The draw has been dealt for the Australia Cup Round of 32 with all four of the Hellenic-background clubs given winnable ties, one of the more difficult challenges falling to South Melbourne who will have to travel to face South Hobart.
The draw took place on Wednesday evening with all clubs eager to learn their opponents, especially the Hellenic-background teams in “Hellas”, Heidelberg United, Darwin Olympic and Olympic FC.
South Melbourne was arguably dealt one of the harder hands of the Greek sides, though they will still rate their chances as they managed to draw a fellow NPL club and avoid the A-League teams.
Olympic FC similarly had a difficult draw as they were paired against fellow NPL Queensland club Brisbane City, making for a most interesting clash to decide who advances into the Round of 16.
Heidelberg United (one of the best performing NPL teams historically in the Australia Cup) will face Northern NSW’s Weston Bears, with “Alexandros” having the added bonus of hosting the affair.
Darwin Olympic had the easiest draw on paper after being paired up with NPL 3 Victoria outfit Nunawading City (the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition), with the NT side also having the home ground advantage.
They will still need to be wary of the opposition, who most recently managed to defeat NPL Victoria 1 club Hume City to secure their spot at this stage of the competition.
Football Australia noted in its announcement of the draw results that the Australia Cup 2025 Round of 32 will be played over two weeks in July from Saturday19 July to Wednesday 30 July.
It is anticipated that venues, dates and timings for the Round of 32 will be made available by Monday, 30 June, as Football Australia works with participating clubs and Member Federations to navigate existing match schedules and ground availability.
