2025 Australia Cup
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New Zealand
32 (main competition)
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia New Zealand |
| Dates | 31 January – 4 October 2025 |
| Teams | 718 (qualifying competition) 32 (main competition) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Newcastle Jets (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Heidelberg United |
| AFC Champions League Two | Heidelberg United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 105 (3.39 per match) |
| Attendance | 70,842 (2,285 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Manyluak Aguek (6 goals) |
The 2025 Australia Cup, known as the Hahn Australia Cup for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the twelfth season of the Australia Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. This edition will be the fourth under the new name of the "Australia Cup" following the renaming of Football Federation Australia to Football Australia.[2] Thirty-two teams contested the competition proper.
The qualifying competition began on 31 January, with the competition proper starting on 22 July 2025. The final was played at Lakeside Stadium, Melbourne, on 4 October 2025.[3]
Newcastle Jets defeated Heidelberg United in the final, with Heidelberg United becoming just the second National Premier Leagues (NPL) team and the first NPL Victoria team to reach the final.[4] As winners, the Newcastle Jets would have qualified for the group stage of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two; however as they qualified for the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite as 2025–26 A-League Men premiers, their spot was transferred to Heidelberg United.[5][6]
Macarthur FC were defending champions, but were eliminated by eventual champions Newcastle Jets in the quarter-finals.[7]
This was the final edition of the competition to feature clubs from New Zealand, with Football Australia confirming that the 2026 edition onwards would solely feature clubs from Australia to align with the Asian Football Confederation's qualification requirements for the AFC Champions League Two.[8][9]
| Round | Draw date | Match dates | Number of fixtures | Teams | New entries this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary rounds | Various | 31 January–18 June | 686 | 718 → 32 | 709 |
| Round of 32 | 25 June | 22–30 July | 16 | 32 → 16 | 9 |
| Round of 16 | 30 July | 10–13 August | 8 | 16 → 8 | None |
| Quarter-finals | 19–24 August | 4 | 8 → 4 | ||
| Semi-finals | 30–31 August | 2 | 4 → 2 | ||
| Final | — | 4 October | 1 | 2 → 1 |
Preliminary rounds
Member federation teams are competing in various state-based preliminary rounds to win places in the competition proper (at the Round of 32). All Australian clubs (other than youth teams associated with A-League franchises) are eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective member federation; however, only one team per club is permitted entry into the competition. The preliminary rounds operate 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.
The top nine placed A-League Men clubs from the 2024–25 A-League Men season gain automatic qualification to the Round of 32.[10][11] The other four teams entered a play-off series to determine the remaining two positions, with Perth Glory defeating the Central Coast Mariners and the Wellington Phoenix defeating Brisbane Roar to enter at the Round of 32 stage.
| Federation | Associated competition | Round of 32 qualifiers |
|---|---|---|
| Football Australia | A-League Men | 11 |
| 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[12] | 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 2025 Australia Cup competition proper.
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 | Auckland FC | Macarthur FC | Melbourne City | Melbourne Victory |
| Newcastle Jets | Perth Glory | Sydney FC | Wellington Phoenix | Western Sydney Wanderers |
| Western United | ||||
| Member federation clubs | ||||
Bracket
Round of 32
The draw took place on 25 June[13] and the venues and match times were confirmed on 1 July 2025.[14] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Nunawading City. They were the only level 4 team left in the competition.
Times are AEST (UTC+10) as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
| 22 July 2025 | Peninsula Power (2) | 0–3 | Western Sydney Wanderers (1) | Brisbane |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: A.J. Kelly Park Attendance: 1,839 Referee: Jack Powers |
| 22 July 2025 | Avondale FC (2) | 5–1 | Stirling Macedonia (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: Green Gully Reserve Attendance: 855 Referee: Jonathan Barreiro |
| 22 July 2025 | Darwin Olympic (2) | 0–9 | Nunawading City (4) | Darwin |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) | Report | Stadium: Darwin Football Stadium Attendance: 756 Referee: Declan Woods |
| 23 July 2025 | Northern Tigers (3) | 0–1 | Sydney United 58 (2) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: Leichhardt Oval Attendance: 1,161 Referee: Eric Saba |
| 23 July 2025 | Adelaide Croatia Raiders (2) | 2–3 | Cooks Hill United (2) | Adelaide |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) | Report | Stadium: Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 650 Referee: Tom Brinkworth |
| 23 July 2025 | Heidelberg United (2) | 2–0 | Weston Bears (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Olympic Village Attendance: 525 Referee: Jock Quartermain |
| 23 July 2025 | South Hobart (2) | 1–2 | South Melbourne (2) | Hobart |
| 19:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: KGV Park Attendance: 2,077 Referee: Brenton Kopra |
| 27 July 2025 | Perth Glory (1) | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (7–8 p) | Wellington Phoenix (1) | Perth |
| 17:00 (15:00 AWST) |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Kingsway Reserve Attendance: 1,141 Referee: Liam Barclay |
| Penalties | ||||
| 29 July 2025 | SD Raiders (3) | 0–5 | Macarthur FC (1) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Fairfield Showground Attendance: 2,716 Referee: Jake Rose |
| 29 July 2025 | Gold Coast Knights (2) | 0–4 | Auckland FC (1) | Gold Coast |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 1,517 Referee: Lara Lee |
| 29 July 2025 | Western United (1) | 0–1 | Sydney FC (1) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: Ironbark Fields Attendance: 1,347 Referee: Jack Morgan |
| 29 July 2025 | Olympic Kingsway (2) | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | Melbourne Victory (1) | Perth |
| 21:00 (19:00 AWST) | Report | Stadium: Kingsway Reserve Attendance: 3,033 Referee: Sam Kelly |
| 30 July 2025 | Brisbane City (2) | 2–0 | Olympic FC (2) | Brisbane |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Imperial Corp Stadium Attendance: 2,271 Referee: Zac Keenan |
| 30 July 2025 | Newcastle Jets (1) | 2–1 | Adelaide United (1) | Maitland |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: Maitland Sportsground Attendance: 2,167 Referee: Joshua Attard |
| 30 July 2025 | Canberra Croatia (2) | 0–4 | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | Canberra |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: Deakin Stadium Attendance: 1,286 Referee: Georgia Ghirardello |
| 30 July 2025 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | 2–0 | Melbourne City (1) | Sydney |
| 19:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: Leichhardt Oval Attendance: 2,793 Referee: Nathan Shakespear |
Round of 16
The draw for the remaining rounds took place on 30 July.[15][16] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Nunawading City. They were the only level 4 team left in the competition.
Times are AEST (UTC+10) as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
| 10 August | Sydney United 58 (2) | 0–2 | Sydney FC (1) | Sydney |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Sydney United Sports Centre Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Thomas Dale |
| 10 August | Nunawading City (4) | 0–1 | Wellington Phoenix (1) | Melbourne |
| 15:00 | Report | Ishige |
Stadium: Nasiol Stadium Attendance: 1,423 Referee: Eric Saba |
| 11 August | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | 0–2 | Macarthur FC (1) | Adelaide |
| 20:00 (19:30 ACST) | Report |
|
Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve Attendance: 2,073 Referee: Daniel Cook |
| 12 August | Heidelberg United (2) | 3–0 | Western Sydney Wanderers (1) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 1,103 Referee: Zijad Ahmetovic |
| 12 August | Brisbane City (2) | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) | Olympic Kingsway (2) | Brisbane |
| 19:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Imperial Corp Stadium Attendance: 1,569 Referee: Zac Keenan |
| Penalties | ||||
| 13 August | Cooks Hill United (2) | 0–5 | Newcastle Jets (1) | Newcastle |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: No.2 Sportsground Attendance: 4,256 Referee: Matt Staples |
| 13 August | South Melbourne (2) | 0–3 | Auckland FC (1) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Lakeside Stadium Attendance: 3,712 Referee: Declan Woods |
| 13 August | Avondale FC (2) | 3–1 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: Green Gully Reserve Attendance: 1,288 Referee: Jock Quartermain |
Quarter-finals
The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Avondale FC, Brisbane City and Heidelberg United. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition. All times are AEST (UTC+10).
| 19 August | Heidelberg United (2) | 4–0 | Wellington Phoenix (1) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 1,547 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 20 August | Avondale FC (2) | 6–2 | Brisbane City (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Green Gully Reserve Attendance: 2,535 Referee: Jock Quartermain |
| 23 August | Sydney FC (1) | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p) | Auckland FC (1) | Sydney |
| 19:30 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Jubilee Stadium Attendance: 3,237 Referee: Casey Reibelt |
| Penalties | ||||
| 24 August | Newcastle Jets (1) | 3–0 | Macarthur FC (1) | Maitland |
| 16:00 | Report | Stadium: Maitland Sportsground Attendance: 2,579 Referee: Tim Danaskos |
Semi-finals
The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Avondale FC and Heidelberg United. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition. All times are AEST (UTC+10).
| 30 August | Heidelberg United (2) | 2–0 | Auckland FC (1) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 3,034 |
| 31 August | Avondale FC (2) | 2–4 | Newcastle Jets (1) | Melbourne |
| 15:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Avenger Park Attendance: 2,352 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |