A-League Women The wait is over. The 2026/27 Ninja A-League Women season kicks off this weekend, and the fixture list has wasted no time serving up a headline act. Melbourne City begin the defence of their double in Wellington, against the very side they beat in May’s Grand Final.
Eleven clubs, 22 matchweeks and a full home-and-away season lie ahead. With an odd number of teams, every round has one side sitting out, and each club will have two byes before the Finals Series. Canberra United draw the first one.
Matchweek 1 at a glance
The opening round runs across Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October. All times are local.
- Newcastle Jets vs Perth Glory, Saturday, 3:00pm AEDT (venue to be confirmed)
- Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne Victory, Saturday, 3:00pm AEDT, Wanderers Football Park
- Brisbane Roar vs Central Coast Mariners, Saturday, 4:00pm AEST (5:00pm AEDT), Spencer Park
- Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City, Sunday, 12:15pm NZDT, Hnry Stadium
- Sydney FC vs Adelaide United, Sunday, 4:30pm AEDT, Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre
Canberra United have the bye in round one.
City open their title defence in Wellington
There is no gentle start for the champions. Melbourne City finished last season as premiers and then completed the double on 16 May, beating Wellington Phoenix 3–1 at AAMI Park in front of 7,174 fans. Holly McNamara was the difference that night, scoring twice in two minutes just before half-time, in the 41st and 43rd minutes, and collecting Player of the Match. Leticia McKenna added a third four minutes after the restart before Makala Woods pulled one back for the Phoenix.
That Grand Final was a landmark for Wellington. It was the club’s first appearance in an A-League decider, men’s or women’s, and the Phoenix will want to show it was the start of something rather than a one-off. Sunday’s rematch at Hnry Stadium gives them the perfect stage, and the two sides meet again in Matchweek 13 on 24 January.
City, under Michael Matricciani, carry the target on their backs from day one. Wellington, coached by Bev Priestman, have the chance to land an early statement.
New faces on the touchline
Three clubs head into the season with a change in the dugout. Sydney FC made James Slaveski their permanent head coach in May after his spell in caretaker charge. Brisbane Roar, semi-finalists last season, lost Alex Smith to Brooklyn FC in July and appointed Johnathan Clemente in August. Central Coast Mariners, who face the Roar on Saturday, are now led by Dean Heffernan, appointed in August after Kory Babington’s contract ended in June.
That makes Brisbane against Central Coast one of the more intriguing openers. Both coaches take charge of their first A-League Women match in their new roles, and both will be keen to make an early impression.
Derby dates to circle
Beyond the opening weekend, the fixture list has plenty of fixtures supporters will already be planning around:
- Melbourne derby: City vs Victory on 19 December at AAMI Park, with the return on 21 February
- Sydney derby: Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers on 30 January at CommBank Stadium, then again on 3 April at WIN Stadium
- F3 derby: Central Coast Mariners vs Newcastle Jets on 7 November, with the return on 7 February
- Big Blue: Sydney FC vs Melbourne Victory in Matchweek 13 and again in the final round, Matchweek 22
The festive period is busy too, with Central Coast hosting Melbourne City on New Year’s Eve and Newcastle meeting Wellington on New Year’s Day.
A schedule built around families
The league has reshaped its calendar this year, with fewer midweek matches outside the summer holidays and fewer Friday night games. The season also pauses for every FIFA international window, including the November, February and April breaks, so no round clashes with international duty.
“We have created a draw that has brought together feedback from all of our stakeholders to make our game more accessible,” said APL CEO Steve Rosich when the fixture list was released.
How to watch
In Australia, every match is live on Paramount+ and 10 Streaming, and ten matches will also be shown free-to-air on 10 Drama. In New Zealand, Sky Sport is the exclusive home of the league, with matches on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go, and selected games on Sky Open and ThreeNow.
Follow every result, table update and live score from the new season on our A-League Women hub.
