South Melbourne and Sydney Olympic will reignite their Hellenic rivalry with the two sides officially revealed to face off in the launch of the Australian Championship.
Hellas and Olympic will battle it out at Lakeside Stadium on Friday 10 October in the opening fixture of the competition.
The two foundation clubs of the competition will feature in Group A, as revealed in the official draw today, and will also compete with the premiers of this season’s NPL from Queensland and Northern NSW.
In Group B, there will Maconi Stallions, Wollongong Wolves, and the premiers of NPL Victoria and Tasmania.
Group C consists of Avondale, Preston Lions, and the premiers of NPL NSW and ACT (Capital Football).
The final group features APIA Leichhardt, Sydney United 58 and the premiers of NPL SA and WA.
The group stage phase will consist of six matchdays with the teams of each group playing one another twice, with two feature matches to be played across each group stage round on a Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.
Remaining matches are scheduled to be played consecutively on a Sunday across two provisional match start times of 2pm and 5pm (AEST).
The competition will then progress to the knockout finals series with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
The higher placed team will host each crossover encounter with the teams to play as such: A1 v C2, B1 v D2, C1 v A2, D1 v B2.
The official announcement also confirmed that the semi-finals and grand final matches will all be played at neutral venues, culminating in the Championship Final on either 6 or 7 December 2025.
James Johnson, Football Australia CEO, stressed that the Australian Championship will offer a new platform for some of Australia’s most historic clubs and the top-performing NPL clubs to showcase their talents.
“The Australian Championship will bring a sense of nostalgia to our football community. Genuine rivalries will be on full display to supporters of all generations, and new stories will be created on and off the field,” Johnson said in the draw announcement.
“Football supporters across the country will get a taste for what our national competitions will look like in years to come, enriched with talented state-based players and aspirational foundation clubs.”
