Australia Cup

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Australia Cup News

Popovic makes ten changes to Socceroos squad for Brazil friendlies

Flashscore · 3 days ago

Tony Popovic has named seven uncapped players in a 26-man squad for Australia's two historic friendlies against Brazil in Queensland, whilst three injuries have forced him to make additional changes.

AAMI Park to host Australia Cup final on October 10

Aaron Murphy · 4 days ago

Football Australia (FA) confirmed on Thursday afternoon that AAMI Park has been booked in to host the 2026 Australia Cup final between Melbourne Victory and South Melbourne.

Newcastle Jets smashed for seven in first Champions League game in 17 years

Reuters · 6 days ago

Kashima Antlers made an eye-catching start to their Asian Champions League Elite ⁠campaign with a 7-1 thrashing of Australia's Newcastle Jets on Tuesday, while Shanghai Port survived a frantic finish to secure ‌a 6-4 win over Ratchaburi.

Stamatelopoulos promises to 'bring a lot of energy' to his fifth A-League club

Flashscore · 6 days ago

The decade-long merry-go-round of Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has landed him in the number nine position at the Macarthur Bulls, already his fifth A-League side.

Cristian Volpato fined after allegedly driving under cocaine influence

AFP · 1 weeks ago

Australian World Cup star Cristian Volpato has been fined after failing a roadside test for cocaine, police and media reports said Wednesday.

Tony Popovic explains why he declined four-year contract extension at Socceroos

Reuters · 1 weeks ago

Australia coach Tony Popovic has revealed that he turned down a contract ⁠extension that would have kept him in the job until the 2030 World Cup, preferring to sign a deal ‌only until the end of next year's Asian Cup.

Aussies Abroad: Robertson wins Player of the Match, Gauci hit for four

Aaron Murphy · 1 weeks ago

Australia's Alex Robertson was best on ground in Cardiff's 1-1 midweek draw at home to Stoke on Wednesday morning Australian time.

About Australia Cup

History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

The Australia Cup, formerly known as the FFA Cup, is Australia’s premier national football knockout cup competition. Founded in 2014, this tournament is administered by Football Australia, previously known as Football Federation Australia.

The Australia Cup follows a summer-to-spring schedule, with the competition kicking off in February before concluding in September or November. The tournament begins with a preliminary round featuring over 700 clubs from Australia’s football pyramid. However, the competition proper kicks off with the round of 32.

In previous editions, A-League Men clubs automatically qualified for the round of 32. Currently, only 10 first-division clubs participate: the top eight from the previous A-League season directly qualify, while the bottom four compete in playoffs for two remaining spots (9th vs. 12th and 10th vs. 11th). The remaining 22 participants are made up of Member Federation Clubs, teams from the second tier or below.

The tournament follows a single-elimination format, with matches played as single-leg encounters (the winner advances, and the loser is eliminated). Draws determine match-ups from the round of 32 to the semifinals.

From 2024-25 onwards, the Australia Cup champion qualifies for the AFC Champions League Two. However, New Zealand-based clubs Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC are ineligible to participate in AFC club competitions and are thus the exceptions.

A-League Men sides have largely dominated the competition, with Adelaide United winning the inaugural title in 2014 against Perth Glory. Perth Glory reached the final again the following year but lost to Melbourne Victory. Sydney FC and Macarthur FC have also found notable success, with Macarthur winning the cup twice within four years of its A-League debut in 2020-21.

The Australia Cup awards two individual honors. The first is the Mark Viduka Medal, named after the former Australian national team captain, awarded to the player of the match in the final. Additionally, the Michael Cockerill Medal goes out to the best-performing Australia Cup player from a Member Federation Club.