Liam Gillion of Auckland and Tim Payne of the Phoenix compete for the ball during the A-League. Photo: Masanori Udagawa/Photosport
Five weeks before kick-off the A-League fixtures have finally been revealed after a shake-up of the schedule was required to accommodate Western United being placed into conditional hibernation.
The men's 2025/26 season starts on 17 October and is a 26-round regular season.
Each club will play 13 home games and 13 away games. With Western United's late withdrawal from this season's competition each team will play seven teams twice and four clubs three times.
Auckland FC begin their second season in the league away against the team that ultimately ended their last season, Melbourne Victory, on 18 October.
On the same day the Wellington Phoenix are also away to Perth Glory.
From round two the Phoenix play six of their next eight matches at home at Sky Stadium, including the first of three derby games against Auckland FC on 8 November.
Auckland host the derby on 6 December and it returns to Wellington on 21 February.
Auckland's first home game will be on October 25 against Western Sydney Wanderers at Go Media Stadium.
Alongside the Phoenix, the other club's Auckland will play three times are Newcastle Jets, Central Coast Mariners and head coach Steve Corica's former team, Sydney FC.
The Phoenix play Melbourne Victory, Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United three times.
Sky Stadium is scheduled to host 12 of the Phoenix men's fixtures, with the venue for the 13th and final home game yet to be confirmed. Five will be played on Saturdays, primarily at 5pm, with another five kicking off at 3pm on Sundays and two will be Friday night fixtures.
All of Auckland's home games are at Go Media Stadium, seven games will be played on Saturday at 5pm, there will also be a 3pm kick-off on a Saturday as well as four Sunday games all scheduled for 3pm.
Across the A-League there will be fewer mid-week fixtures, following feedback from fans.
The Finals Series will take place from 1-24 May, with the A-League Men Grand Final to be played on the weekend of 23-24 May ahead of the FIFA World Cup which begins in 29 June.
Regulations factored into fixtures
The 'Summer Period', which was extended by a month in 2024/25 season, will remain in place from early December (Round 6) through to mid-March (Round 20) to avoid teams playing through the hottest part of the day in the cities prone to extreme heat across these months.
During this period there will be no 3pm kick-off times in Australia, with all matches kicking off from 5pm local time - with the exception of a few matches due to time zones and broadcast commitments.
Following an off-season analysis on weather patterns across Australia and New Zealand, the 'Summer Period' will be slightly shorter in Newcastle and Victoria running from Round 7 to 18, where temperatures historically do not exhibit extreme temperatures for as long.
Given the cooler climate in New Zealand there is no 'Summer Period' factored into the schedule for Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix.
The A-League's heat policy, recognised as a conservative policy by international standards, remains part of each match's operational assessment and will be implemented for any match in or outside the 'Summer Period' where extreme weather conditions may present a risk for players and the comfort of fans.
Fewer games for women
Wellington Phoenix's Tiana Jaber. Photo: Getty / Sarah Reed
The women's A-League will kick off on 31 October, with a 22-round regular season.
The Wellington Phoenix women will play two fewer matches than their last campaign, due to Western United missing the season, and will have a bye in late December in addition to having the opening round off.
They will play their first three matches in Wellington in November, two of which will be at their Porirua Park fortress.
All of the Phoenix women's home matches are scheduled to kick off at 4pm, with five on Sundays, four on Saturdays and one on Waitangi Day, which falls on a Friday in 2026.
The season will have a two-week pause from late February to mid-March for the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
The season's fixtures have also seen a reduction in double-headers with men's teams. The league said this was a "concerted effort" to increase the number of standalone fixtures to develop uniquely A-League Women's match day experiences and bring fans closer to the action in smaller venues.
The Finals Series will begin on the weekend of 24-26 April, culminating in the Ninja A-League Grand Final 2026 to be held on the weekend of 15-17 May.
The 2026 Finals Series will follow last season's format with the top six sides qualifying. Week one of the finals will see third face sixth, and fourth take on fifth in two elimination finals.
The two winners will advance to a two-legged semifinal against the top two sides, with the winners qualifying for the Grand Final.
Auckland will not enter the women's A-League until at least the 2027/28 season.
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