What you need to know about the Australian Championship
Updated: 12 hours ago
What is the Australian Championship?
Adelaide City returns to the national stage in 2026, with the Australian Championship bringing three interstate powerhouse opponents to Adelaide City Park.
The Australian Championship is an annual competition made up of 16 clubs: eight permanent Foundation Clubs and eight spots available each year to the highest-ranked club from each Member Federation league that has not qualified for the competition.
Who is competing?
The Foundation Clubs consist of: Avondale FC (VIC), Marconi Stallions FC (NSW), Preston Lions FC (VIC), South Melbourne FC (VIC), Sydney Olympic FC (NSW), Sydney United 58 FC (NSW), Wests APIA FC (NSW), Wollongong Wolves FC (NSW)
In 2026, the Member Federation clubs that have qualified to complete the competition consist of: Adelaide City FC (SA), Bayswater City FC (WA), Broadmeadow Magic (NNSW), Canberra Croatia FC (ACT), Lions FC (QLD), Oakleigh Cannons FC (VIC), South Hobart FC (TAS), and Sutherland Sharks FC (NSW).
The competition begins in four groups of four teams. The eight Foundation Clubs are randomly drawn across the four groups, ensuring each group has at least two.
The groups are completed by the draw, randomly placing the qualified participants in the last two spots of each group. The result is the even distribution of the 16 clubs into four even groups.
What are the groups?
Group A: South Melbourne FC, Sydney United 58 FC, Canberra Croatia FC, Sutherland Sharks FC
Group B: Wests APIA FC, Avondale FC, Adelaide City FC, Broadmeadow Magic FC
Group C: Marconi Stallions FC, Sydney Olympic FC, Oakleigh Cannons FC, Bayswater City FC
Group D: Preston Lions FC, Wollongong Wolves FC, South Hobart FC, Lions FC
With Adelaide City back on the national stage, Avondale FC (16th of October), Wests APIA (22nd of October), and Broadmeadow Magic (22nd of November) will all be visiting Adelaide City Park.
How will the group stage work?
The group format will see each team play six games, once at home and once away, against its fellow group members. While the majority of the rules remain similar to the NPL season, with the winning team being awarded three points and tied rankings at the end of the group stage being broken by goal difference, there is one new inclusion to this year’s format.
The 2026 Australian Championship campaign introduces the Penalty Shootout Bonus Point Model.
This change will affect drawn group-stage matches.
While those games will still reward each team with the traditional single point for the draw, they will proceed to a penalty shootout, rewarding the winner of the shootout with an extra point in the standings.
This format was used in the 1994/95 NSL season, which Adelaide City participated in.
At the conclusion of the group stage, each group’s two highest-ranking teams will advance to the Quarter-Finals of the competition, while the two lowest-ranking teams from each group will be eliminated.
What happens after the group stage?
The Quarter-Finals are drawn with the winners of each group hosting runners-up of other groups in the following format:
Group A Winner vs Group C Runner-up
Group B Winner vs Group D Runner-up
Group C Winner vs Group A Runner-up
Group D Winner vs Group B Runner-up
The winning sides advance to the Semi-Finals and subsequently the Grand Final of the competition, where Football Australia is responsible for selecting the venue.
The 2025 Australia Championship Final was contested between South Melbourne FC and Marconi Stallions FC at Olympic Village, home of Heidelberg United FC.
The best way to experience Adelaide City’s return to the national stage is at Adelaide City Park.
