League table coming soon….
This page explains the A-League Men standings — how the top men’s football table in Australia and New Zealand is put together, and what every position in it actually means. The live ladder for the current 2026/27 season sits directly below this introduction and updates automatically as results come in, so you always see the latest order. Underneath the table you’ll find how the competition is scored, which places lead to the finals and to Asian qualification, whether anyone is promoted or relegated, the tiebreakers that separate teams level on points, the key dates, and how to follow it all from New Zealand.
How the 2026/27 A-League Men season works
The A-League Men is contested by 12 clubs: ten from Australia and two from New Zealand, Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC. During the regular season each club plays 26 matches — a full home-and-away schedule of 22 games plus four extra fixtures — spread across 28 matchweeks, with split rounds in December and February.
Points are awarded the standard way: three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Clubs are then ranked by total points, so the table is simply an order of who has earned the most. If you are new to league tables, our guide on how to read a sports standings table walks through every row and column, and the glossary of standings table abbreviations (P, W, D, L, GD, Pts) explains each heading you’ll see above.
Quick facts
| Competition | A-League Men (Isuzu UTE A-League) |
|---|---|
| Season | 2026/27 — 16 October 2026 to early June 2027 |
| Clubs | 12 (10 Australian, 2 New Zealand) |
| Matches per club | 26 (22 home-and-away plus 4 extra), over 28 matchweeks |
| Points | Win 3, draw 1, loss 0 |
| Finals | Top six; top two enter at the semi-finals |
| Champion decided by | Grand Final (weekend of 3–6 June 2027) |
| Promotion / relegation | None (closed league) |
What each position in the table means
Where a club finishes decides three different things: the Premier’s Plate, a place in the finals series, and continental qualification. There is no relegation, so no position sends a club down.
Top of the table (1st): the Premier’s Plate
The club that finishes first on the ladder after all 26 rounds wins the Premier’s Plate as minor premiers. It is awarded for the best regular-season record and also earns the strongest finals position, but it is not the championship — that is decided later in the Grand Final.
Finals places (top six)
The top six clubs qualify for the finals series. The top two enter later, at the semi-finals, which gives them a double chance; the clubs finishing 3rd to 6th start one round earlier in the elimination finals. Finishing in the top two is therefore a major advantage, because a single defeat does not end those clubs’ season.
Continental qualification (AFC)
The highest-placed eligible Australian clubs qualify for Asian club competitions — the AFC Champions League Elite and the AFC Champions League Two. The exact number of berths is set by the AFC’s ranking of each league and can be affected by who wins the Australia Cup, so the qualifying positions are confirmed each season rather than fixed. Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC, being based in New Zealand, are not eligible for AFC competitions, so their finishing places do not take an Asian berth.
Bottom of the table: no promotion or relegation
The A-League is a closed league with a fixed membership, so there is no promotion into it and no relegation out of it. Finishing last has no sporting consequence for a club’s place in the competition the following season.
What the table positions mean
| Position | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1st | Premier’s Plate (minor premiers) for the best regular-season record, plus the strongest finals position |
| 1st–2nd | Enter the finals series at the semi-finals (double chance) |
| 3rd–6th | Enter the finals series at the elimination finals |
| Top six | Qualify for the finals series, which decides the champion |
| Highest-placed eligible Australian clubs | Qualify for AFC Champions League Elite / Two (NZ clubs ineligible) |
| 7th–12th | Miss the finals; no relegation, so no club is demoted |
How teams level on points are separated
When two or more clubs finish on the same number of points, the league applies a set order of tiebreakers to rank them. For the 2026/27 season the order is: goal difference, then goals scored, then number of wins, then head-to-head results between the tied clubs, then fair-play points, followed by away and home goal records and, as a last resort, a coin toss.
Goal difference is simply goals scored minus goals conceded, which is why a heavy win or loss can move a club up or down even when points are level. For a fuller walk-through of scoring and the order of tiebreakers across different sports, see our explainer on how points and tiebreakers decide the order.
Key dates for the 2026/27 season
The season runs from October 2026 into June 2027. The main markers are below.
- Season start: Friday 16 October 2026, opening with the Sydney derby.
- Breaks: the competition pauses for the FIFA international windows in November 2026 and March 2027.
- AFC Asian Cup: the tournament is held in Saudi Arabia from 7 January to 5 February 2027, and the A-League schedules around it.
- Finals series: played after the 26-round regular season finishes, through late May 2027.
- Grand Final: the championship decider is set for the weekend of 3–6 June 2027.
How the season ends
The A-League does not crown its champion from the final table alone. Once the 26 regular-season rounds are complete and the Premier’s Plate has been decided, the top six clubs play a knockout finals series. The 3rd to 6th-placed clubs meet in elimination finals, the survivors join the top two in the semi-finals, and the two semi-final winners contest the Grand Final. The Grand Final winner is the champion and lifts the A-League Championship trophy, so a club can top the table yet not win the title, or win the title from as low as sixth.
How to follow the A-League in New Zealand
In New Zealand, every A-League Men match is shown live on Sky Sport and its streaming service Sky Sport Now, which carries both the Australian fixtures and the games involving the two New Zealand clubs, Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC. For example, the first NZ fixture of the 2026/27 season kicked off at 3:00pm NZDT on Sunday 18 October 2026.
Kick-off times are usually listed in New Zealand time (NZDT from late September to early April, then NZST), and because New Zealand is generally two hours ahead of eastern Australia, Australian evening matches often land late in the NZ evening. The Phoenix and Auckland FC also feature in our wider overview of New Zealand’s main competitions, which points to where each code’s official table lives.
Sources
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How many teams are in the A-League Men and how many games do they play?
There are 12 clubs in the 2026/27 season — ten Australian and two New Zealand sides. Each club plays 26 regular-season matches, made up of a full home-and-away schedule plus four extra fixtures, across 28 matchweeks.
What do the top positions in the A-League table mean?
The top six clubs qualify for the finals series. The club in first place wins the Premier’s Plate for the best regular-season record, and the top two enter the finals at the semi-finals, giving them a double chance.
Is there promotion or relegation in the A-League?
No. The A-League is a closed league with fixed membership, so no club is promoted into it or relegated out of it based on where it finishes in the table.
How are A-League teams level on points separated?
Clubs tied on points are split by goal difference first, then goals scored, number of wins, head-to-head results, fair-play points and further goal records, with a coin toss only as a final resort.
How can I watch the A-League in New Zealand?
Matches are broadcast live in New Zealand on Sky Sport and streamed on Sky Sport Now, including every game involving Wellington Phoenix and Auckland FC.