2018 FFA Cup


The 2018 FFA Cup was the fifth season of the FFA Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. 32 teams contested the competition proper, including the 10 A-League teams and 21 Football Federation Australia member federation teams determined through individual state qualifying rounds, as well as the reigning National Premier Leagues Champion.

Round and dates

For the first time in the competition's history, the decision on the final venue will be conducted by a draw.
RoundDraw dateMatch datesNumber of fixturesTeamsNew entries this round
Preliminary roundsVarious10 February–23 June749 + 114 byes781 → 32770
Round of 3226 June25 July–7 August1632 → 1611
Round of 167 August21–29 August816 → 8none
Quarter-finals29 August18–26 September48 → 4none
Semi-finals26 September5–6 October24 → 2none
Final6 October30 October12 → 1none

Teams

A total of 32 teams participated in the 2018 FFA Cup competition proper, ten of which were from the A-League, one the 2017 National Premier Leagues Champion, and the remaining 21 teams from FFA member federations, as determined by the qualifying rounds. A-League clubs represent the highest level in the Australian league system, whereas member federation clubs come from Level 2 and below. The current season tier of member federation clubs is shown in parentheses.

Prize fund

The prize fund was unchanged from the previous two years' events.
RoundNo. of Clubs
receive fund		Prize fund
Round of 168$2,000
Quarter-finalists4$5,000
Semi-finalists2$10,000
Final runners-up1$25,000
Final winner1$50,000
Total$131,000

In addition, a further $2,500 was awarded from sponsor NAB to Member Federation clubs for each goal scored by them against an A-League opposition. Clubs to receive these prizes were APIA Leichhardt Tigers, Hellenic Athletic, Avondale FC, Rockdale City, Bentleigh Greens, Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Cairns FC.

Preliminary rounds

FFA member federations teams competed in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 21 places in the competition proper. All Australian clubs were eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective FFA member federation, however only one team per club is permitted entry in the competition. All nine FFA member federations took part in the tournament.
FederationCompetitionRound of 32 Qualifiers
ACTFederation Cup1
NSWWaratah Cup5
Northern NSW—2
NTSport Minister's Cup1
Queensland—4
SAFederation Cup1
TasmaniaMilan Lakoseljac Cup1
VictoriaDockerty Cup4
WAState Cup2

The preliminary rounds will operate within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition is staggered in each state/territory, ultimately leading to round 7 with the winning clubs from that round gaining direct entry into the round of 32. The first matches of the preliminary rounds began in February 2018, and the final matches of the preliminary rounds in June 2018.

Bracket

Round of 32

The Round of 32 draw took place on 26 June 2018, with match information confirmed on 2 July.
The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round were Gold Coast Knights. They were the only level 4 team left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST

Round of 16

The Round of 16 draw took place on 7 August 2018, with match details finalised two days later.
The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Adelaide Comets, APIA Leichhardt Tigers, Avondale FC, Bentleigh Greens, Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Broadmeadow Magic, Cairns FC, Devonport City, Heidelberg United and Queensland Lions. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST

Quarter-finals

The Quarter-finals draw took place on 29 August 2018, with match details announced the following day.
The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were APIA Leichhardt Tigers, Avondale FC, Bentleigh Greens and Heidelberg United. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST

Semi-finals

The Semi-finals draw took place on 26 September 2018, with match details announced the next day.
The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round were Bentleigh Greens. They were the only level 2 team left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEDT

Final

All times listed below are at AEDT

Individual Honours

The inaugural recipient of the Michael Cockerill Medal, was Elvis Kamsoba from Avondale FC.
Craig Goodwin from Adelaide United won the Mark Viduka Medal for the player of the match in the Final.

Top goalscorers

Notes:
The live television rights for the competition were held by the subscription network Fox Sports. The matches were also broadcast online on the My Football Live app from the Round of 16 onwards. In addition to live updates and crosses at concurrent matches, the following matches were broadcast live:
RoundLive broadcast matches
Round of 32Avondale FC v Marconi Stallions
Rockdale City Suns v Sydney FC
Bentleigh Greens v Wellington Phoenix
Round of 16APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Melbourne Victory
Queensland Lions v Adelaide United
Quarter-finalsAvondale FC v Sydney FC
APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Adelaide United
Semi-finals and FinalAll matches