5,000 |
| NPL Tasmania | South Hobart | Hobart | D'Arcy Street | 1,500 |
See also
References
- ↑ "Football Australia releases Domestic Match Calendar for 2026/27". Football Australia. 14 July 2026.
- 1 2 Lynch, Joey (6 August 2026). "Australian Championship: Clubs, season start, all you need to know". Football 360. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Gibson, Tim (6 December 2025). "Report: South Melbourne claim inaugural Australian Championship over Marconi". Australian Championship. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ↑ "Australian Championship unveiled by football's governing body". ABC News. Australian Associated Press. 12 February 2025. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ Lynch, Joey (11 February 2025). "The Australian Championship: FA unveils Champions League-style second tier". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ Greg, Dundas; Ward, Roy (20 August 2025). "'We can do it': Heidelberg's semi-pros back at work and eyeing another A-League upset". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.