Australia Cup 2026/27

The **Australia Cup** is the country’s primary national knockout football competition. Organised by Football Australia, it sits outside the standard league pyramid, which is notable given that Australia has no promotion or relegation between its tiers. The tournament mixes professional and amateur sides in a single-elimination format.

All ten A-League Men clubs enter at the Round of 32. Lower-tier semi-professional and amateur clubs join from state federations. Participants such as Darwin Olympic, Cooma Tigers, and Goulburn Valley Suns qualify through state-based preliminary rounds. This structure ensures the competition includes grassroots teams alongside the country’s top professional entities.

The event determines a winner through knockout matches rather than a season-long table or finals series. This approach differs from the A-League Men Premiership and Championship, which are league-based titles for professional clubs only. The competition was originally launched as the FFA Cup before being renamed the Australia Cup in 2022.

Adelaide United is the most successful club with three titles. The current champion is Newcastle Jets, who won the 2025 final. Notable history includes the 2022 final where Sydney United 58, a non-A-League club, reached the final, and the 2025 final where Heidelberg United also reached the final. The winner qualifies for the AFC Champions League Two.