The FFA Cup fixtures were drawn on Thursday evening, but this year the Round of 32 will be looking a little different.
For the first time, the FFA Cup has implemented ‘Zone’ format for the first round, opening the way for more local rivalries with the hope to avoid issues caused by border restrictions..
The zones have been split into four areas; Zone 1 – East, Zone 2 – North, Zone 3 – South and Zone 4 – West.
From the Round of 16 onwards, the zones will be dropped and the draw will be completely open making the Cup as unpredictable and exciting as ever.
In amongst the 32 teams are six with Greek origin stretched out across three of the four zones.
Sydney Olympic and Newcastle Olympic join the group 12 teams in the eastern zone, the Port Melbourne Sharks and South Melbourne have secure spots in the group of eight in the southern zone and in the west, Adelaide Olympic and Floreat Athena form a third of the group of six.
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There are still four A-League teams waiting to see if they will make the tournament with play-offs between Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory, along with Western united and the Newcastle Jets on the horizon.
Perhaps a more exciting outcome of the fixtures is that half of the Round of 32 matches will see NPL Australia clubs host an A-League team.
Reigning A-League title-holders Melbourne City will meet with former NSL champions South Melbourne, whilst 2018 double winners Sydney Olympic will take on A-League runner up Sydney FC.
Newcastle Olympic will also have a hand at an A-League team, going up against Macarthur FC, while Floreat Athena will go head-to-head with reining FFA Cup Champions Adelaide United.
While the teams will be gunning for some more silverware, the winner of this year’s Cup will have the chance to qualify for the 2022 AFC Champions League.
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THE ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES
Zone 1 – East
Sydney Olympic vs Sydney FC
Broadmeadow Magic vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Tigers FC vs APIA Leichhardt
Blacktown City vs Central Coast Mariners
Mt Druitt Town Rangers vs Wollongong Wolves
Newcastle Olympic vs Macarthur FC
Zone 2 – North
Lions FC vs Casuarina FC
Edge Hill United vs Gold Coast Knights
Peninsula Power vs Brisbane Roar
Zone 3 – South
Newcastle Jets/Western United vs Wellington Phoenix
Avondale FC vs Devonport City
Hume City vs Port Melbourne
South Melbourne vs Melbourne City
Zone 4 – West
ECU Joondalup vs Adelaide Olympic
Adelaide City vs Perth Glory/Melbourne Victory
Floreat Athena vs Adelaide United