And then there were eight. After its six-week group stage concluded last weekend, the inaugural Australian Championship will have its field halved as it enters its knockout stages this weekend; the two highest-finishers in each of its four groups, drawn from clubs across four different states, clashing in single-leg elimination games as they seek to move one step closer to becoming the first champion of the Australian second-tier.
It will commence on Friday in Sydney, where the lone quarterfinal pitting two sides from the same state against each other will take place as Wests APIA (the name that APIA Leichhardt has adopted for the Championship after Wests Tigers' majority owners purchased a stake in the club) and Marconi clash in the latest iteration of the Derby D'Italia -- both sides were founded by Italian migrants who were among the waves of post-WW2 immigration -- at Leichardt Oval.
The following day will see two sides that qualified as premiers of their state's National Premier League (NPL) competition, Queensland's Moreton City Excelsior and South Australia's Metrostars, travelling to Melbourne and attempting to slow the march of NPL Victoria when they face Australia Cup semifinalists Avondale and Heidelberg United; the first clash takes place at Avenger Park, the latter at Olympic Village. Then on Sunday, South Melbourne, who didn't taste defeat as they target glory in both the Championship and the soon-to-launch OFC Pro League, will play host to NPL NSW premiers NWS Spirit at Lakeside Stadium.
Yes, this means that heavyweights such as the Wollongong Wolves, Preston Lions, and Sydney Olympic all came up just short of progression, albeit Wollongong almost pulled off one of the most miraculous escapes in football history when they fell just one goal short of the 6-0 win they needed to progress at Marconi's expense on the final day of group play. But as far as last eights go, it's a pretty decent mix. You've got an even split of foundation sides and qualifiers, a healthy collection of historical powers, the potential for upsets, four of the higher-drawing sides in the competition, and two sides that have already received some level of mainstream recognition this year thanks to their deep runs in the Australia Cup.
Examining the trends from the group stage, unsurprisingly -- or at least, unsurprisingly for those who follow the NPL or even the Australia Cup -- sides from Victoria have made the early running; three of the four group winners, South Melbourne in Group A, Heidelberg in Group B, and Avondale in Group C hail from the state compared to one, NPLM NSW champions Wests Apia atop Group D, from elsewhere. Victoria and NSW have long engaged in a healthy competition for the right to claim the mantle as the best of the NPLs, but this competition has continued the trend for Victorian sides from the Australia Cup; Victorian clubs in that competition not only had a better head-to-head record vs. NSW rivals but also recorded more "Cupsets" vs. A-League Men opposition, and sent more sides to the final four.
Of course, while South, the Bergers, and Avondale will enter their fixtures as favourites, New South Wales alone is guaranteed a representative in the final four, thanks to the Derby d'Italia. And it's also worth noting that while the Bergers will enter their clash with the Metrostars unbeaten at home this year, and as heavy favourites, they will also do so in the final stages of what is set to be the longest domestic campaign of any side in Australian league history; their 46th competitive fixture of the campaign -- two more than the A-League Men record jointly held by Western Sydney Wanderers and Central Coast Mariners -- comes off the back of three straight draws. while the visitors head for the Village off the back of a 2-0 win over Sydney United.
Sydney United were one of the most disappointing sides in the competition, especially given their good 2025 season to this point, picking up just one point from their six games in Group D, and they announced this week that coach Ante Juric, who also helms Sydney FC's women's side, was set to stand aside due to "work commitments and personal matters." Crowd wise, the foundation club, amid increased policing and subsequent boycotts by fans, were the lowest-drawing major side in the competition, with an average of just 581 fans at their games.
- Lynch: Sick Socceroos get a pass, but attacking issues still remain
- Football filled with hope: The inaugural Australian Championship begins
- Sheldon: Is the Kiwi Clásico already the A-League's best rivalry?
And Juric wasn't the only coaching casualty from the Australian Championship -- an ability to warm a hot seat is undoubtedly a feature of any competition worth its salt -- as Olympic confirmed this week that Labinot Haliti would step down as head coach after their inability to defend leads ultimately cost them a place in the knockout stage; je will head the club's junior development league and youth programs. Reports -- which the Mariners have denied -- have suggested that Haliti may be on his way to Gosford as part of a mooted takeover by Damon Hanlin, who resigned his post as Olympic's director and president this week.
Of course, for all the football that's been played over the past six weeks, and to come in the next three, what actually happens on the grass is only part of the story for the Australian Championship. In its first season, envisioned by Football Australia as a "start up" competition on its launch, 2025 was just as much about serving as a proof of concept, demonstrating demand, showcasing its footballing benefits, and laying the foundations for future years of growth -- with Football Australia's general manager for the Championship, Nathan Godfrey, who has since stepped down from the role, telling ESPN ahead of the campaign that its roadmap was "going to be determined by data, and particularly the data in year one."
Godfrey told ESPN the federation would measure success across four key pillars in its first year, focusing on matchday attendances and experiences, broadcast reach, sporting impact, and brand awareness.
Attendance wise, things have been solid. Nine of the 16 sides in this year's competition -- who all play at grounds with much lower overheads than their A-League equivalents -- averaged more than 1000 fans through the gates in the group stage. Foundation clubs, which are supposed to provide the competition with a base on which to build, provided, United notwithstanding, the seven highest figures, with South Melbourne topping the ranks with 12,168 fans through the gates.
Here's a wrap on all clubs from the #AusChampionship group stage. 7/8 foundation clubs make up the top seven. Sydney United rock bottom. pic.twitter.com/R1M4U37wQf
— A-League Crowds (@ALeaguesCrowds) November 17, 2025
On the television front, a broadcast deal with SBS secured on the eve of the season a free-to-air platform. And while SBS hasn't released ratings figures, games have also been shown on YouTube; Football Australia is paying the vast majority of production costs, but the mere presence of a television deal in some shape or form at all goes a long way towards legitimising the competition. Helping to boost the league's profile in a dearth of mainstream, traditional coverage, the federation has also partnered and boosted creators producing content on the competition; budgetary restrictions have seen the games called out of a studio, but still there has been plenty of content to feed into the "authentic" and "local" themes that former chief executive James Johnson flagged as being key to the competition's identity during its development.
Ultimately, as the competition enters its first knockout stage, the Australian Championship appears to be ticking along well. It hasn't completely re-shaped the Australian sporting landscape but it didn't need to. Instead, it's begun to dig out its own niche and put itself on a stable footing to grow. It's still fragile and will require ongoing care and investment from Football Australia if it's going to deliver on its bountiful promise, but it's a start. And importantly, those following have been treated to some high-quality football delivered by pretty good footballers, too.