After yet another tumultuous offseason, the A-League Men finally gets a chance to turn focus onto the football this week, as the 2025-26 campaign commences with three games on Friday evening.
As it has been for pretty much the last decade, it's a season in which the league will seek to put its struggles behind it and set itself on the path to prosperity. This offseason alone has seen Western United placed into "hibernation" as the financially stricken club seeks to stave off complete collapse, adding a morose note to an ongoing battle to find a level of financial stability and break through the noise of the packed Australian sporting market to win over hearts and minds.
But, as ever, there is a path to get there.
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For every calamity or strategic blunder that has dragged it down in recent times, the league maintains a loyal following amongst those that remain, and the ongoing wave of austerity comes with the silver lining of giving hitherto unprecedented opportunities for youth to play, which in turn is driving a wave of highly talented youngsters striking out abroad. The launch of the Australian Championship will not only provide a platform for players seeking to press their case for A-League contracts but also help to drive conversation and interest in football.
And with the 2026 FIFA World Cup looming, players young and old alike will be striving to do everything they can to impress Socceroos coach Tony Popovic before he names his final squad for the tournament, adding another reason for punters to emotionally invest in every game this season.
Here's how ESPN thinks it might go down.
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Adelaide United
2024-25 finish: 6th, elimination final | Coach: Airton Andrioli | Difference makers: Craig Goodwin, Juan Muñiz, Bart Vriends
Key Storyline: Can Airton Andrioli's appointment and Goodwin's homecoming turn Adelaide's post-Veart turbulence into stability, or will United's gamble on change backfire?
Best case scenario: Goodwin hits the ground running with 15-plus goals, and the Adelaide faithful are behind Andrioli from day one. At the back, Vriends and Panagiotis Kikianis form the league's most reliable center back pairing, while 17-year-old winger Amlani Tatu enjoys a breakout season, announcing himself as the latest gem from an academy that has produced Socceroos stars Nestory Irankunda and Mohamed Toure. With sold-out crowds at Coopers Stadium becoming the norm, Adelaide enjoys a deep run in the finals, then storms home to beat archrivals Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final.
Worst case scenario: Disaster strikes as Goodwin is injured early and the attack collapses without him or last season's top scorer, Archie Goodwin (no relation). Reports emerge that technical director Ernest Faber has been running secret training sessions without Andrioli -- swiftly denied by the board. With finals hopes long gone, Andrioli is quietly moved aside before season's end, Faber steps in, and Goodwin departs for one last payday in Saudi Arabia.
Passing grade: After a disappointing finish last season, and with Goodwin's homecoming plus a new manager, anything less than a finals appearance would be a failure. A couple of early wins would light up Coopers Stadium -- and that energy alone could swing the season. -- Sheldon
Auckland FC
2024-25 finish: 1st, semifinals | Coach: Steve Corica | Difference makers: Hiroki Sakai, Louis Verstraete, Francis de Vries
Key storyline: Can Auckland build on a record-setting debut season by claiming a title? Or does a sophomore slump await?
Best case scenario: The loss of Alex Paulsen and his league-leading 12 clean-sheets hurts but the Auckland attack steps up and scores enough to cover for the loss of the league's best keeper across the past two years. This is highlighted by new signing Sam Cosgrove winning the Golden Boot, in large part thanks to his ability to get on the end of De Vries' set piece delivery, Claiming the premiership and a clean sweep of Wellington once again, Corica's side breezes past Melbourne Victory in the semifinals before downing Melbourne City in the Grand Final in front of a record crowd in Auckland.
Worst case scenario: The loss of Paulsen, a down year from Verstraete, and opponents having a year's worth of research material on them sees Auckland increasingly draw games they would have won last season and lose games they would have drawn. Even worse, they drop their two away games to Wellington and are forced to settle for a draw in their home fixture. Finishing fifth and forced to travel in week one of the finals, they're eliminated by Western Sydney. Everyone who isn't obligated by commercial agreements continues to not call them the Black Knights.
Passing grade: Grand Final. It's always difficult to set expectations for a side that vastly outpaced them last season, especially when it was an expansion franchise. Do you hold them to a higher standard now and set the bar even higher? Or do you build in some allowances for the possibility of reversion to the mean? Every case is different but in Auckland's, they're clearly one of the league's most talented sides and, thanks to billionaire owner Bill Foley, one of the best resourced, so going one step better than last season shouldn't be too onerous a standard. -- Lynch
Brisbane Roar
2024-25 finish: 12th | Coach: Michael Valkanis | Difference makers: Jay O'Shea, Dean Bouzanis, Michael Ruhs
Key storyline: Can the Roar actually show enough signs of life to give their fans hope and justify their continued, protected status as Queensland's only professional side?
Best case scenario: Ruhs' prolific preseason form continues into the season, reaching the point where some go so far as to float him as a bolter for the Socceroos squad for World Cup. There are plenty of ups and downs in what is likely a multi-season rebuild but the club avoids resetting the oft-used "Days without a story about the Roar owing someone money" counter, and their abject home form improves -- built off the back of a monster season from Bouzanis -- enough to ensure they jag enough points to remain in the vicinity of sixth come to the tail end of the campaign.
Worst case scenario: All the good vibes earned by the club's improved communications during the offseason evaporate when the fans actually have to watch the team play football. After dodging wooden spoons in the last two seasons thanks to Perth plumbing even greater depths of ineptness, an improving Glory leaves the Roar with nowhere to hide, and they sink to the foot of the table. Lang Park becomes even more cavernously empty as a result and a further blow is dealt when the Queensland Government draws a hard line through a proper refurbishment of Perry Park ahead of the Brisbane Olympics.
Passing grade: Brisbane were so bad last season, particularly at home, that it feels almost impossible not for there to be some improvement this season, even if talk of top four at their member forum is quite a bold target. Valkanis will need to give fans a reason to hope through performances, player development, and the results this season -- the latter particularly important when they're playing in Queensland. -- Lynch
Central Coast Mariners
2024-25 finish: 10th | Coach: Josh Rose (interim) | Difference makers: Christian Theoharous, Lucas Mauragis, Ryan Edmondson
Key storyline: After treble-winning coach Mark Jackson's shock exit to Thai club Buriram United on the eve of the season and reports of boardroom tension, can the Mariners -- now a club in clear crisis mode -- avoid the kind of year where everything that can go wrong, does?
Best case scenario: A new manager comes in and steadies the ship, leaning into the Mariners' long-held "family club" identity to rally a squad largely devoid of seasoned professional experience. Theoharous finally clicks into gear, realizing the potential fans have long seen as he becomes a clinical finisher. In midfield, teenage prodigy Haine Eames builds on his breakout year to become the team's heartbeat, while a fit-again Trent Sainsbury returns midseason to inspire a late surge into the finals.
Worst case scenario: The post-Jackson chaos deepens. Ownership meddling and off-field uncertainty make it impossible to agree on -- let alone attract -- a new manager capable of cleaning up the mess. With the inexperienced Rose still in charge as interim manager a month into the season and the team winless, confidence plummets in the Mariners' young squad. Without star center back Brian Kaltak, the defense looks rattled, leaking soft goals week after week. With each routine drubbing, performances get worse, and by season's end the club that lifted a treble less than 18 months ago, collects the wooden spoon.
Passing grade: Avoiding the wooden spoon. After a turbulent preseason that saw key players Kaltak, Alou Kuol and Mikael Doka officially depart -- and a string of uninspiring replacements arrive -- the Mariners were already staring down the barrel of a disastrous season before the shock departure of their head coach last weekend. If the club can win a few games, steer clear of last place, and perhaps unearth another academy gem like Eames, it would be considered a good season. -- Sheldon
Macarthur FC
2024-25 finish: 8th | Coach: Mile Sterjovski | Difference makers: Anthony Cáceres, Luke Brattan, Ji Dong-Won
Key storyline: With a squad stacked with star pedigree, are Sydney's often-forgotten side the league's genuine championship dark horse?
Best case scenario: The midfield pairing of Socceroos Caceres and Brattan clicks instantly, dictating tempo and freeing the Bulls' new-look attack -- spearheaded by South Korea international Ji and Mexican forward Rafael Durán -- who combine for 30-plus league goals. Sterjovski expertly rotates his squad through continental and domestic duties. As wins pile up, Campbelltown finally rallies behind its team. Home crowds grow, belief builds, and Macarthur edge the Wanderers in a dramatic Grand Final to claim their maiden championship.
Worst case scenario: A grueling travel schedule takes its toll, as Brattan suffers an ACL injury in Round 4 against former club Sydney FC. Caceres -- buoyed by strong performances for the Socceroos -- secures a move abroad in the January transfer window ahead of the World Cup. Without their midfield generals, cohesion unravels, and the Bulls' campaign loses direction. By season's end, they've slipped back into midtable obscurity, with dwindling crowds and off-field noise -- including whispers of match-fixing -- dominating the headlines.
Passing grade: A top three finish. With a defensive spine of Matt Jurman, Damien Da Silva and Tomi Uskok, arguably the league's best midfield pairing in Brattan and Caceres, and a potent forward line, the Bulls boast one of the A-League's deepest squads. Realistically, Macarthur should be challenging for silverware. -- Sheldon
Melbourne City
2024-25 finish: 2nd, champions | Coach: Aurelio Vidmar | Difference makers: Max Caputo, Andreas Kuen, Kai Trewin
Key storyline: Can City continue to walk the line between development and success as they pursue back-to-back titles?
Best case scenario: City keeps its major difference-makers on the park all season and Vidmar threads the needle of balancing their presence with giving the exciting crop of young players coming through their academy necessary exposure to senior football. Fielding the league's best attack and defence, they romp to a premiership and championship double and recover from their slow Asian Champions League Elite start to progress to the knockout stages. Trewin, Nathaniel Atkinson, Mathew Leckie and Aziz Behich earn places in Popovic's World Cup squad, while the City Football Group (CFG) feels benevolent enough to look behind the couch cushions and find the funds to start construction on a new, boutique stadium in Dandenong.
Worst case scenario: New signings Elbasan Rashani and Takeshi Kanamori fail to fire and the constant injuries that haunted the side in 2024-25 somehow manage to get even worse, with Vidmar effectively forced to field the youth side for the vast majority of the season as a result. This injury crisis sees City miss finals for the first time since they were called Melbourne Heart and they also go winless in the Asian Champions League Elite, ensuring that Australian football's coefficient joins them in their suffering.
Passing grade: City's consistent success and CFG resourcing, both material and intellectual, has served to establish a reliable baseline of expectations for the club: challenging for silverware. Anything less and it can't be considered a success -- even the injury excuse rings somewhat hollow given their facilities and resourcing advantage over the league. -- Lynch
Melbourne Victory
2024-25 finish: 5th, grand finalists | Coach: Arthur Diles | Difference makers: Nishan Velupillay, Jordi Valadon, Denis Genreau
Key storyline: After losing three straight finals, can Victory finally shed their bridesmaid status with silverware?
Best case scenario: Victory's status as the league's best squad on paper is reinforced by what happens on the grass and with Diles afforded a full offseason to work with, they join Victory's women in securing a premiership and championship double. As crowds surge and AAMI Park starts pumping once again, Velupillay, Genreau, and Valadon all force their way into Popovic's World Cup squad, Juan Mata slots into the rotation and helps spur mainstream interest as he excels, and Brendan Hamill returns at the end of the season to provide an emotional charge to the title.
Worst case scenario: A poor run of results can't be blamed on a coach walking out midseason this time around and the situation quickly turns toxic for Diles, who departs at the end of the season. Injuries and Father Time pillage the backline and, combined with Jack Duncan experiencing a swoon in form without Mitch Langerak to compete with, Victory can't defend a lead to help themselves. As Mata's minutes shrink as the season progresses, the status of the World Cup winner becomes a significant distraction, culminating in his agent Fahid Ben Khalfallah challenging Diles to a charity boxing match on the Suited and Booted podcast.
Passing grade: Simply put, silverware. Victory has been there or thereabouts for multiple seasons now, which is a credit to them, but with it coming up to nearly a decade since their last A-League Men trophy, it's time to put up or shut up. -- Lynch
Newcastle Jets
2024-25 finish: 9th | Coach: Mark Milligan | Difference makers: Max Burgess, Kota Mizunuma, Thomas Aquilina
Key storyline: Fresh from lifting the Australia Cup, can Milligan build on the growing feel-good factor in the Steel City and guide a star-light but spirited Jets outfit back to the finals after eight long seasons?
Best case scenario: The Australia Cup triumph ignites belief across the squad. Burgess transforms from mercurial talent to consistent match-winner, combining brilliantly with Eli Adams and Lachlan Rose in an attack that punches well above its weight. Young skipper Kosta Grozos grows into a commanding midfield general under Milligan's watch, while McDonald Jones Stadium reclaims its reputation as one of the league's toughest away trips. Riding a wave of emotion, the Jets storm to the Grand Final -- and finally avenge their controversial 2018 defeat to Victory.
Worst case scenario: Momentum evaporates before November. Burgess starts brightly but is sent off against Sydney FC in Round 3, vanishing from selection soon after amid vague club updates and media speculation. Milligan's inexperience shows as results wobble, ownership rumors swirl, and familiar frustration returns. Another season without finals -- stretching the drought to nine seasons -- leaves fans wondering when the rebuild of the rebuild of the rebuild will finally end.
Passing grade: A finals appearance would cap off a strong first season for Milligan. Even a genuine push for the top six that carries into the final weeks would count as clear progress. -- Sheldon
Perth Glory
2024-25 finish: 13th | Coach: David Zdrilic | Difference makers: Adam Taggart, Brian Kaltak, Tom Lawrence
Key storyline: After back-to-back wooden spoons, can Zdrilic's new-look Glory side finally rediscover its identity and start functioning like a team again?
Best case scenario: The arrival of Mark Birighitti in goal, along a rebuilt back-line of Kaltak, Scott Wootton and Sam Sutton, turns last season's leakiest defense into a foundation of resilience. Up front, Taggart -- chasing a World Cup recall under Popovic -- rediscovers his ruthless edge to claim a third Golden Boot. And in a nostalgic twist, teenage forward Sebastian Despotovski announces himself as the heir to father Bobby's throne with a long-range screamer against Victory in Perth's final home game -- evoking memories of the club's golden era as Zdrilic's men surge into finals contention.
Worst case scenario: Despite the offseason overhaul, old habits resurface. The defense still leaks goals, travel demands become a convenient scapegoat, and talk of progress fades. Zdrilic's rebuild narrative turns into frustration as Glory are again staring at the wooden spoon -- wondering how a team with so much experience ended up back where it started. Somehow, even with Western United in hibernation, the Glory conspires to finish 13th.
Passing grade: Top six. After back-to-back wooden spoons and with a solid, experienced spine from back to front, Glory should be making the finals. -- Sheldon
Sydney FC
2024-25 finish: 7th | Coach: Ufuk Talay | Difference makers: Joe Lolley, Marcel Tisserand, Ben Garuccio
Key storyline: With the axe looming overhead, can Talay right the ship and get Sydney back competing for silverware?
Best case scenario: The Sky Blues use their early-season exile from the Sydney Football Stadium to rally around the flag, building cohesion and putting paid to any concerns over Talay's job security or his hold of the dressing room. With Abel Walatee and Paul Okon-Engstler emerging as potential stars and seven of their last 10 games at home, they finish with a wet sail and claim the premiership before going on to defeat Victory at a sold-out Sydney Football Stadium in the Grand Final.
Worst case scenario: Their early-season wanderings forced by the drainage works at their home extract a heavy toll and, combined with a thumping Big Blue loss to Victory at Leichhardt Oval in Round 5, the mood at Moore Park quickly darkens. With finals beginning to slip away and the new board-led governance structure proving an unwieldy beast, Talay is sacked midseason but a protracted process to find a replacement does little to improve the side's fortunes and they're pipped to the last finals spot by the Newcastle Jets and their newly crowned Johnny Warren Medalist, Max Burgess.
Passing grade: After entering last season with a squad that should have been good enough to compete for silverware only to miss finals, a return to the playoffs represents the minimum for Sydney. As one of the biggest sides in a salary-capped league where rapid rejuvenation is possible, however, looking capable of winning silverware should be a year-in-and-year-out goal. -- Lynch
Wellington Phoenix
2024-25 finish: 11th | Coach: Giancarlo Italiano | Difference makers: Tim Payne, Alex Rufer, Ifeanyi Eze
Key storyline: After tumbling to 11th last season following the best campaign in club history the year before, can "Chiefy" Italiano spark a surprise revival at the Nix, and close the gap on Auckland?
Best case scenario: New signing Eze proves a revelation up front, while fellow recruits Nikola Mileusnic and Carlo Armiento inject pace and purpose into a refreshed front line. Veterans Rufer and Payne help Italiano reinstall the Nix's defensive steel that defined their 2023-24 season. Victory in the first Auckland derby sets the tone for revival, as the "Cake Tin" becomes a fortress once again. The Nix ride that momentum to a top-four finish, reclaiming their place as New Zealand's top team.
Worst case scenario: Wellington's attack misfires, failing to score in the opening five rounds. A Round 6 derby against Auckland presents a golden chance for Italiano to ease the pressure, but the Nix are thumped 5-0. Days after receiving a public vote of confidence from the board, Italiano is sacked. Former club legend Paul Ifill steps in from Wellington Olympic to steady the ship, yet the Phoenix languish in the bottom third. Fans drift as the Auckland rivalry remains one-sided, and the few thousand faithful still showing up at Sky Stadium are left to ponder another wasted season.
Passing grade: A finals berth, or at least staying in the hunt until the final month. After a year of regression, simply being in the mix again would be considered real progress in Wellington. -- Sheldon
Western Sydney Wanderers
2024-25 finish: 4th, elimination final | Coach: Alen Stajcic | Difference makers: Anthony Pantazopoulos, Kosta Barbarouses, Angus Thurgate
Key storyline: Entering their 10th season since their last finals win, can the A-Leagues' perennial sleeping giant actually make some noise at the pointy end of the season?
Best case scenario: The Wanderers' on-field product actually starts to match their slick preseason hype videos, and they make an early-season statement by thumping City and Auckland in its opening fortnight. Benefiting from the aura boost that comes from playing at Wanderland rather than in Tarneit, Thurgate puts together a Johnny Warren Medal-winning season, Pantazopoulos starts to generate Socceroo buzz, and Lawrence Thomas forces his way into the World Cup squad. The premiership is sealed via a big win at home against Sydney FC in Round 24 and the Red and Black finally return to the Grand Final in the subsequent playoffs.
Worst case scenario: With a large, Nicolas Milanovic-sized hole in attack, the Wanderers are winless heading into their Round 6 derby with Sydney, and a defeat in that fixture kickstarts a crisis. After suffering another defeat to the Sky Blues in the second meeting between the two -- Zac Sapsford's derby goals are also greatly missed -- Stajcic steps down with the side sitting 10th on the ladder. Another cycle of Western Sydney scrambling to replace a figure who had largely been given complete control of the football department begins, and the Wanderers miss the finals; watching from home as Macarthur and Sydney meet in the decider.
Passing grade: Looking at the squad, the Wanderers should be eyeing silverware. However, given their near-decade of despondency, a finals win needs to be considered an absolute must. -- Lynch