What is the Hahn Australia Cup?
The Hahn Australia Cup is a national knockout tournament run by Football Australia in conjunction with every State and Territory Member Federation in the country.
The competition commences with the Preliminary Rounds before moving into the Final Rounds (from the Round of 32 onwards), the stage when the A-League Men clubs join the fray.
Each and every cup tie must be decided on the day, with extra time and penalties to decide results if matches are drawn after 90 minutes.
Number of competing clubs
- 2014: 631
- 2015: 648
- 2016: 701
- 2017: 732
- 2018: 772
- 2019: 737
- 2020: N/A
- 2021: 742
- 2022: 742
- 2023: 775
- 2024: 758
- 2025: 718
Each state and territory is allocated a number of slots in the Round of 32, based on the number of registered players and number of each Member Federation’s entrants in the Preliminary Rounds. Each state and territory decides the qualification route.
The Hahn Australia Cup became a truly national competition in 2015 when the Northern Territory started to participate in the Preliminary Rounds (pre Round of 32) and were granted a slot in the Round of 32.
The decision in regard to determining the number of slots each Member Federation receives is made after a review of the previous year and feedback received from the Hahn Australia Cup Advisory Committee which is comprised of representatives from the Member Federations, A-League Men clubs, the Professional Footballers Association and Football Australia.
From 2015 to 2019 the competition also saw the start of an automatic Round of 32 slot being allocated to the reigning National Premier Leagues Champions of Australia.
Due to the NPL Final Series not taking place in 2023, Football Australia has retained the allocation of this slot and in 2024 will be awarded to Football Victoria. The allocation of this slot will be reviewed and awarded each year.
In 2025, the eleven A-League clubs will be determined by:
- Top 9 qualifying directly into the Final Rounds
- Bottom four playing off for final two spots (10th v 13th and 11th v 12th)
The final allocation for the Round of 32 in 2025 comprises:
- Football Victoria - 4 clubs
- Football NSW - 4 clubs
- Football Queensland - 4 clubs
- Football West - 2 clubs
- Northern NSW Football - 2 clubs
- Capital Football - 1 club
- Football South Australia - 2 clubs
- Football Tasmania - 1 club
- Football Northern Territory - 1 club
- A-League Men - 11 clubs
From 2014-2020, the Hahn Australia Cup was broadcast on Fox Sports.
From 2021 the Hahn Australia Cup was broadcast by Network 10 and in 2025 matches will be shown across 10, Paramount+ and Football Australia's YouTube channel.
For the Hahn Australia Cup 2025, Football Australia unveiled a new broadcast model, set to provide enhanced coverage for fans in an engaging new format in partnership with Paramount Australia.
Where to watch
Round of 32:
- 4 matches broadcast exclusively on Paramount+
- 12 matches live on 10Play and simulcast on Football Australia’s YouTube channel
Round of 16:
- 4 matches broadcast exclusively on Paramount+
- 4 matches live on 10Play and simulcast on Football Australia’s YouTube channel
Quarter Finals:
- All 4 matches broadcast exclusively on Paramount+
Semi Finals:
- Both matches broadcast exclusively on Paramount+
Final:
- Live on Network 10, 10Play and Paramount+
In addition to match broadcasts, Paramount Australia will also produce a dedicated Hahn Australia Cup Preview Show ahead of each round to be shown across Paramount+, 10Bold, and 10Play.
The Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Preliminary Rounds will commence as per below.
Please visit the respective Member Federation website for Preliminary Round fixtures and results.
Football NSW
Saturday, 8 March - Thursday, 5 June
Football Northern NSW
Saturday, 15 February - Wednesday, 11 June
Football Victoria
Friday, 14 February - Tuesday, 17 June
Football Queensland
Saturday, 1 February - Wednesday, 18 June
Football South Australia
Friday, 7 March - Wednesday, 18 June
Football West
Sunday, 23 February - Wednesday, 18 June
Football Tasmania
Friday, 7 March - Monday, 9 June
Capital Football
Saturday, 1 March - Saturday, 7 June
Football Northern Territory
Tuesday, 18 March - Tuesday, 20 May
The Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Final Rounds matches will be scheduled across the dates shown in the table below, with fixtures subject to match pairings, respective NPL fixtures and ground availability.
Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarter Finals | Semi Finals* | Final* |
16 matches, 2 weeks | 8 matches, 1 week | 4 matches, 1 week | 2 matches, 1 week | 1 match |
Saturday, 19 July – Wednesday, 30 July | Saturday, 9 August – Wednesday, 13 August | Wednesday, 19 August – Sunday, 24 August | Saturday, 13 September – Sunday, 14 September
| TBC |
*Dates are subject to change based upon fixtures and ground availability
The draw will be entirely open throughout the Final Rounds. There is no longer a fixed path of any member federation team.
Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Final Rounds matches will be decided via a live draw on a date and time confirmed by Football Australia.
Each Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Final Rounds entrant will be placed in the ball pot – meaning any team can be drawn against any team.
In accordance with the Competition Regulations for Hahn Australia Cup Final Rounds matches other than the Hahn Australia Cup Final, the Home Club for each Hahn Australia Cup match will be determined as follows:
Where Hahn Australia Cup matches involve only Member Federation Clubs, the first drawn Club will be the Home Club;
Where Hahn Australia Cup matches involve a Member Federation Club and an Isuzu UTE A-League Men Club, the Member Federation Club will be Home Club; and
Where Hahn Australia Cup Matches involve only Isuzu UTE A-League Men Clubs, the first drawn Club will be the Home Club.
In all instances, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix FC will be deemed the Away Club, irrespective of whether it is the first drawn Club. However, in the event Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix FC are drawn together, the match will be played in New Zealand at the home ground of the first drawn Club.
Round of 32:
The Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Round of 32 will be played over two (2) weeks in July.
Football Australia will place thirty-two (32) balls containing the names of the qualified Clubs into the one (1) pot, in an open draw.
Balls will be drawn out one at a time, revealing sixteen (16) matches, until all balls have been drawn from the pot.
Round of 16, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals:
For the Round of 16 the balls containing the names of all participating Clubs will be placed in one (1) pot. The balls will be drawn, opened, and revealed one at a time, until all balls have been drawn.
The Quarter Finals and Semi Finals Draw will be conducted immediately following the Round of 16 Draw. Balls will contain a match number instead of participating Club names - these match numbers will correspond to the Round of 16 matches (e.g., Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2).
The balls will be drawn, opened and revealed one at a time, until all balls have been drawn.
This format creates a tournament bracket for the Quarter Finals and Semi Finals, with the winners of the Round of 16 knowing who they are likely to face in the next stage of the competition.
Home teams in the Quarter Finals and Semi Finals will be determined using the same principles as above via draw order, or in the event of a Member Federation Club facing an Isuzu UTE A-League Men Club.
Cup Final:
The selection of the Host Venue for the Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Final will be determined by Football Australia and announced following the Semi Finals.
The Hahn Australia Cup 2025 winner will gain direct entry into the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two for the 2026-2027 season.
As a club licensed by Football Australia to participate in the A-League Men, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix should be afforded the same opportunity as other A-League men clubs to play in the Hahn Australia Cup. As professional clubs, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix are not able to play in New Zealand Football's Chatham Cup.
In accordance with FIFA Regulations, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix's participation in the Hahn Australia Cup has been approved by FIFA, the AFC, the OFC and New Zealand Football.
Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix will play all Australia Cup matches in Australia and always deemed the away team, irrespective of whether it is the first drawn Club.
However, in the event Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix FC are drawn together, the match will be played in New Zealand at the home ground of the first drawn Club.
Football Australia will cover reasonable flights, ground transport and accommodation for a travelling party of 23 for each travelling Away club and provides a nominated amount as a meal allowance.
The home club will incur applicable venue hosting costs and receive all associated ticket revenue, excluding the Hahn Australia Cup Final which will be run by Football Australia.
In accordance with the Competition Regulations for Hahn Australia Cup Final Rounds matches other than the Hahn Australia Cup Final, the Home Club for each Hahn Australia Cup match will be determined as follows:
Where Hahn Australia Cup matches involve only Member Federation Clubs, the first drawn Club will be the Home Club;
Where Hahn Australia Cup matches involve a Member Federation Club and an Isuzu UTE A-League Men Club, the Member Federation Club will be Home Club; and
Where Hahn Australia Cup Matches involve only Isuzu UTE A-League Men Clubs, the first drawn Club will be the Home Club.
In all instances, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix FC will be deemed the Away Club, irrespective of whether it is the first drawn Club. However, in the event Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix FC are drawn together, the match will be played in New Zealand at the home ground of the first drawn Club.
Football Australia wants to embrace the unique atmosphere of cup competitions and play as many Hahn Australia Cup matches at suburban grounds as possible.
However, each venue will need to meet appropriate Minimum Venue and Security Standards that will be in place for the Hahn Australia Cup.
The Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Final Rounds matches will be scheduled across the dates shown in the table below, with fixtures subject to match pairings, respective NPL fixtures and ground availability.
Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarter Finals | Semi Finals* | Final* |
16 matches, 2 weeks | 8 matches, 1 week | 4 matches, 1 week | 2 matches, 1 week | 1 match |
Saturday, 19 July – Wednesday, 30 July | Saturday, 9 August – Wednesday, 13 August | Wednesday, 19 August – Sunday, 24 August | Saturday, 13 September – Sunday, 14 September
| TBC |
*Dates are subject to change based upon fixtures and ground availability
Football Australia will endeavour to schedule matches on a Wednesday night. To provide consistency for the viewer and fan to identify with Wednesday nights as the nights to watch the Hahn Australia Cup.
In a successful initiative, weekends will be used to help maximise and enhance spectator, broadcast and commercial opportunities associated with the Final Rounds.
The selection of the Host Venue for the Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Final will be determined by Football Australia and announced following the Semi Finals.
For player welfare reasons, matches may be rescheduled depending on the league fixtures of the participating clubs.
The selection of the Host Venue for the Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Final will be determined by Football Australia and announced following the Semi Finals.
The Hahn Australia Cup 2025 winner will gain direct entry into the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two for the 2026-2027 season.
