With the inclusion of Auckland FC, next season’s men’s A-League fixture schedule will see a number of changes.
A review of how and when games are scheduled will see more matches played on Saturdays, an increase in midweek fixtures and 5pm starts to help manage summer temperatures.
And, of course, the expansion of the league will see three new derbies, between New Zealand’s Auckland FC and the Wellington Phoenix.
Here are six things you should know …
1. More games
The next season of men’s A-League will have 176 matches (including finals).
The addition of a second New Zealand team, Auckland FC, will see the Isuzu UTE A-League season extended to 29 rounds, with each club playing 24 home and away fixtures, plus two additional round of 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 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club competitions particularly where back-to-back continental match days occur, otherwise all other byes have been allocated at random and ensuring at least a four-match gap between each bye.
2. When they’ll be played
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.
As a result, 15 more games will be played on Saturdays and 11 will be staged midweek during January, when families are enjoying summer school holidays.
3. Kick-off times
Following last season’s use of a ‘summer period’, this has been extended by a month in 2024/25 and will run from early December (Round 6) to the end of March (Round 24).
During the ‘summer period’ there will be no 3pm kick-off times, with all matches starting at 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.
4. How the finals series will work
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 May 9-11, 2025, with the grand final scheduled for the weekend of May 31-June 1, 2025.
5. Changes to the fixture schedule
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 have yet to be released, but the dates have been factored into the Isuzu UTE A-League season fixture list regarding clubs’ adjacent rounds and in-season bye rounds.
Further changes to the schedule may be required following the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League 2 draw, which is set to take place on Thursday, August 16, and pending the progression of clubs through the group and knock-out stages.
6. What about the derbies?
With the arrival of Auckland FC, there’ll be 12 derby matches during the season — (3x New Zealand derbies, 3 x Sydney derbies, 3 x Melbourne derbies, 3 x F3 derbies between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets).
FIXTURES: Click here for Auckland FC’s full fixture schedule >>>>>
FIXTURES: Click here for Wellington Phoenix’s full fixture schedule >>>>>
The New Zealand derbies:
Game to be played on Saturday November 2, 2024
Wellington Phoenix v Auckland FC
Sky Stadium, Wellington, 5pm
Game to be played on Saturday December 7, 2024
Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix
Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, Auckland, 5pm
Game to be played on Saturday February 22, 2024
Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix
Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, Auckland, 5pm
This story was first published on August 6, 2024.
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