The 2023 Australia Cup was the tenth season of the Australia Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. Thirty-two teams contested the competition proper, with the winner qualifying for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia New Zealand |
| Dates | 9 February – 7 October 2023 |
| Teams | 778 (qualifying competition) 32 (main competition) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Sydney FC (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Brisbane Roar |
| AFC Champions League Two | Sydney FC |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 119 (3.84 per match) |
| Attendance | 70,454 (2,273 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Lachlan Brook (5 goals) |
Macarthur FC were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Campbelltown City in the Round of 32.
Sydney FC won its second Australia Cup after defeating Brisbane Roar in the final. This also resulted in qualification to the group stage of the AFC's 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two competition.
Round and dates
edit| Round | Draw date | Match dates | Number of fixtures | Teams | New entries this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary rounds | Various | 9 February–18 July | 746 | 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 | 30 August | 14–17 September | 4 | 8 → 4 | None |
| Semi-finals | 17 September | 24 September | 2 | 4 → 2 | None |
| Final | — | 7 October | 1 | 2 → 1 | None |
Teams
editA total of 32 teams participated 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 | |||
Preliminary rounds
editMember federation teams competed in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 22 places in the competition proper (at the Round of 32). All Australian clubs were eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective member federation; however, only one team per club was 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. Slot allocations were the same as the previous year.
The top eight placed A-League Men clubs from the 2022–23 A-League Men season gained automatic qualification to the Round of 32. The remaining four teams entered a play-off series to determine the remaining two positions.
| 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 |
Bracket
editRound of 32
editThe round of 32 draw took place on 28 June 2023.[1] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Goulburn Valley Suns. They were the only level 4 team left in the competition.
| 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 |
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 |
Stadium: Popondetta Park Attendance: 594 Referee: Sam Kelly |
| 9 August 2023 | Goulburn Valley Suns (4) | 1–4 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | Shepparton |
| 19:30 | Currie |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 Referee: Adam Kersey |
| 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 |
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
editThe round of 16 draw took place on 14 August 2023.[2] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Inter Lions. They were the only level 3 team left in the competition.
| 26 August 2023 | Sydney United 58 (2) | 0–5 | Brisbane Roar (1) | Sydney |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium: Sydney United Sports Centre Attendance: 1,050 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 27 August 2023 | Melbourne City (1) | 3–0 | Wellington Phoenix (1) | Melbourne |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium: Jack Edwards Reserve Attendance: 1,153 Referee: Lachlan Keevers |
| 29 August 2023 | Melbourne Knights (2) | 2–0 | Campbelltown City (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Knights Stadium Attendance: 950 |
| 29 August 2023 | Western Sydney Wanderers (1) | 5–1 | Adelaide United (1) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Report | Clough |
Stadium: Marconi Stadium Attendance: 2,490 Referee: Ben Abraham |
| 29 August 2023 | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | 1–0 | Inter Lions (3) | Adelaide |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) | Nagamatsu |
Report | Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve Attendance: 1,142 |
| 30 August 2023 | APIA Leichhardt (2) | 0–2 | Sydney FC (1) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Leichhardt Oval Attendance: 4,601 |
| 30 August 2023 | Gold Coast Knights (2) | 0–2 | Western United (1) | Gold Coast |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Croatian Sports Centre Attendance: 910 |
| 30 August 2023 | Mt Druitt Town Rangers (2) | 0–3 | Heidelberg United (2) | Sydney |
| 19:30 | Report |
|
Stadium: Popondetta Park Attendance: 392 |
Quarter-finals
editThe quarter-finals draw took place on 30 August 2023.[3] The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Heidelberg United, Melbourne Knights and North Eastern MetroStars. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
| 14 September 2023 | Melbourne Knights (2) | 3–2 | Heidelberg United (2) | Melbourne |
| 19:30 | Report | Stadium: Knights Stadium Attendance: 2,236 Referee: Alex King |
| 14 September 2023 | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | 1–2 | Melbourne City (1) | Adelaide |
| 19:30 (19:00 ACST) |
|
Report | Stadium: T.K. Shutter Reserve Attendance: 2,022 Referee: Shaun Evans |
| 16 September 2023 | Brisbane Roar (1) | 4–2 | Western Sydney Wanderers (1) | Brisbane |
| 17:30 |
|
Report | Stadium: Perry Park Attendance: 3,926 Referee: Alireza Faghani |
| 17 September 2023 | Sydney FC (1) | 3–0 | Western United (1) | Sydney |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Leichhardt Oval Attendance: 2,916 Referee: Casey Reibelt |
Semi-finals
editThe semi-final draw took place on 17 September 2023.[4] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Melbourne Knights. They were the only level 2 team left in the competition.
| 24 September 2023 | Melbourne City (1) | 1–2 | Sydney FC (1) | Melbourne |
| 15:00 AEST |
|
Report | Stadium: AAMI Park Attendance: 2,267 Referee: Jack Morgan |
| 24 September 2023 | Melbourne Knights (2) | 0–1 | Brisbane Roar (1) | Melbourne |
| 18:00 AEST | Report |
|
Stadium: Knights Stadium Attendance: 7,892 Referee: Daniel Elder |
Final
editThe venue was originally set for Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, but was changed to Sydney to the Allianz Stadium due to irrigation work.
Top goalscorers
editNote: Goals scored in preliminary rounds not included.
References
edit- ^ "Australia Cup Round of 32 Draw Revealed". Australia Cup. 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Australia Cup 2023 Round of 16 Draw Confirmed". Australia Cup. 14 August 2023.
- ^ "Full details: Australia Cup quarter-finals locked in as Western's young brigade steal the show". Keep Up. 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Australia Cup 2023 Semi Final fixtures drawn". Australia Cup. Football Australia. 17 September 2023.