The Ninja A-League 2025-26 season has finally arrived, with the new campaign set to get underway this Friday night.
With so much to catch up on ahead of the 2025-26 season, read on as aleagues.com.au brings you up to speed with key storylines, derby dates, full squad lists, broadcast information, membership and ticket details and everything in between.
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CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL 2025-26 FIXTURE
WEEKEND PREVIEW: What you need to know for Round 1 of the Ninja A-League
What are the key season dates?
The Ninja A-League season will kick off on Friday, October 31, with the 22-round regular season set to run until the weekend of April 3-5, 2026.
Following an end-of-regular-season international break, the Finals Series will begin on the weekend of April 24-26, with the Ninja A-League Grand Final set for May 16-17, 2026.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL 2025-26 FIXTURE
In 2025-26, the Ninja A-League will feature 11 teams following the announcement that Western United’s Club Participation Agreement (CPA) has been placed in conditional hibernation for the upcoming campaign.
As a result, one club will serve a bye in each of the 22 rounds of the Ninja A-League 2025-26 season. All 11 clubs will serve two byes throughout the campaign.
Get ready for Round 1
Round 1 kicks off on Friday night with the Wanderers hosting Perth Glory in the season opener before two huge fixtures on Saturday, as Sydney FC host Premiers Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar welcome Melbourne Victory to Spencer Park.
Central Coast begin their Championsip defence at home to last season’s surprise package Adelaide United before Canberra United and Newcastle Jets close out the weekend’s action.
Wellington Phoenix have the bye in Round 1.
The Finals Series
The 2026 Finals Series will follow last season’s format with two Elimination Finals – the two winners advancing to a two-legged Semi Final against the top two sides, with the winners qualifying for the Grand Final.
The Ninja A-League 2026 Finals Series will kick off with two Elimination Finals on the weekend of April 24-26.
The two-legged Semi-Finals are scheduled for May 1-3 and May 8-10, with the Grand Final set to be staged between May 16-17 2026.
Week 1: Elimination Finals (April 25-27 2026)
3rd Place (Home) vs 6th Place (Away)
4th Place (Home) vs 5th Place (Away)
Week 2: Semi-Finals leg 1 (May 1-3 2026)
1st Place vs Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)
2nd Place vs Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)
Week 3: Semi-Finals leg 2 (May 8-10 2026)
1st Place vs Lowest Place EF Winner (4th, 5th or 6th on ladder)
2nd Place vs Highest Place EF Winner Match (3rd, 4th or 5th on ladder)
Week 4: Grand Final (May 16-17 2026)
SF winner v SF winner (Highest Placed Team is the Grand Final Host)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL 2025-26 FIXTURE
Derby dates and other notable fixtures
Keep these dates circled in your calendars, with blockbuster fixtures addng to the excitement of the 2025-26 campaign.
Sydney Derbies (Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers)
- Sunday, December 7 2024 @ Marconi Stadium
- Saturday, January 31 @ Allianz Stadium
Melbourne Derbies (Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory)
- Tuesday, December 23 2025 @ AAMI Park
- Sunday, February 15 @ Home of the Matildas
F3 Derbies (Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets)
- Saturday, December 6 @ polytec Stadium
- Saturday, January 10 @ No.2 Sportsground
Original Rivalry (Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory)
- Saturday, December 13 @ AAIM Park
- Saturday, January 17 @ Coopers Stadium
Big Blue (Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC)
- Sunday, January 25 @ Home of the Matildas
- Saturday, March 28 @ Leichhardt Oval
Distance Derbies (Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix)
- Friday, December 12 @ Sam Kerr Football Centre
- Friday, February 6 @ Sky Stadium
Grand Final Rematch (Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory)
- Sunday, November 15 @ Home of the Matildas
- Saturday, December 27 @ polytec Stadium
Other Notable Matches…
- Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners – Saturday 15 November, Home of the Matildas at 5:00pm AEDT (Grand Final rematch)
- Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets – Sunday 16 November, Porirua Park at 2pm AEDT
- Canberra United vs Sydney FC – Saturday 29 November, McKellar Park at 3:00pm AEDT
- Central Coast Mariners vs Brisbane Roar – Wednesday 31 December at 4:15pm AEDT (New Year’s Eve game)
- Wellington Phoenix vs Perth Glory – Friday 6 February, Sky Stadium at 5:45pm AEDT (Waitangi Day)
- Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC – Friday 13 February, Imperial Corp Stadium, 7:00pm AEDT
- Adelaide United vs Perth Glory – Friday 13 March, Coopers Stadium at 7:00pm (International Women’s Day celebration)
- Melbourne Victory vs Western Sydney Wanderers – Saturday 14 March, Home of the Matildas at 6:00pm AEDT
- Perth Glory vs Central Coast Mariners – Saturday 21 March, Sam Kerr Football Centre at 5:00pm AEDT
- Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets – Saturday 28 March, Service FM Stadium at 3:00pm AEDT
How can I watch the Ninja A-League?
Paramount Australia remains the exclusive home of Australian football for the 2025-26
season with football fans across Australia able to enjoy access to a mountain of
football with every single Ninja A-League match available to stream live on Paramount+.
For New Zealand fans, Sky remains the exclusive home of the Ninja A-League Women.
For season 2025/26, matches will broadcast live on Sky Sport, Sky Sport Now and Sky
Go, and selected A-Leagues games will be available to watch free-to-air on Sky Open.
This season, select Ninja A-League matches will be broadcast live and free on
10 Drama. Minis, highlights and replays are also available to stream exclusively on
Paramount+. In New Zealand, matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sport, Sky Sport Now
and Sky Go, with select games available to watch free-to-air on Sky Open.
How can I become a member and buy tickets?
If you are looking to buy regular season tickets for A-Leagues matches you should always buy them directly from A-Leagues Clubs.
You can purchase tickets safely from official Club websites or ticket offices linked here for the Ninja A-League Women’s competition.
Clubs will also provide details of any authorised ticket partners on their official site.
CLICK HERE to visit the Ninja A-League ticket hub
You can also become a member by visiting the A-Leagues Membership Hub!
Click here for information on every club’s membership packs and options for the 2025-26 campaign.
Visit the A-Leagues Membership Hub
What happened in the transfer window?
As is the norm in the Ninja A-League off-season, there were big moves aplenty as clubs across the competition built their respective squads for a tilt at silverware this season.
Wellington Phoenix were the big movers in the window, bringing several internationals through the club’s gates – but they weren’t the only club that made a transfer splash.
Read on for all the arrivals and departures.
Ninja A-League 2025-26 Transfer Centre: Your club’s ins/outs
Arrivals
Adelaide United: Holly Murray, Lara Gooch, Adriana Taranto, Melissa Taranto, Emilia Makris, Paige Zois
Brisbane Roar: Chloe Lincoln, Amali Kinsella, Daisy Brown, Kijah Stephenson, Kiera Meyers, Tahlia Franco, Ashlyn Miller, Kayla Hanson, Bente Jansen, Sharn Freier, Marianna Seidl, Josie Studer
Canberra United: Nanako Sasaki, Emma Hawkins, Kiara De Domizio, Josie Aulicino, Sasha Grove, Jazmin Wardlow, Sienna Dale, Ava Briedis
Central Coast Mariners: Cannon Clough
Melbourne City: Danielle Turner, Aideen Keane, Caitlin Karic, Chinaza Uchendu, Ellie Wilson, Izabella Rako, Keira Sarris, Danella Butrus, Dali Gorr Burchmore, Kaya Jugovic, Ayana Aoyagi
Melbourne Victory: Taylor Ray, Kennedy White, Sienna Saveska, Chelsea Blissett, Jessica Young, Sienna Techera, Fiorina Iaria, Payton Woodward, Chloe McKenzie, Rhianna Pollicina, Zoe McMeeken, Grace Maher
Newcastle Jets: Anna Leat, Georgia Ritchie, Kelli Brown, Olivia Page, Charlotte Lancaster, Melina Ayres
Perth Glory: Rola Badawiya, Bronte Trew, Emma Tovar, Teresa Morrissey, Julia Sardo, Meg Phillips (youth development agreement), Olivia Wood (youth development agreement), Clancy Westaway
Sydney FC: Heather Hinz, Amelia Cassar (2027-28), Sofia Fante, Skye Halmarick, Claire Corbett, Willa Pearson, Bianca Galic, Tiahna Robertson, Jodi Ülkekul, Madison Ayson, Riley Tanner, Laurie-Ann Moïse
Wellington Phoenix: Lucia Leon, Ellie Walker, Tessel Middag, Victoria Esson, Sabitra Bhandari, CJ Bott, Marisa van der Meer, Macey Fraser, Brooke Nunn
Western Sydney Wanderers: Nikkita Fazzari (promoted), Wang Ying, Yuan Cong, Brianna Edwards, Janae DeFazio, Alana Cerne
Departures
Adelaide United: Meleri Mullan, Chrissy Panagaris, Abby Clarke, Lucia Leon, Tiarna Karambasis, Nanako Sasaki, Annalee Grove
Brisbane Roar: Danelle Tan, Evdokia Popadinova, Tanaye Morris, Tamar Levin, Anneka Lewerenz, Mariel Hecher (retired), Keeley Richards (retired), Holly McQueen, Chelsea Blissett, Deborah-Anne De la Harpe
Canberra United: Madison Ayson, Georgia Ritchie
Central Coast Mariners: Bianca Galic, Jessika Nash, Taylor Ray
Melbourne City: Sophia Varley, Kathryn Harvey, Rhianna Pollicina, Mariana Speckmaier, TJ Vlajnic, Isabella Accardo, Kiera Meyers, Emilia Makris
Melbourne Victory: Emily Gielnik, Alex Chidiac, Alana Murphy, Sara D’Appolonia, Lydia Williams (retired), Ellie Wilson, Paige Zois, Ava Briedis, Geo Candy, Lia Privitelli (retired)
Newcastle Jets: Danielle Krzyzaniak, Tiahna Robertson, Lorena Baumann, Lara Gooch, Sheridan Gallagher, Bel Rolley, Gia Vicari, Deven Jackson
Perth Glory: N/A
Sydney FC: Shea Connors, Millie Farrow, Kyah Simon, Faye Bryson, Margaux Chauvet, Jasmine Black, Tahlia Franco, Beth Mason-Jones, Lucy Johnson, Brianna Edwards, Jordan Thompson, Princess Ibini
Wellington Phoenix: Carolina Vilão, Olivia Fergusson, Maya McCutcheon, Alivia Kelly, Mebae Tanaka, Zoe McMeeken, Rebecca Lake
Western Sydney Wanderers: Sophie Harding, Madison McComasky, Sienna Saveska, Amelia Cassar, Gemma Ferris, Paige Haywood, Talia Kapetanellis, Maya Lobo, Aya Seino, Keely Segavcic, Bronte Trew
Meet the coaches
There are four new coaches in the Ninja A-League this season, joining the seven coaches returning for another term in 2025-26.
Adelaide United have welcomed Theo Tsiounis into the top role after Adrian Stenta’s move into the club’s Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s senior coaching staff. Read more about Tsiounis here.
Kory Babington is the new head coach at reigning Champions Central Coast Mariners, following title-winning boss Emily Husband’s appointment as an assistant coach with the CommBank Matildas. Read more about Babington here.
At Newcastle Jets, Stephen Hoyle is the new man in charge after Ryan Campbell’s exit. Read more about Stephen Hoyle here.
Rounding out the new head coach appointments is Olympic Gold Medal winning former Canada boss Bev Priestman; in total, Priestman has coached at four FIFA Women’s World Cups, three Olympic Games and three FIFA Youth World Cups. Read more about Bev Priestman here.
Ninja A-League coaches for 2025-26
- Adelaide United: Theo Tsiounis
- Brisbane Roar: Alex Smith
- Central Coast: Kory Babington
- Melbourne City: Michael Matricciani
- Melbourne Victory: Jeff Hopkins
- Newcastle Jets: Stephen Hoyle
- Perth Glory: Stephen Peters
- Sydney FC: Ante Juric
- Wellington Phoenix: Bev Priestman
- Western Sydney Wanderers: Geoff Abrahams
All-new kits
With the start of every A-Leagues season comes the excitement of kit reveals, and this pre-season has been no different.
Click here to keep track of each club’s kit releases.
A-LEAGUES KITS: Every team’s new jerseys for the 2025-26 season
Essential reading
Catch up with aleagues.com.au’s comprehensive pre-season coverage, with everything you need to know about key talking points, fixtures, signings and departures, kits and the young players to watch, as well as long-form interviews with players and coaches.
Important reading
FULL FIXTURES: Every match of the Ninja A-League 25-26 season here
DERBY DATES: The matches to circle in your calendar now
FIRST 5 FIXTURES: Your Ninja A-League team’s start to the 2025-26 season
FINALS SERIES: 2025-26 structure and dates
TRANSFER CENTRE: Your club’s ins/outs ahead of the upcoming season
SEASON GUIDE: Your club-by-club guide to the Ninja A-League 2025-26 season
QUESTIONS ASKED: The answer to the burning question facing your Ninja A-League club this season
Player and coach features
BEV PRIESTMAN: Olympic champ’s A-Leagues mission that’s ‘never been done before’
HANA LOWRY: How one simple trick made a world of difference in Sydney FC star’s road to ACL recovery
IZZY GOMEZ: Why Central Coast’s new Matildas star shunned overseas interest to remain a Mariner
WANDERERS WATCH: ‘Mission’ to unlock academy that has 3 potential Matildas in ‘every age group’
