The Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season is upon us and, ahead of kick-off on Friday night, Network 10’s football experts have made their predictions for the upcoming campaign.
Former Isuzu UTE A-League stars Daniel McBreen, Roy O’Donovan and Erik Paartalu have predicted the 2025-26 Champions, Premiers, Golden Boot winner, Johnny Warren Medalist and more – with several surprise picks included.
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Read on for the full list of season predictions ahead of Round 1.
WEEKEND PREVIEW: What you need to know for Round 1 of the Isuzu UTE A-League
2025-26 ULTIMATE GUIDE: Fixtures, signings, kits & more
Erik Paartalu’s season predictions
Erik Paartalu won two Isuzu UTE A-League Championships and one Premiership with Brisbane Roar and made 119 league fixtures across stints at Roar and Melbourne City.
Brisbane Roar great and Network 10 football expert Erik Paartalu has predicted Auckland FC to go one better than their Premiership triumph in 2024-25, and win the Championship in their second season in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
In a swap of last season’s trophy winners, Paartalu has predicted reigning Champions Melbourne City to clinch the Premiership, while failing to turn their first-place finish into a trophy double.
After his off-season switch from Sydney FC to Newcastle Jets, Paartalu has predicted Jets forward Max Burgess will win the Johnny Warren Medal as the best player in Australia’s domestic top-tier men’s competition.
Born-again Burgess made just three appearances for Sydney FC last season but comes into the new campaign off the back of a stellar off-season in which he won the Mark Viduka Medal as the player adjudged best afield in Newcastle’s triumph over Heidelberg United in the Australia Cup final.
Paartalu has tipped New Zealand international Kosta Barbarouses to win the Golden Boot in his first season at Western Sydney Wanderers; Barbarouses (103 goals) is one of only four players to have scored 100 Isuzu UTE A-League goals and begins the 2025-26 campaign nine goals shy of Bruno Fornaroli (112) on the all-time leaderboard.
Following his off-season transfer from Portuguese powerhouse Benfica to Sydney FC, Paul Okon-Engstler is Paartalu’s tip for breakout player in 2024-25. The 20-year-old midfielder recently went to the Under-20 World Cup with the Young Socceroos and featured in September’s senior Socceroos squad.
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Paartalu’s predictions
- Champions: Auckland FC
- Premiers: Melbourne City
- Wooden Spoon: Central Coast Mariners
- Golden Boot: Kosta Barbarouses (Western Sydney Wanderers)
- Johnny Warren Medal: Max Burgess (Newcastle Jets)
- Surprise package: Newcastle Jets
- Breakout star: Paul Okon-Engstler (Sydney FC)
Roy O’Donovan’s season predictions
Roy O’Donovan scored 56 goals in 128 Isuzu UTE A-League games across stints at Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar between 2015 and 2021.
Network 10 football expert Roy O’Donovan has predicted a big season for Sydney FC, tipping Ufuk Talay’s side to surge from a seventh-place finish in 2024-25 to the Premiership in the upcoming campaign.
But, like Erik Paartalu, O’Donovan believes Auckland will jump ahead of the Premiership-winners to seal the club’s inaugural Championship in 2025-26.
O’Donovan has tipped Wellington Phoenix for the wooden spoon after an 11th-place finish in 2024-25 and, once again aligned with Paartalu, has tipped veteran striker Kosta Barbarouses for the league’s Golden Boot.
Adelaide United have a new head coach at the helm and under Airton Andrioli, the Craig Goodwin-led Reds are giving O’Donovan optimism for the season ahead; he’s predicted Adelaide as this season’s surprise package side.
And, in solidarity with his Irish compatriot, O’Donovan believes Brisbane Roar captain Jay O’Shea will secure the Johnny Warren Medal in his seventh season at the club.
O’Donovan’s predictions
- Champions: Auckland FC
- Premiers: Sydney FC
- Wooden Spoon: Wellington Phoenix
- Golden Boot: Kosta Barbarouses (Western Sydney Wanderers)
- Johnny Warren Medal: Jay O’Shea (Brisbane Roar)
- Surprise package: Adelaide United
- Breakout star: Will Dobson (Newcastle Jets)
Daniel McBreen’s season predictions
Daniel McBreen scored 37 goals in 132 league appearances for North Queensland Fury, Perth Glory and lastly Central Coast Mariners, where he won the Premiership in 2011-12 as well as the Championship, Golden Boot and Joe Marston Medal in 2012-13.
Network 10 football expert Daniel McBreen joined Erik Paartalu in tipping Auckland FC for the Championship, Melbourne City for the Premiership, and Newcastle Jets as the surprise package team to watch in 2025-26.
But, unlike Paartalu and Roy O’Donovan, McBreen believes Auckland’s new English striker Sam Cosgrove will beat Kosta Barbarouses in the Golden Boot race.
The former Plymouth and Aberdeen striker is 28 years old and has notched 70 goals and 20 assists in 297 professional games, highlighted by a prolific spell in Aberdeen where he scored 47 goals in 103 games.
McBreen has tipped young City defender Kai Trewin as the 2025-26 Johnny Warren Medalist; the 24-year-old was superb in his first season at City and, motivated by a recent call-up to the CommBank Socceroos squad, is expected to continue developing and improving under City boss Aurelio Vidmar this season.
In sticking with the theme of young guns coming of age, McBreen has predicted a big season from teenage Sydney FC striker Mathias Macallister. McBreen’s breakout star of 2025-26 is a Sydney academy product with a big future ahead of him, having scored for fun in the NPL before inking his first professional contract.
WEEKEND PREVIEW: What you need to know for Round 1 of the Isuzu UTE A-League
2025-26 ULTIMATE GUIDE: Fixtures, signings, kits & more
McBreen’s predictions
- Champions: Auckland FC
- Premiers: Melbourne City
- Wooden Spoon: Central Coast Mariners
- Golden Boot: Sam Cosgrove
- Johnny Warren Medal: Kai Trewin
- Surprise package: Newcastle Jets
- Breakout star: Mathias Macallister
How can I watch the Isuzu UTE A-League this season?
Daniel McBreen, Roy O’Donovan and Erik Paartalu are part of Paramount Australia’s team of football experts bringing you all the action from the A-Leagues this season.
Paramount Australia remains the exclusive home of Australian football for the 2025-26 season in Australia. Football fans across the country will once again enjoy access to a mountain of football with every single A-Leagues match available to stream live on Paramount+.
Building on the growth in TV viewership (up 9 per cent) in 2024-25, this season will again see a Saturday night doubleheader shown live on free-to-air – with back-to-back Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches on 10 Drama and 10 streaming from 5pm and 7.35pm AEST.
In New Zealand, Sky remains the exclusive home of the Isuzu UTE A-League, with all matches broadcast live on Sky Sport, Sky Sport Now and Sky Go, and selected A-Leaguesʼ games will be available to watch free-to-air on Sky Open.
Over 1.4 million New Zealanders tuned in to watch Isuzu UTE A-League football on Sky during the 24-25 season. An additional 450,000 viewers streamed matches via Sky Sport Now and Sky Go.
Key broadcast information:
- Every Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s match will be shown live on Paramount+
- Each Saturday two Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches will be broadcast live and free on 10 Drama and available to stream live and free on 10
- Outside of the Saturday double-header on 10 Drama and 10 streaming, Paramount+ is the only place to catch every Isuzu UTE A-League Men match
- New Zealand fans can enjoy every Isuzu UTE A-League match live on Sky Sport, Sky Sport Now and Sky Go, with selected A-Leagues games also broadcast free-to-air on Sky Open
- Minis, highlights and replays are also available to stream on Paramount+
WEEKEND PREVIEW: What you need to know for Round 1 of the Isuzu UTE A-League
2025-26 ULTIMATE GUIDE: Fixtures, signings, kits & more
