2023 Australia Cup
The 2023 Australia Cup is the tenth season of the Australia Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. Thirty-two teams are contesting the competition proper, with the winner qualifying for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League 2.
| Country | Australia New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11 March – 7 October 2023 |
| Teams | 778 (qualifying competition) 32 (main competition) |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 70 (4.38 per match) |
| Attendance | 21,025 (1,314 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Lachlan Brook (5 goals) |
← 2022 2024 → | |
Macarthur FC were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Campbelltown City in the Round of 32.
Teams
A total of 32 teams will participate in the 2023 Australia Cup competition proper.
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 clubs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide United | Brisbane Roar | Central Coast Mariners | Macarthur FC |
| Melbourne City | Newcastle Jets | Sydney FC | Wellington Phoenix |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | Western United | ||
| Member federation clubs | |||
| Canberra Croatia (2) | APIA Leichhardt (2) | Inter Lions (3) | Mt Druitt Town Rangers (2) |
| Sydney United 58 (2) | Edgeworth FC (2) | Broadmeadow Magic (2) | Hellenic Athletic (2) |
| Gold Coast Knights (2) | Lions FC (2) | Moreton Bay United (2) | Peninsula Power (2) |
| Campbelltown City (2) | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | Devonport City Strikers (2) | Goulburn Valley Suns (4) |
| Heidelberg United (2) | Melbourne Knights (2) | Northcote City (3) | Oakleigh Cannons (2) |
| Floreat Athena (2) | Inglewood United (2) | ||
Preliminary rounds
Member federation teams are competing in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 22 places in the competition proper (at the Round of 32). All Australian clubs are eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective member federation; however, only one team per club is permitted entry into the competition. The preliminary rounds operate 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 Australian soccer league system. This ultimately leads to round 7 with the winning clubs from that round entering directly into the round of 32.
As there was no NPL Champion in the previous year, an additional slot was allocated to Victoria for this edition.[1]
| Federation | Associated competition | Round of 32 qualifiers |
|---|---|---|
| Football Australia | A-League Men | 10 |
| Capital Football (ACT) | Federation Cup (ACT) | 1 |
| Football NSW | Waratah Cup | 4 |
| Northern NSW Football | NNSWF State Cup | 2 |
| Football Northern Territory | NT FFA Cup Final | 1 |
| Football Queensland | — | 4 |
| Football South Australia | Federation Cup (SA) | 2 |
| Football Tasmania | Milan Lakoseljac Cup | 1 |
| Football Victoria | Dockerty Cup | 5 |
| Football West (WA) | State Cup | 2 |
Round and dates
| Round | Draw date | Match dates | Number of fixtures | Teams | New entries this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary rounds | Various | 9 February–18 July | 756 | 778 → 32 | 770 |
| Round of 32 | 28 June | 4–14 August | 16 | 32 → 16 | 8 |
| Round of 16 | 14 August | 26–30 August | 8 | 16 → 8 | None |
| Quarter-finals | 13–17 September | 4 | 8 → 4 | None | |
| Semi-finals | 23–27 September | 2 | 4 → 2 | None | |
| Final | — | 7 October | 1 | 2 → 1 | None |
Round of 32
The round of 32 draw took place on 28 June 2023[2] and the match details were announced on 5 July 2023.[3] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round is Goulburn Valley Suns. They are the only level 4 team left in the competition.
Times are AEST (UTC+10), as listed by Football Australia (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
| 4 August 2023 | Broadmeadow Magic (2) | 2–4 | Sydney United 58 (2) | Newcastle |
| 19:30 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Magic Park Attendance: 1,603 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 4 August 2023 | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | 5–0 | Inglewood United (2) | Adelaide |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) |
| Report | Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve Attendance: 857 Referee: Daniel Elder |
| 4 August 2023 | Peninsula Power (2) | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Wellington Phoenix (1) | Brisbane |
| 19:30 | Greenwood 71' | Report |
| Stadium: A.J. Kelly Park Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Shane Skinner |
| 4 August 2023 | Mt Druitt Town Rangers (2) | 3–1 | Canberra Croatia (2) | Sydney |
| 19:30 |
| Report | Domenici 59' | Stadium: Popondetta Park Attendance: 594 Referee: Sam Kelly |
| 9 August 2023 | Goulburn Valley Suns (4) | 1–4 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | Shepparton |
| 19:30 | Currie 78' | Report | Stadium: John McEwen Reserve Attendance: 1,546 Referee: Jack Morgan |
| 9 August 2023 | Edgeworth FC (2) | 0–4 | Western United (1) | Newcastle |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Jack McLaughlan Oval Attendance: 1,275 Referee: Daniel Cook |
| 9 August 2023 | Gold Coast Knights (2) | 1–0 | Devonport City Strikers (2) | Gold Coast |
| 19:30 | Ludwik 54' | Report | Stadium: Gold Coast Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 720 Referee: Nathan Shakespear |
| 9 August 2023 | Floreat Athena (2) | 1–6 | Western Sydney Wanderers (1) | Perth |
| 20:30 (18:30 AWST) | Ambrogio 53' | Report | Stadium: Kingsway Sporting Complex Attendance: 723 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 10 August 2023 | Moreton Bay United (2) | 0–3 | Heidelberg United (2) | Brisbane |
| 19:00 | Report |
| Stadium: Wolter Park Attendance: 907 |
| 10 August 2023 | Melbourne Knights (2) | 4–1 | Lions FC (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 |
| Report | Pengelly 34' | Stadium: Knights Stadium Attendance: 583 |
| 10 August 2023 | Hellenic Athletic (2) | 0–6 | Inter Lions (3) | Darwin |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) | Report |
| Stadium: Darwin Football Stadium Attendance: 663 |
| 13 August 2023 | Oakleigh Cannons (2) | 2–3 | Melbourne City (1) | Melbourne |
| 14:00 |
| Report | Stadium: Jack Edwards Reserve Attendance: 2,652 |
| 13 August 2023 | Sydney FC (1) | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (10–9 p) | Central Coast Mariners (1) | Wollongong |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: WIN Stadium Attendance: 2,540 | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| ||||
| 14 August 2023 | Campbelltown City (2) | 2–1 | Macarthur FC (1) | Adelaide |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) | Report | Rose 90+3' | Stadium: Steve Woodcock Sports Centre Attendance: 947 Referee: Adam Bavcar |
| 14 August 2023 | Newcastle Jets (1) | 2–3 (a.e.t.) | Brisbane Roar (1) | Maitland |
| 19:30 |
| Report | Stadium: Maitland Sportsground Attendance: 2,763 Referee: Ben Abraham |
| 14 August 2023 | Northcote City (3) | 0–2 | Adelaide United (1) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: John Cain Memorial Park Attendance: 1,652 Referee: Jack Morgan |
Round of 16
The round of 16 draw took place on 14 August 2023[4] and the match details were announced on 18 August 2023.[5] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round is Inter Lions. They are the only level 3 team left in the competition.
| 26 August 2023 | Sydney United 58 (2) | v | Brisbane Roar (1) | Sydney |
| 14:00 | Stadium: Sydney United Sports Centre |
| 27 August 2023 | Melbourne City (1) | v | Wellington Phoenix (1) | Melbourne |
| 14:00 | Stadium: Jack Edwards Reserve |
| 29 August 2023 | Melbourne Knights (2) | v | Campbelltown City (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Stadium: Knights Stadium |
| 29 August 2023 | Western Sydney Wanderers (1) | v | Adelaide United (1) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Stadium: Marconi Stadium |
| 29 August 2023 | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | v | Inter Lions (3) | Adelaide |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) | Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve |
| 30 August 2023 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | v | Sydney FC (1) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Stadium: Leichhardt Oval |
| 30 August 2023 | Gold Coast Knights (2) | v | Western United (1) | Gold Coast |
| 19:30 | Stadium: Croatian Sports Centre |
| 30 August 2023 | Mt Druitt Town Rangers (2) | v | Heidelberg United (2) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Stadium: Popondetta Park |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lachlan Brook | Western Sydney Wanderers | 5 |
| 2 | Gian Albano | Melbourne Knights | 2 |
| Tolgay Arslan | Melbourne City | ||
| Owen Duke | Inter Lions | ||
| Anthony Frangie | Mt Druitt Town Rangers | ||
| Oliver Green | Inter Lions | ||
| Jason Romero | APIA Leichhardt | ||
| Jack Stewart | APIA Leichhardt | ||
| James Temelkovski | North Eastern MetroStars | ||
| Lachlan Wales | Western United |
Note: Goals scored in preliminary rounds not included.
References
- ^ "Clubs". Australia Cup. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Australia Cup Round of 32 Draw Revealed". Australia Cup. 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Australia Cup 2023 Round of 32 Schedule Revealed". Australia Cup. 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Australia Cup 2023 Round of 16 Draw Confirmed". Australia Cup. 14 August 2023.
- ^ "Australia Cup 2023 Round of 16 schedule confirmed". Australia Cup. 18 August 2023.