Brisbane City and Olympic FC will face off in a fascinating battle of Brisbane on Wednesday evening.
Elsewhere, APIA Leichhardt will be eyeing off a Cupset against Melbourne City, Canberra Croatia FC will host South Australia’s MetroStars, and another A-League Men’s side will be eliminated when the Newcastle Jets take on Adelaide United.
Read our preview of the action below.
Brisbane City v Olympic FC
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Imperial Corp Stadium
Broadcast: 10Play and the Football Australia YouTube Channel
Tickets
In a fascinating NPL Queensland derby, Brisbane City will host Olympic FC for a spot in the Hahn Australia Cup Round of 16.
The teams are neck-and-neck in the NPL Queensland this season, with 24 points apiece in seventh and eighth on the ladder.
Brisbane City have appeared in the national stages of the Cup twice before, and won at this stage in 2022. Meanwhile, Olympic will be appearing in the tournament for a fifth time, having reached the last 16 three times in 2014, 2019 and 2024.
City officials described drawing Olympic in the Cup as the “next best thing” to drawing an A-League Men’s team – and are expecting to pack out the stadium for the occasion.
22-year-old Jakob Mudnic is a player to watch for Brisbane City as their top scorer this season. Elsewhere on the pitch, there is plenty of intrigue, with former City defender Jackson Simpkin set to line up for Olympic in defence against his old side.
APIA Leichhardt v Melbourne City
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Leichhardt Oval
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets
APIA Leichhardt are hoping to become the first team in the competition’s history to complete three ‘Cupsets’ when they take on Melbourne City on Wednesday evening.
New signing Presley Ortiz has led their charge this season as they sit second on the table, three points behind NWS Spirit in first.
Experienced campaigners at this level, appearing five times and only once having failed to reach the Round of 16, they’ll back themselves against a City side early in their season preparations.
Melbourne City fans may see some new talent on display, including 16-year-old Beckham Baker, who signed his first professional contract last week.
City will aim to start their campaign on a high after crashing out at this stage last season and replicate the highs of their victory back in 2016.
Canberra Croatia FC v MetroStars
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Deakin Stadium
Broadcast: 10Play and the Football Australia YouTube Channel
Tickets
Canberra Croatia will hope they can take their league form into the Hahn Australia Cup when they host a similarly high-flying MetroStars on Wednesday.
This is Canberra’s third appearance on the national stage, and a win would be a historic first for the club currently nine points clear at the top of the ACT NPL table.
MetroStars will go into the match as the favourites, however. They secured the NPL South Australia Premiership at the weekend - after moving ten points clear at the top of the table - in what has been an incredibly successful campaign.
They were also the Premiers in 2023 and 2024, and have been one of the dominant teams in South Australia in recent years.
That dominance has been rewarded with four previous appearances on the national stages of the Hahn Australia Cup. They made it to the quarter-finals in 2023 before falling to a last-minute winner from Melbourne City.
Newcastle Jets v Adelaide United
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Maitland Regional Sportsground
Broadcast: 10Play and the Football Australia YouTube Channel
Tickets
The most successful team in Hahn Australia Cup history, Adelaide United, will travel to Maitland to take on the Newcastle Jets to begin their 2025 campaign.
The big news for the Reds will be the return of club legend and Socceroo Craig Goodwin after re-signing in May. He is the club’s all-time leading goal scorer and has made 168 appearances for the club.
In contrast to Adelaide, Newcastle enter this season hoping to break a long-standing pattern of struggle in this competition. In their nine appearances, they have been defeated at the Round of 32 stage six times, and have only advanced as far as the quarter-finals once.
The Jets will be hoping their new signings can make an impact in 2025, including James Delianov who arrived from Adelaide over the off-season.
Young Socceroo Alex Badolato is also expected to feature and will be looking to impress his new side as soon as possible.
