The 2026 Australia Cup, known as the Hahn Australia Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 13th season of the Australia Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. Thirty-two teams contest the competition proper.
All eligible A-League Men clubs entered at the Round of 32. The qualifying competition began on 31 January, with the competition proper starting in July 2026.
New Zealand-based A-League Men clubs Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC were excluded from the competition for the first time, to align with the Asian Football Confederation's qualification requirements for the AFC Champions League Two.
Newcastle Jets were the defending champions, but were knocked out in the Round of 32.
Round and dates RoundDraw dateMatch datesNumber of fixturesTeamsNew entries this roundPreliminary roundsVarious31 January – 17 June777 → 32766Round of 3222 June14–30 July1632 → 1611Round of 1630 July8–12 August816 → 8NoneQuarter-finals18–26 August48 → 4Semi-finals9–15 September24 → 2Final—10 October12 → 1
Preliminary rounds
Member federation teams competed in various state-based preliminary rounds to win places in the competition proper (from the Round of 32). All Australian clubs (other than youth teams associated with A-League franchises) were eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective member federation; however, only one team per club was permitted entry into the competition. The preliminary rounds operated within a consistent national structure, whereby club entry into the competition is staggered in each state/territory, determined by what level the club sits at in the unofficial Australian soccer league system.
All ten Australian A-League Men clubs gained automatic qualification to the Round of 32. South Melbourne qualified automatically as winners of the 2025 Australian Championship.
FederationAssociated competitionRound of 32 qualifiers Football Australia A-League Men10 Australian Championship1Capital Football (ACT)Federation Cup (ACT)1Football NSWWaratah Cup4Northern NSW FootballNorthern NSW State Cup2Football Northern TerritoryNT Australia Cup Final1Football QueenslandKappa Queensland Cup4Football South AustraliaFederation Cup (SA)2Football TasmaniaMilan Lakoseljac Cup1Football VictoriaDockerty Cup4Football West (WA)State Cup2
Teams A total of 32 teams participated in the competition proper; this included all ten of the Australian-based A-League Men's clubs, plus South Melbourne as the winner of the 2025 Australian Championship. The remaining 21 teams were from member state federations, as determined by the qualifying rounds. A-League Men clubs represent the highest level in the Australian league system, whereas Member Federation clubs come from level 2 and below. A-League Men clubsAdelaide UnitedBrisbane RoarCentral Coast MarinersMacarthur FCMelbourne CityMelbourne VictoryNewcastle JetsPerth GlorySydney FCWestern Sydney WanderersMember federation clubs Tigers FC (2) APIA Leichhardt (2) SD Raiders (2) Sydney Olympic (2) Sydney United 58 (2) Maitland FC (2) Weston Bears (2) Azzurri United (2) Peninsula Power (2) Marlin Coast Rangers (5) Lions FC (2) Rochedale Rovers (2) Cumberland United (3) FK Beograd (2) Kingborough Lions United (2) Brunswick Juventus (3) Heidelberg United (2) North Sunshine Eagles (3) Preston Lions (2) South Melbourne (2) Bayswater City (2) Fremantle City (2)
Bracket
Round of 32 The draw took place on 22 June 2026 The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Marlin Coast Rangers. They were the only level 5 team left in the competition.
Times are AEST (UTC+10) as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Round of 16 The draw for the remaining rounds took place on 30 July. The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Brunswick Juventus and North Sunshine Eagles. They were the only level 3 teams left in the competition.
Times are AEST (UTC+10) as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Quarter-finals The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was North Sunshine Eagles. They were the only level 3 team left in the competition. All times are AEST (UTC+10).
Semi-finals The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Lions FC and South Melbourne. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition. All times are AEST (UTC+10).
Final
Top goalscorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Bul JuachSouth Melbourne 52 Tiago QuintalSydney FC43 Mitchell HoreLions FC34 Marko BasicBrunswick Juventus2 Nahuel BonadaPreston Lions Arran CocksSouth Melbourne Keegan Jelacic Melbourne Victory Harry SawyerMelbourne Victory Takahiro SekineSydney FC
Notes
References