The Isuzu UTE A-League season will kick off on Friday 17 October as Melbourne City look to defend their crown, with a 26-game regular season. The Finals Series will take place from 1-24 May, with the Grand Final to be played on the weekend of 23-24 May ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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In 2025-26, the Isuzu UTE A-League will feature 12 teams following the announcement Western United’s Club Participation Agreement (CPA) has been placed in conditional hibernation for the upcoming campaign.
Commenting on the season ahead, Stephen Conroy, APL Executive Chairman said: “Last season we celebrated 20 years in style with a record number of goals, a fourth consecutive year of growth in TV audiences and the highest total season attendance since 2016-17.
“We also saw the prevalence of young stars shining across the Isuzu UTE A-League and on the world stage with 17 players called up to the Socceroos and 15 into the All Whites in the last 12 months.
“As well as a growing talent pool, we’ve also seen incredible action on the pitch that is exciting fans across Australia and New Zealand. We can’t wait for another action-packed A-Leagues season.”
Round 1 is headlined by an F3 Derby between Central Coast Mariners and Mark Milligan’s Newcastle Jets on Sunday afternoon, after the season gets underway with two enticing fixtures on Friday night.
The Airton Andrioli era at Adelaide United begins against rivals Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium, while Michael Valkanis’ new-look Brisbane Roar welcome Macarthur Bulls to Suncorp Stadium.
There is also a Semi-Final rematch between Grand Finalists Melbourne Victory and reigning premiers Auckland FC, to go with a Distance Derby pitting Perth Glory against Wellington Phoenix as defending champions Melbourne City visit Western Sydney Wanderers.
Two derbies headline Round 4 as New Zealand rivals Wellington and Auckland meet for the first time in 2025-26, while Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City go head-to-head in a Grand Final rematch.
The 2025-26 season will be played across 26 rounds, with each club playing 22 home-and-away fixtures, plus four additional third-match up fixtures – two home and two away – following Western United being placed into conditional hibernation.
The 2026 Finals Series will follow last season’s format with two Elimination Finals – the two winners advancing to a two-legged Semi Final against the top two sides, with the winners qualifying for the Grand Final.
The Isuzu UTE A-League 2026 Finals Series will kick off on the weekend of May 1-3, 2026 with the Grand Final scheduled for the weekend of May 23-24, 2026.
-Aleagues.com.au
