Historic clubs and old NSL rivalries headline the 2026 Australian Championship

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The second Australian Championship season will kick off on Thursday, 15 October 2026, with free-to-air Thursday night football on SBS and a field built around some of the country’s oldest clubs and fiercest former National Soccer League rivalries.

Sixteen teams will contest the competition, including nine former NSL clubs: South Melbourne, Sydney Olympic, Marconi Stallions, Sydney United 58, Adelaide City, Wests APIA, Preston Lions, Wollongong Wolves and Lions FC. The group stage spans seven states and territories, with eight Foundation Clubs joined by eight Qualifying Clubs from the National Premier Leagues.

The season opens when Preston Lions host Wollongong Wolves on Thursday, 15 October. That match is the first of a new Thursday night showcase. Each round will have two SBS linear broadcasts, up from the debut season. SBS will show Thursday games on SBS VICELAND/SBS2 and Saturday games on SBS. All other matches will stream on Football Australia’s YouTube channel and SBS On Demand.

Other opening-round fixtures include Sutherland Sharks against reigning champions and 2026 Hahn Australia Cup finalists South Melbourne on Saturday, 17 October. Adelaide City v Avondale and Oakleigh Cannons v Sydney Olympic are also in the first round.

Later headlines revive old NSL finals. South Melbourne will meet Sydney United 58, a rematch of the 1999 NSL Grand Final. Sydney Olympic and Marconi, who met in the 1989 and 1990 grand finals, will play again.

The Finals Series starts with quarter-finals on 26 November. The Grand Final is scheduled between 10 and 12 December. Venues and exact finals dates will be announced later. The full group-stage fixture, including venues and kick-off times, is available here.

Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler said the championship “brings together the history of our game” and the best NPL clubs nationwide. He said the expanded SBS deal — two live free-to-air matches each round and every game on SBS On Demand — would put more of the competition in more homes.

Heather Garriock, Football Australia’s executive director of football, said the championship is meant to link state-league and grassroots talent to a national stage. She said clubs asked for change in season two, and that a penalty-shootout bonus-point model would be trialled after consultation that included the Japanese Football Association. With only six group matches, every point will count. The rule will be reviewed at the end of the season.

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