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Australia Cup News

Steve Corica makes shock exit from champions Auckland to take up overseas job

Reuters · 16 hours ago

Steve Corica, who led Auckland FC ⁠to the A-League championship in only their second season, ‌is leaving the club to pursue an ‌opportunity overseas, the team ‌said on Friday.

All White Singh flying the flag for New Zealand's Sikh community

Reuters · 16 hours ago

New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh ⁠hopes his appearance at the World Cup can pave the way for other players ‌of South Asian heritage to reach the game's biggest ‌stage.

Australia’s Popovic admits team selection should have been different after loss to USA

Josh Donaldson a · 19 hours ago

Australia manager Tony Popovic believes the squad selection for his side’s 2-0 loss to the USA made a big impact the outcome of the game after a first half that he described as “lethargic”.

Australia 'will need to be better' to defeat USA: Popovic

Reuters · yesterday

Australia beat Turkey with a perfectly executed game plan ⁠in their World Cup opener but will need to find another level to get a result against ‌confident co-hosts the United States, coach Tony Popovic said on Thursday.

Australia's Trewin ready for anticipated US matchup against MLS teammate

Reuters · 2 days ago

Australia defender Kai Trewin wished his New York City FC ⁠teammate Matt Freese good luck before the World Cup, but will try to help the Socceroos foil the United States goalkeeper on ‌Friday.

Socceroos assistant says coaches won't dictate players' social media use

Reuters · 4 days ago

Australia's players are mature enough to handle the ⁠hype ahead of their high-profile World Cup match against co-hosts the United States and do not need staff ‌to tell them to get off social media, assistant coach Hayden Foxe ‌has said.

Australian FIFA referee Evans avoids sanction for World Cup hand gesture

AFP · 4 days ago

FIFA on Monday cleared World Cup referee Shaun Evans of wrongdoing after the Australian official was accused of making a white supremacist hand gesture during a television broadcast.

About Australia Cup

History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage

The Australia Cup, formerly known as the FFA Cup, is Australia’s premier national football knockout cup competition. Founded in 2014, this tournament is administered by Football Australia, previously known as Football Federation Australia.

The Australia Cup follows a summer-to-spring schedule, with the competition kicking off in February before concluding in September or November. The tournament begins with a preliminary round featuring over 700 clubs from Australia’s football pyramid. However, the competition proper kicks off with the round of 32.

In previous editions, A-League Men clubs automatically qualified for the round of 32. Currently, only 10 first-division clubs participate: the top eight from the previous A-League season directly qualify, while the bottom four compete in playoffs for two remaining spots (9th vs. 12th and 10th vs. 11th). The remaining 22 participants are made up of Member Federation Clubs, teams from the second tier or below.

The tournament follows a single-elimination format, with matches played as single-leg encounters (the winner advances, and the loser is eliminated). Draws determine match-ups from the round of 32 to the semifinals.

From 2024-25 onwards, the Australia Cup champion qualifies for the AFC Champions League Two. However, New Zealand-based clubs Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC are ineligible to participate in AFC club competitions and are thus the exceptions.

A-League Men sides have largely dominated the competition, with Adelaide United winning the inaugural title in 2014 against Perth Glory. Perth Glory reached the final again the following year but lost to Melbourne Victory. Sydney FC and Macarthur FC have also found notable success, with Macarthur winning the cup twice within four years of its A-League debut in 2020-21.

The Australia Cup awards two individual honors. The first is the Mark Viduka Medal, named after the former Australian national team captain, awarded to the player of the match in the final. Additionally, the Michael Cockerill Medal goes out to the best-performing Australia Cup player from a Member Federation Club.