The Finals Series will culminate in a first-ever Melbourne Derby Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final on Saturday, May 31 at AAMI Park.
As we count down to kick-off, aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know ahead of the title decider, including ticket information, stats, form guides and how to watch on TV.
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When is the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final?
The A-Leagues will celebrate its 20th anniversary season with the first-ever original Melbourne Derby Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final, with Melbourne City to face Melbourne Victory on Saturday, May 31 at AAMI Park.
After finishing second on the league table, Melbourne City will host the showpiece event in the first-ever Melbourne Derby Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final. The finale will be Melbourne City’s fifth Grand Final in six years, and Melbourne Victory’s second in a row.
Match details
Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory
Date: Saturday, May 31
Venue: AAMI Park
Kick-off: 7.40pm AEST
Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
GRAND FINAL LOCKED IN: Everything you need to know ahead of the Melbourne Derby title decider
Venue and Ticket Information
Tickets will go on sale from 10am AEST on Monday, May 26 for club members, and from 1pm AEST on Tuesday, May 27 for the general public via ticketek.com.au.
Experience the thrill of the Isuzu-UTE A-League Grand Final in unmatched style with premium hospitality, where the best seats and electric atmosphere come together for an unforgettable night. For more information visit https://aleagueshospitality.com.au/
Ticketing details
Monday 26 May, 2025 @ 10am AEST: Member PRE-SALE
Tuesday 27 May, 2025 @ 1pm AEST: General Public ON-SALE
GRAND FINAL MEMBER PRE SALE REDEMPTION INSTRUCTIONS
VISIT THE TICKETING HUB FOR SATURDAY NIGHT’S GRAND FINAL
How to watch?
For Australian viewers, the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Grand Final will be telecast live on Network 10, and streamed exclusively on 10 Play and Paramount+.
For New Zealand viewers, the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Grand Final will be shown live on Sky Sport, streamed on Sky Sport Now.
How did we get here?
Melbourne City finished second on the Isuzu UTE A-League table at the end of the regular season and earned a week off to begin the 2025 Finals Series.
Returning to action for the Semi-Finals, City faced Western United in the two-legged tie and put one foot in the Grand Final with a dominant first-leg display, defeating John Aloisi’s side 3-0 at AAMI Park.
With a comfortable three-goal lead, City avoided a second-leg collapse with a 1-1 draw against Western confirming a 4-1 aggregate win in the Semi-Final tie.
Aurelio Vidmar’s side was rocked by injuries through the 2024-25 season. City went through long stretches of the campaign without star players Mathew Leckie, Marco Tilio, Yonatan Cohen, Andrew Nabbout and James Jeggo.
But the key absentees allowed several academy stars to receive unexpected opportunities in the first team. Tilio, Leckie and Cohen all returned from injury in the lead-up to the Finals Series, and with the star trio back on form at the perfect time, City stormed their way through the Semi-Finals to reach the club’s fifth Grand Final in six years.
City have lost three of four Grand Finals across the last five years.
CITY IN FOCUS
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Melbourne Victory’s journey to the Grand Final, meanwhile, has been anything but routine in comparison to City’s relatively straightforward path to the title decider.
Head coach Arthur Diles took on the top job at Victory in Round 9 after the shock departure of Patrick Kisnorbo from the club. Diles drew three and lost three of his first six games at the helm before momentum began to turn; Victory lost just three of their last 13 regular season games to end the term in fifth and set up an Elimination FInal away to fourth-placed Western Sydney Wanderers.
Victory beat the Wanderers 2-1 on the road to set up a Semi-Final tie with Premiers Auckland FC.
A 1-0 loss to Auckland in the first leg on home soil left Diles’ side with a mountain to climb but that’s precisely what they managed to do, overturning their one-goal deficit with a shock 2-0 win at Go Media Stadium to dump the heavily-fancied Black Knights out of the Finals Series and set up a mouthwatering Grand Final against bitter rivals City at AAMI Park.
VICTORY IN FOCUS
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Victory STUN Premiers Auckland FC to book their spot in Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final
ANALYSIS: How tactical shift Premiers ‘weren’t expecting’ led to Victory ‘spoiling the party’ in Auckland
TALK ABOUT PRESSURE! How Fornaroli’s kids inspired finals heroics with brutal message
Finals Series results
Elimination Finals
Western United 3-2 Adelaide United
Western Sydney Wanderers 1-2 Melbourne Victory
Semi-Final First Legs
Melbourne Victory 0-1 Auckland FC
Western United 0-3 Melbourne City
Semi-Final Second Legs
Auckland FC 0-2 Melbourne Victory (1-2 aggregate)
Melbourne City 1-1 Western United (4-1 aggregate)
Grand Final
Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory: AAMI Park – Saturday, May 31 – 7.40pm AEST kick-off
GRAND FINAL LOCKED IN: Everything you need to know ahead of the Melbourne Derby title decider
Key Players to look out for in the Grand Final
Melbourne CIty pose a significant attacking threat with Marco Tilio in flying form heading into the Grand Final.
The 23-year-old Celtic loanee has notched two goals and five assists in his last eight games and was the standout performer in City’s 3-0 win over Western United in the first leg of the Semi-Finals.
Tilio is just one of several City forwards Victory will need to be wary of in the Grand Final. Israeli forward Yonatan Cohen has scored a spectacular array of goals for City this season, while Socceroos veteran Mathew Leckie continues to go from strength to strength as his careful return from a hamstring injury has taken place through the Finals Series to date.
Leckie was a half-time substitute for City against Western United in the second leg Semi-Final as his minutes incrementally increase heading into the title decider.
Down the other end of the field, German Ferreyra and Kai Trewin have proved pivotal in defence for City, particularly at the pointy end of the season, while club captain Aziz Behich – who had scored just two goals in his first 127 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances, now has two goals in his last three games in a sudden burst of goalscoring form.
For Victory, all eyes will be on Daniel Arzani in the Grand Final. The Socceroo brings X-factor to a Victory line-up that could also feature former City striker Bruno Fornaroli who, having started just nine of his 26 games this season, was a surprise inclusion in Saturday’s second-leg Semi-Final against Auckand FC, and scored the all-important goal to seal the 2-1 aggregate win over the Black Knights.
Zinedine Machach, Victory’s French attacking midfielder, poses similar danger to Arzani with his creativity in the final third.
TALK ABOUT PRESSURE! How Fornaroli’s kids inspired finals heroics with brutal message
In the build-up to the Grand Final, there will be significant interest in whether Arzani’s fellow Socceroos forward Nishan Velupillay recovers after an apparent lower leg injury suffered against Auckland in the Semi-Finals; Velupillay was pictured on crutches with his ankle heavily iced after his half-time substitution in the Semi-Final second leg; his absence would be a major blow for Victory after a stellar campaign from the 24-year-old.
READ MORE: Injury blow for Victory star in Semi-Final: ‘Not good news for Victory and their Socceroo’
How to Follow A-League Finals 2025
Keep up to date with everything you need to know ahead of the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final by following the A-Leagues on social media:
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To find out more about the A-Leagues, visit www.aleagues.com.au
