A-Leagues Release Full Fixture For 20th Season Of Isuzu UTE A-League Men

• Bumper opening rounds headline 20th anniversary campaign.
• Revamped free-to-air schedule doubles down on Saturday time slot.
• ‘Summer period’ extended by a month to benefit fans and players.

Friday 2 August, 2024: The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has today released the full fixtures for the Isuzu UTE A-League Men season 2024/25 as the competition celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The Isuzu UTE A-League Men season will kick off on the weekend of 18-20 October, as Auckland FC embarks on their inaugural season in an expanded 13-team competition.

A-Leagues Commissioner, Nick Garcia said: “It’s set to be an exciting 20th year of the Isuzu UTE A-League Men. Building on last season, we can expect more exciting football, with incredible young talent and national team heroes playing the most entertaining football we’ve seen in the A-Leagues.

“We’ve worked hard to make sure the 2024/25 fixture meets fan, partner and club feedback, and to create a new free-to-air format - with a double-header every Saturday night on Network Ten - for fans to enjoy. We can’t wait for the football to begin in October!”

Bumper opening weekends

It’s set to be a bumper Round 1, with a Grand Final rematch on Friday night as the Mariners host Melbourne Victory, before newcomers Auckland FC welcome Brisbane Roar to GO Media Stadium for their first ever fixture. The opening weekend will also see a huge Sydney Derby as Western Sydney Wanderers face off with Sydney FC at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night.

Round 2 will be headlined by the first Melbourne Derby of the 2024/25 season with Melbourne City taking on Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park. Auckland FC will then host Sydney FC as Sky Blues’ legend and current Auckland FC head coach Steve Corica faces his old side.

The rivalries continue in Round 3 with a state of origin showdown with Brisbane Roar up against Sydney FC, Western United host cross-town rivals Melbourne City, and the first-ever New Zealand derby with Wellington Phoenix taking on Auckland FC at Sky Stadium on Saturday 2 November.

The complete Round 1 fixture is shown below, while the full season 2024/25 fixture, round by round, can be seen via the A-Leagues website here.

20th Isuzu UTE A-League season: Competition Overview

The addition of a second New Zealand team will see the Isuzu UTE A-League Men season extended to 29 rounds with each club playing 24 home and away fixtures, plus two additional third-match up fixtures (Unite Round and one other match), plus three bye weeks.

The bye placements within the full fixture have been prioritised for the two clubs participating in the AFC club competitions particularly where back-to-back continental match days occur, otherwise all other byes have been allocated at random while ensuring at least a four-match gap between each bye.

The 2025 Finals Series will follow last season’s format with two Elimination Finals, with the two winners advancing to a two-legged Semi Final against the top two sides, with the winners qualifying for the Grand Final. The Isuzu UTE A-League 2025 Finals Series will kick off on the weekend of 9-11 May with the Grand Final scheduled for the weekend of 31 May - 1 June.

The full fixture: the Isuzu UTE A-League Men season 2024/25

The Isuzu UTE A-League 2024/25 season fixture has taken into account fan feedback, club requests, venue availability based on shared stadia and live events, and Asian club competitions. The full fixture, round by round, can be seen via the A-Leagues website here.

See below a snapshot of just some of the key statistics from the 2024/25 fixture:

176 matches (including finals).

12 Derbies (3x Sydney Derbies, 3x Melbourne Derbies, 3x NZ Derbies, 3x F3 Derbies).

25 matches in New Zealand, with the first NZ derby set for Saturday 2 November.

15 more Saturday matches based on club and fan feedback.

11 midweek fixtures during the January school holiday period.

Isuzu UTE A-League Men Saturday double-headers live and free on Network 10

Paramount Australia remains the exclusive home of Australian football for the 2024/25 season. Football fans across the country will once again enjoy access to a mountain of football with every single A-Leagues match available to stream live on Paramount+.

Building on the growth in TV viewership in 2023/24, this season will see the two Isuzu UTE A-League Men free-to-air matches moved to every Saturday on 10 Bold and 10 Play with back-to-back games kicking off from 5pm and 7:35pm AEST.

Taking on feedback from fans, clubs and partners, the Isuzu UTE A-League Men double-header is expected to drive viewership growth and momentum from the twilight slot into the evening match. Every Saturday, viewers can enjoy a whole evening of live and free football on 10 Bold and 10 Play, and for every other match, Paramount+ will be the exclusive destination.

Isuzu UTE A-League Men season broadcast notes, include:

Every Isuzu UTE A-League Men's match will be shown live on Paramount+.

Each Saturday two Isuzu UTE A-League Men matches will be broadcast live and free on 10 Bold and 10 Play.

Outside of the Saturday double-header on 10 Bold and 10 Play, Paramount+ is the only place to catch every Isuzu UTE A-League Men match.

Every Liberty A-League Women’s match will be made available live and free on 10 Play, and live on Paramount+.

Minis, highlights and replays available to stream on Paramount+.

More detail on the broadcast schedule for the Liberty A-League Women will be shared in the coming weeks, along with latest information for New Zealand following the appointment of an official broadcast partner.

‘Summer Period’ kick off times

Following the success of last season, the ‘Summer Period’ has been extended by a month in 2024/25 and will run from early December (Round 6) through to the end of March (Round 24). During the ‘Summer Period’ there will be no 3pm kick off times, with all matches kicking off from 5pm local time, with the exception of a few matches due to time zones and broadcast commitments.

As part of the ‘Summer Period’, the league is re-introducing the summer of football campaign from December 27 to January 27 which will feature midweek fixtures across two Rounds during the January school holidays to deliver more football at family-friendly times.

The APL Heat Policy, recognised as a conservative policy by international standards, remains in place and is an important contributing factor in the scheduling process and throughout the season.

AFC Club Competitions

This season the Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC will represent the Isuzu UTE A-League in the AFC’s continental club competitions; AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League 2.

The exact fixtures for these competitions are yet to be released, but the dates have been factored into the Isuzu UTE A-League Men season fixture with regards to clubs’ adjacent rounds and in-season bye rounds.

Further amendments to the fixture may be required following the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League 2 draw set to take place on Thursday 16 August and pending progression of clubs through the group and knock-out stages.

The dates of each stage of the AFC Champions League Elite, include:

Group Stage: Tuesday 16 September - Wednesday 19 February

Round of 16: Tuesday 4 March - Wednesday 12 March

Quarter Finals: Friday 25 April - Saturday 26 April

Semi Finals: Tuesday 29 April - Wednesday 30 April

Final: Sunday 4 May

The dates of each stage of the AFC Champions League 2 group, include:

Group Stage: Tuesday 17 September - Thursday 5 December

Round of 16: Tuesday 11 February - Thursday 20 February

Quarter Finals: Tuesday 4 March - Thursday 13 March

Semi Finals: Tuesday 8 April - Thursday 16 April

Final: Sunday 17 May

Notes:

Isuzu UTE A-League Men season 2024/25

Round 1 fixtures:

Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory - Friday 18 October, Industree Group Stadium at 7:35pm AEDT

Auckland FC vs Brisbane Roar - Saturday 19 October, GO Media Stadium at 3:00pm AEDT

Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne City FC - Saturday 19 October, McDonald Jones Stadium at 5:00pm AEDT

Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC - Saturday 19 October, CommBank Stadium at 7:35pm AEDT

Wellington Phoenix vs Western United - Sunday 20 October, Sky Stadium at 2:00pm AEDT

Macarthur FC vs Perth Glory - Sunday 20 October, Campbelltown Stadium, 4:00pm AEDT

* Adelaide United have a bye

Some other notable fixtures:

Round 2: Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory - Saturday 26 October, AAMI Park at 7:35pm AEDT (Melbourne Derby)

Round 3: Wellington Phoenix vs Auckland FC - Saturday 2 November, Sky Stadium at 3:00pm AEDT (New Zealand Derby)

Round 5: 2024 Unite Round - Friday 22 November - Sunday 24 November, Allianz Stadium

Round 9: Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City - Saturday 21 December, AAMI Park at 7:35pm AEDT

Round 11: Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne City - Tuesday 31 December, Industree Group Stadium at 7:00pm AEDT (New Years Eve)

Round 11: Auckland FC vs Melbourne Victory - Wednesday 1 January, GO Media Stadium at 3:00pm AEDT (New Years Day)

Round 11: Western Sydney Wanderers vs Macarthur FC - Wednesday 1 January, CommBank Stadium at 6:00pm AEDT (New Years Day)

Round 16: Melbourne Victory vs Sydney FC - Friday 24 January, AAMI Park at 7:35pm AEDT (Big Blue)

Round 17: Central Coast Mariners vs Newcastle Jets - Saturday 1 February, Industree Group Stadium at 7:35pm AEDT (F3 Derby)

Round 18: Wellington Phoenix vs Brisbane Roar - Thursday 6 February, Sky Stadium at 3:00pm AEDT (Waitangi Day)

Round 18: Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers - Saturday 8 February, Allianz Stadium at 7:35pm AEDT

Round 20: Auckland FC vs Wellington Phoenix - Saturday 22 February, GO Media Stadium at 3:00pm AEDT (New Zealand Derby)

Round 20: Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City - Saturday 22 February, AAMI Park at 7:35pm AEDT (Melbourne Derby)

Round 24: Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United - Saturday 29 March, AAMI Park at 7:35pm AEDT Kick Off Time (Pride Cup/Original Rivalry)

Round 26: Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners - Saturday 12 April, McDonald Jones Stadium at 7:35pm AEST Kick Off Time (F3 Derby)

Round 27: Adelaide United vs Wellington Phoenix - Friday 18 April, Coopers Stadium at 7:35pm AEST (Good Friday)

Round 27: Sydney FC vs Newcastle Jets - Sunday 20 April, Allianz Stadium at 3:00pm AEST (Easter Sunday)

Round 28: Macarthur FC vs Melbourne Victory - Friday 25 April, Campbelltown Stadium at 7:35pm AEST (ANZAC Day)

Round 28: Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix - Saturday 26 April, Suncorp Stadium at 3:00pm AEST (Annual ANZAC Day round match)

About A-Leagues:

The A-Leagues represent the pinnacle of professional football in Australia, comprising Isuzu UTE A-League Men's, Liberty A-League Women's and E-league competitions. The 2024/25 season will see 13 clubs compete in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men and 12 in the Liberty A-League Women.

The A-Leagues, operated by Australian Professional Leagues (APL), is delivering against its bold ambition to develop top-tier professional football talent in Australia, drive engagement across the leagues and to build on football’s undisputed position as the country’s most popular participation sport.

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