2025–26 A-League Women
Eighteenth edition of the top Australian women's football (soccer) league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025–26 A-League Women, known as the Ninja A-League for sponsorship reasons, was the eighteenth season of A-League Women, the Australian national women's soccer competition. The competition began on 31 October 2025.
Season2025–26
Dates31 October 2025 – 16 May 2026
ChampionsMelbourne City (5th title)
PremiersMelbourne City (5th title)
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 31 October 2025 – 16 May 2026 |
| Champions | Melbourne City (5th title) |
| Premiers | Melbourne City (5th title) |
| AFC Champions League | Melbourne City |
| Matches | 110 |
| Goals | 305 (2.77 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Holly McNamara (12 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Wellington Phoenix 7–0 Sydney FC (20 December 2025) |
| Biggest away win | Newcastle Jets 1–5 Wellington Phoenix (1 February 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Wellington Phoenix 7–0 Sydney FC (20 December 2025) Adelaide United 5–2 Western Sydney Wanderers (27 December 2025) Melbourne City 5–2 Brisbane Roar (8 February 2026) |
| Longest winning run | 4 matches Canberra United Melbourne City |
| Longest unbeaten run | 7 matches Canberra United |
| Longest winless run | 9 matches Sydney FC |
| Longest losing run | 4 matches Newcastle Jets Perth Glory |
| Highest attendance | 3,013 Sydney FC 2–2 Melbourne City (1 November 2025) |
| Lowest attendance | 520 Melbourne City 0–1 Western Sydney Wanderers (4 February 2026) |
| Total attendance | 3,970 |
| Average attendance | 1,985 |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 5 April 2026.(Note: Longest runs only include regular season results) | |
Melbourne City were the defending premiers and Central Coast Mariners were the defending champions. Melbourne City won both their fifth premiership and championship at the end of the season.
Clubs
The number of clubs reduced from 12 in the 2024–25 season to 11, following the removal of Western United by Football Australia for financial reasons.[1]
Stadiums and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Club | City | Home ground | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide United | Adelaide | Coopers Stadium | 16,500 |
| Marden Sports Complex | 6,000 | ||
| ServiceFM Stadium | 7,000 | ||
| Brisbane Roar | Brisbane | Imperial Corp Stadium | 5,000 |
| Canberra United | Canberra | McKellar Park | 3,500 |
| Central Coast Mariners | Gosford | Industree Group Stadium | 20,059 |
| Woy Woy | Woy Woy Oval | 1,500 | |
| Melbourne City | Melbourne | AAMI Park | 30,050 |
| City Football Academy | 9,000 | ||
| Melbourne Victory | Melbourne | AAMI Park | 30,050 |
| The Home of the Matildas | 3,000 | ||
| Newcastle Jets | Newcastle | Newcastle Number 2 Sports Ground | 5,000 |
| McDonald Jones Stadium | 33,000 | ||
| Maitland | Maitland Regional Sportsground | 8,000 | |
| Perth Glory | Perth | Sam Kerr Football Centre | 2,500 |
| HBF Park | 20,500 | ||
| Sydney FC | Sydney | Leichhardt Oval | 20,000 |
| Allianz Stadium | 42,500 | ||
| Wellington Phoenix | Porirua | Jerry Collins Stadium | 1,900 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | Sydney | CommBank Stadium | 30,000 |
| Wanderers Football Park | 1,000 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturers | Kit sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide United |  Theo Tsiounis |
Isabel Hodgson[2][3] |
UCAN[4] | Flinders University[5] |
| Brisbane Roar |  Alex Smith |
Tameka Yallop[6] |
Cikers[7] | Ausenco[8] |
| Canberra United | Antoni Jagarinec |
Michelle Heyman[9] |
KonQa[10] | University of Canberra[11] ClubLime[note 1][11] |
| Central Coast Mariners | Kory Babington |
Taren King[12] |
Cikers[13] | Budget[14] |
| Melbourne City | Michael Matricciani |
 Rebekah Stott[15] |
Puma[16] | Etihad Airways |
| Melbourne Victory |  Jeff Hopkins |
Kayla Morrison[17] |
Macron[18] | Turkish Airlines[19] |
| Newcastle Jets |  Stephen Hoyle |
Cassidy Davis[20] |
New Balance[21] | nib[22][23] |
| Perth Glory | Stephen Peters |
Isobel Dalton[24] |
Macron[25] | Boom Logistics[26] |
| Sydney FC | James Slaveski (caretaker) |
Natalie Tobin[27] |
Under Armour[28] | Macquarie University[29] |
| Wellington Phoenix | Bev Priestman |
CJ Bott[30] |
Dynasty Sport[31][32] | Oppo[33] Entelar Group[note 1][34] |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | Geoff Abrahams |
Amy Harrison[35] |
Adidas[36] | Herbalife[37] |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position on table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington Phoenix | Paul Temple |
End of contract | 17 April 2025[38] | Pre-season | Bev Priestman[39] |
30 July 2025 |
| Newcastle Jets | Ryan Campbell |
End of contract | 16 May 2025[40] | Stephen Hoyle[41] |
3 June 2025 | |
| Central Coast Mariners | Emily Husband |
Signed by Football Australia as Matildas assistant coach[42] | 9 June 2025[43] | Kory Babington[44] |
25 August 2025 | |
| Adelaide United | Adrian Stenta |
Signed by Adelaide United Men as assistant coach[45] | 25 June 2025 | Theo Tsiounis[46] |
17 July 2025 | |
| Sydney | Ante Juric |
Resigned | 3 February 2026[47] | 10th | James Slaveski (caretaker) |
3 February 2026 |
Transfers
Foreign players
The following do not fill a Visa position:
- A Australian citizens who have last represented other countries at international level
- B Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian citizenship
- R Injury replacement players, or national team replacement players
Regular season
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne City (C) | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 20 | +16 | 40 | Qualification for AFC Women's Champions League and Finals series |
| 2 | Wellington Phoenix[a] | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 38 | 17 | +21 | 34 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 3 | Canberra United | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 24 | +6 | 31 | |
| 4 | Brisbane Roar | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 31 | |
| 5 | Adelaide United | 20 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 30 | |
| 6 | Melbourne Victory | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 28 | |
| 7 | Central Coast Mariners | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 28 | |
| 8 | Perth Glory | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 30 | −10 | 24 | |
| 9 | Newcastle Jets | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 23 | |
| 10 | Sydney FC | 20 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 19 | |
| 11 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 34 | −16 | 19 |
Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) wins; 5) head-to-head results; 5a) head-to-head points; 5b) head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(C) Champions
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) wins; 5) head-to-head results; 5a) head-to-head points; 5b) head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Women's Champions League as they are based in New Zealand, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation.
Results
Individual matches are collated at each club's season article.
- Home-and-away
Finals series
_–_1.jpg)
The finals series will run over four weeks, involving the top six teams from the regular season. In the first week of fixtures, the third-through-sixth ranked teams play a single-elimination match, with the two winners of those matches joining the first and second ranked teams in two-legged semi-final ties. The two winners of those matches meet in the Grand Final.
Bracket
| Elimination-finals | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Melbourne City | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Canberra United | 1 | 6 | Melbourne Victory | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 6 | Melbourne Victory | 3 | 1 | Melbourne City | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Wellington Phoenix | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Wellington Phoenix | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Brisbane Roar | 3 | 4 | Brisbane Roar | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
| 5 | Adelaide United | 0 | ||||||||||||||
Elimination-finals
| Brisbane Roar | 3–0 | Adelaide United |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Canberra United | 1–3 | Melbourne Victory |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Semi-finals
Summary
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne City | 2–0 | Melbourne Victory | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 3–2 | Brisbane Roar | 1–2 | 2–0 (a.e.t.) |
Matches
Melbourne City won 2–0 on aggregate.
| Wellington Phoenix | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Brisbane Roar |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Wellington Phoenix won 3–2 on aggregate.
Grand Final
Regular season statistics
Top scorers
- As of end of the regular season[48]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Holly McNamara |
Melbourne City | 12 |
| 2 | Annalise Rasmussen |
Central Coast Mariners | 11 |
| 3 | Melina Ayres |
Newcastle Jets | 8 |
 Bente Jansen |
Brisbane Roar | ||
| Kennedy White |
Melbourne Victory | ||
| 5 | Daisy Brown |
Brisbane Roar | 7 |
| Rhianna Pollicina |
Melbourne Victory | ||
| 8 | Kelli Brown |
Newcastle Jets | 6 |
| Michelle Heyman |
Canberra United | ||
| Aideen Keane |
Melbourne City | ||
| Brooke Nunn |
Wellington Phoenix | ||
| Pia Vlok |
Wellington Phoenix |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy White | Melbourne Victory | Western Sydney Wanderers | 4–1 (A) | 9 November 2025 | [49] |
| Holly McNamara | Melbourne City | Perth Glory | 3–1 (H) | 28 December 2025 | [50] |
| Pia Vlok | Wellington Phoenix | Newcastle Jets | 6–1 (A) | 1 February 2026 | [51] |
| Daisy Brown | Brisbane Roar | Newcastle Jets | 4–2 (H) | 20 March 2026 | [52] |
| Key | |
|---|---|
| (H) | Home team |
| (A) | Away team |
Clean sheets
- As of end of the regular season
| Rank | Goalkeeper | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victoria Esson |
Wellington Phoenix | 7 |
| Courtney Newbon |
Melbourne Victory | ||
| 3 | Heather Hinz |
Sydney FC | 6 |
 Malena Mieres |
Melbourne City | ||
| Teresa Morrissey |
Perth Glory | ||
| 6 | Sally James |
Canberra United | 5 |
| Ilona Melegh |
Adelaide United | ||
| 8 | Sham Khamis |
Western Sydney Wanderers | 4 |
| 9 | Annalee Grove |
Central Coast Mariners | 3 |
| Tiahna Robertson |
Sydney FC |
End-of-season awards
The following awards were announced at the 2025–26 Dolan Warren Awards night that took place on 21 May 2026.[53][54]
- Julie Dolan Medal – Isabel Gomez (Central Coast Mariners)
- Young Footballer of the Year – Pia Vlok (Wellington Phoenix)
- Golden Boot Award – Holly McNamara (Melbourne City) (12 goals)
- Goalkeeper of the Year – Courtney Newbon (Melbourne Victory)
- Coach of the Year – Antoni Jagarinec (Canberra United)
- Referee of the Year – Isabella Mossin[55]
- Fair Play Award – Adelaide United
- Goal of the Year – Peta Trimis (Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory, 27 December 2025)
- Save of the Year – Claudia Jenkins (Adelaide United)
- Playmaker of the Year – Brooke Nunn (Wellington Phoenix)
- Fan Player of the Year – Bethany Gordon (Canberra United)
Club awards
See also
- 2025–26 A-League Men
- A-League Women transfers for 2025–26 season
- 2025–26 Adelaide United FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Brisbane Roar FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Canberra United FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Central Coast Mariners FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Melbourne City FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Melbourne Victory FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Newcastle Jets FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Perth Glory FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Sydney FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Wellington Phoenix FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Western Sydney Wanderers FC (women) season
- 2025–26 Western United FC (women) season
Notes
- Away kit