2025–26 A-League Men

A-League Men
Season2025–26
Dates17 October 2025 – 23 May 2026
AFC Champions League TwoNewcastle Jets
Matches103
Goals284 (2.76 per match)
Top goalscorerIfeanyi Eze
Lachlan Rose
(8 goals)
Biggest home winMelbourne City 4–0 Perth Glory
(25 October 2025)
Melbourne Victory 5–1 Wellington Phoenix
(29 December 2025)
Macarthur FC 6–2 Melbourne City
(24 January 2026)
Melbourne Victory 4–0 Sydney FC
(26 January 2026)
Adelaide United 4–0 Perth Glory
(20 February 2026)
Biggest away winAdelaide United 0–4 Central Coast Mariners
(4 January 2026)
Highest scoringNewcastle Jets 4–5 Macarthur FC
(26 December 2025)
Longest winning run7 matches
Newcastle Jets
Longest unbeaten run7 matches
Newcastle Jets
Longest winless run6 matches
Central Coast Mariners
Longest losing run4 matches
Central Coast Mariners
Highest attendance33,265
Sydney FC 4–1 Western Sydney Wanderers
(31 January 2026)
Lowest attendance1,601
Central Coast Mariners 1–1 Macarthur FC
(18 January 2026)
Total attendance835,492
Average attendance8,272
2026–27
All statistics correct as of 20 February 2026.

The 2025–26 A-League Men, known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is the 49th season of national level men's soccer in Australia, and the 21st since the establishment of the competition as the A-League in 2004. Auckland FC are the defending premiers while Melbourne City are the defending champions.

Clubs

The number of clubs reduced from 13 in the 2024–25 season to 12, following the removal of Western United by Football Australia for financial reasons.[1]

Stadiums and locations

Twelve clubs are participating in the 2025–26 season.

Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
Club City Home ground Capacity
Adelaide United Adelaide Coopers Stadium 16,500
Auckland FC Auckland Go Media Stadium 27,700 (new capacity)
Brisbane Roar Brisbane Suncorp Stadium 52,500
Kayo Stadium 10,000
Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast Stadium 20,000
Central Coast Mariners Gosford Polytec Stadium 20,059
Macarthur FC Sydney Campbelltown Sports Stadium 17,500[2]
Melbourne City Melbourne AAMI Park 30,050
Melbourne Victory Melbourne AAMI Park 30,050
Newcastle Jets Newcastle McDonald Jones Stadium 30,000
Perth Glory Perth HBF Park 20,500
Sydney FC Sydney Allianz Stadium 42,500[3]
Leichhardt Oval 20,000
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Sky Stadium 34,500
Christchurch Apollo Projects Stadium 17,104
Western Sydney Wanderers Sydney CommBank Stadium 30,000

Personnel and kits

Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Kit sponsor
Adelaide United Brazil Airton Andrioli Australia Craig Goodwin[4] UCAN[5] Mega Rewards[6]
1KOMMA5°[note 1][7]
Auckland FC Australia Steve Corica Japan Hiroki Sakai[8] New Balance[9] ANZ[10]
Brisbane Roar Australia Michael Valkanis Republic of Ireland Jay O'Shea[11] Cikers[12] Value Dental Centres[13]
Central Coast Mariners Australia Warren Moon Australia Trent Sainsbury[14] O'Neills[15] polytec[16]
Macarthur FC Australia Mile Sterjovski Australia Luke Brattan[17] Kelme[18][19] SipEnergy[20][19]
Melbourne City Australia Aurelio Vidmar Australia Aziz Behich[21] Puma[22][23] Etihad Airways[23]
Melbourne Victory Australia Arthur Diles Portugal Roderick Miranda[24] Macron[25] Turkish Airlines[26]
Newcastle Jets Australia Mark Milligan Australia Kosta Grozos[27] New Balance[28] Emerald Horizon[29]
Perth Glory Australia Adam Griffiths Australia Adam Taggart
England Scott Wootton[30]
Macron[31] La Vida Homes[32]
Sydney FC Australia Ufuk Talay Australia Rhyan Grant[33] Under Armour[34] Macquarie University[35]
Wellington Phoenix Australia Giancarlo Italiano New Zealand Alex Rufer[36] Dynasty Sport[37] Entelar Group[38]
Oppo[note 1][39]
Western Sydney Wanderers Australia Gary van Egmond (caretaker) Australia Lawrence Thomas[40] Adidas[41] Bathla[42]
Turner Freeman Lawyers[note 1][43]

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position on table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Newcastle Jets Australia Robert Stanton End of contract 5 May 2025[44] Pre-season Australia Mark Milligan 6 May 2025[45]
Brisbane Roar Australia Ruben Zadkovich Mutual consent 6 May 2025[46] Australia Michael Valkanis 7 May 2025[47]
Adelaide United Australia Carl Veart End of contract 10 May 2025[48] Brazil Airton Andrioli 26 May 2025[49]
Central Coast Mariners England Mark Jackson Signed by Buriram United 10 October 2025[50][51] Australia Warren Moon (caretaker) 15 October 2025[52]
Perth Glory Australia David Zdrilic Sacked 28 October 2025[53] 12th Australia Adam Griffiths (caretaker) 31 October 2025[54]
Australia Adam Griffiths (caretaker) Promoted to full-time N/A 5th Australia Adam Griffiths 16 December 2025[55]
Central Coast Mariners Australia Warren Moon (caretaker) Promoted to full-time N/A 11th Australia Warren Moon 6 January 2026[56]
Western Sydney Wanderers Australia Alen Stajcic Sacked 20 January 2026[57] 12th Australia Gary van Egmond (caretaker) 21 January 2026[58]

Foreign players

Club Visa 1 Visa 2 Visa 3 Visa 4 Visa 5 Non-visa foreigner(s) Former player(s)
Adelaide United Brazil Anselmo Netherlands Joshua Smits Netherlands Bart Vriends Spain Juan Muñiz South Sudan Ajak Riak[a] Netherlands Julian Kwaaitaal
Auckland FC Belgium Louis Verstraete Chile Felipe Gallegos England Sam Cosgrove Japan Hiroki Sakai Uruguay Guillermo May Fiji Dan Hall[a]
Malta Jake Brimmer[a]
Brisbane Roar Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Stajić Costa Rica Youstin Salas England Chris Long Norway Marius Lode Greece Georgios Vrakas[a]
New Zealand James McGarry[a]
Republic of Ireland Jay O'Shea[b]
Central Coast Mariners Japan Kaito Taniguchi New Zealand Seth Clark Northern Ireland Alfie McCalmont New Zealand Storm Roux[a] England Ryan Edmondson
Iraq Abdelelah Faisal[a]
Macarthur FC Croatia Šime Gržan France Damien Da Silva Mexico Rafael Durán Poland Filip Kurto South Korea Ji Dong-won
Melbourne City Argentina Germán Ferreyra Austria Andreas Kuen France Samuel Souprayen Japan Takeshi Kanamori Kosovo Elbasan Rashani Indonesia Mathew Baker[a]
Melbourne Victory Brazil Clarismario Santos Greece Nikos Vergos Japan Charles Nduka Portugal Roderick Miranda Spain Juan Mata Ivory Coast Adama Traoré[b]
Newcastle Jets England Zach Clough Republic of Ireland Joe Shaughnessy Japan Kota Mizunuma Malta Lucas Scicluna[a]
New Zealand Lachlan Bayliss[a]
Perth Glory England Scott Wootton New Zealand Sam Sutton Vanuatu Brian Kaltak Wales Tom Lawrence England Callum Timmins[b]
Iraq Charbel Shamoon[a]
North Macedonia Stefan Colakovski[a]
South Sudan Joel Anasmo[a]
England Luke Amos
Sydney FC Democratic Republic of the Congo Marcel Tisserand England Joe Lolley Germany Ahmet Arslan Peru Piero Quispe Spain Víctor Campuzano
Wellington Phoenix Canada Manjrekar James Japan Kazuki Nagasawa Nigeria Ifeanyi Eze Nigeria Josh Oluwayemi Norway Sander Kartum Lebanon Ramy Najjarine[a] Japan Hideki Ishige
Western Sydney Wanderers Bulgaria Bozhidar Kraev Japan Hiroshi Ibusuki New Zealand Kosta Barbarouses Scotland Ryan Fraser Malta Dylan Scicluna[a] Iraq Mohamed Al-Taay[a]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Australian citizens (or New Zealand citizens, in the case of Auckland FC and/or Wellington Phoenix) who have chosen to represent another national team
  2. ^ a b c Those players who were born and started their professional career abroad but have since gained Australian citizenship (or New Zealand citizenship, in the case of Auckland FC and/or Wellington Phoenix)[59]

Regular season

The regular season is made up of a full home-and-away 22-match schedule for each club, plus four extra rounds, for a total of 26 matches played. The top six will qualify for the finals series.

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Newcastle Jets (X) 17 11 0 6 40 29 +11 33 Qualification for AFC Champions League Elite and Finals series[a]
2 Auckland FC[b] 17 8 5 4 24 18 +6 29 Qualification for Finals series[a]
3 Adelaide United 18 9 2 7 32 27 +5 29 Qualification for AFC Champions League Two and Finals series[c]
4 Sydney FC 17 8 2 7 24 18 +6 26 Qualification for Finals series[a]
5 Macarthur FC 17 6 7 4 24 23 +1 25
6 Melbourne Victory 17 7 3 7 24 22 +2 24
7 Melbourne City 17 5 7 5 19 21 −2 22
8 Brisbane Roar 18 6 4 8 18 23 −5 22
9 Wellington Phoenix[b] 17 5 5 7 28 33 −5 20
10 Perth Glory 18 6 2 10 21 29 −8 20
11 Central Coast Mariners 16 5 4 7 21 24 −3 19
12 Western Sydney Wanderers 17 4 5 8 15 23 −8 17
Updated to match(es) played on 20 February 2026. 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.
(X) Assured of qualification for AFC Champions League Two but may still qualify for other competitions.
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c The top two teams enter the finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth enter the finals series at the elimination-finals.
  2. ^ a b Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation.
  3. ^ Since the 2025 Australia Cup winners, Newcastle Jets, occupy an AFC Champions League Elite position, the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Two spot goes to the next eligible team.

Fixtures and results

Home \ Away ADL AKL BRI CCM MAC MCY MVC NEW PER SYD WEL WSW ADL AKL BRI CCM MAC MCY MVC NEW PER SYD WEL WSW
Adelaide United 0–1 0–4 1–1 4–1 2–1 2–3 4–0 2–1 2–0 3–2
Auckland FC 2–1 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–0 3–1 1–0 1–3
Brisbane Roar 2–3 0–2 1–2 1–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 0–3
Central Coast Mariners 1–2 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–2 1–2 1–1 a a
Macarthur FC 2–1 1–1 2–1 6–2 0–0 0–2 0–3 1–1 2–2
Melbourne City 2–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–1 4–0 0–0 a 1–3
Melbourne Victory 2–1 0–0 1–1 0–2 3–2 4–0 5–1 0–1 a
Newcastle Jets 4–1 a 4–5 0–1 5–2 1–2 1–4 4–1 2–0
Perth Glory 0–1 2–1 1–2 0–1 0–2 1–3 0–1 2–2 1–0 3–0
Sydney FC 1–2 1–1 2–0 2–0 3–0 0–2 4–1 a
Wellington Phoenix 2–1 1–2 2–1 3–1 0–1 2–2 2–3 1–3 2–2 a
Western Sydney Wanderers 0–2 0–0 3–2 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 2–2 1–1 a
Updated to match(es) played on 20 February 2026. Source: Aleagues.com.au
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

As of 20 February 2026[60]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Nigeria Ifeanyi Eze Wellington Phoenix 8
Australia Lachlan Rose Newcastle Jets
3 England Sam Cosgrove Auckland FC 7
Australia Clayton Taylor Newcastle Jets
5 Australia Lachlan Brook Auckland FC 6
Australia Max Caputo Melbourne City
Australia Luka Jovanovic Adelaide United
New Zealand Jesse Randall Auckland FC
Australia Harry Sawyer Macarthur FC
10 Australia Carlo Armiento Wellington Phoenix 5
Australia Xavier Bertoncello Newcastle Jets
Wales Tom Lawrence Perth Glory
Greece Nikos Vergos Melbourne Victory

Hat-tricks

Player For Against Result Date Ref.
Australia Alexander Badolato Newcastle Jets Melbourne Victory 5–2 (H) 24 October 2025 [61]
Australia Al Hassan Toure Sydney FC Newcastle Jets 1–4 (A) 1 November 2025 [62]
Wales Tom Lawrence Perth Glory Melbourne City 1–3 (A) 28 December 2025 [63]
Greece Nikos Vergos Melbourne Victory Wellington Phoenix 5–1 (H) 29 December 2025 [64]
Australia Brody Burkitt Adelaide United Brisbane Roar 2–3 (A) 24 January 2026 [65]
Australia Clayton Taylor Newcastle Jets Adelaide United 2–3 (A) 8 February 2026 [66]


Key
(H) Home team
(A) Away team

Clean sheets

As of 20 February 2026[67]
Rank Goalkeeper Club Clean sheets
1 Australia Patrick Beach Melbourne City 7
2 Australia Dean Bouzanis Brisbane Roar 6
Australia Harrison Devenish-Meares Sydney FC
4 New Zealand Michael Woud Auckland FC 5
5 Australia Jack Duncan Melbourne Victory 4
Australia Andrew Redmayne Central Coast Mariners
Australia Lawrence Thomas Western Sydney Wanderers
8 Poland Filip Kurto Macarthur FC 3
Netherlands Joshua Smits Adelaide United
Australia Matt Sutton Perth Glory

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Away kit

References

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