It is decided that the league-stage winners of 2019-20 Indian Super League would be awarded an AFC Champions League (ACL) group stage spot and the runners-up of the league-stage would go on to feature in the playoffs of the AFC Cup. Accordingly, FC Goa, ATK-Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC will all play at the continental level in 2021.
FFA Chief Executive Officer, James Johnson, said adjustments to the FFA Cup from 2021 onwards are aligned to Principle IV of the XI Principles for the future of Australian football and will bring a new edge to the competition.
“Principle IV of our XI Principles speaks to the ongoing optimisation of Australia’s competition structures and ensuring that Australia’s football pyramid is aligned and connected. The FFA Cup is unique amongst all other sporting competitions in Australia in that a team of builders, electricians and office-workers might get the chance to compete against five-time A-League Champions Sydney FC,” Johnson said.
“Playing the FFA Cup Final on a stand-alone weekend will enable the FFA Cup Final to develop its own identity within the national football calendar, and we envisage that an array of events – such as a national football conference or a national football weekend festival – can in the future be held in parallel with the FFA Cup Final. Furthermore, we believe that by connecting the FFA Cup Final with a variety of supporting football-focused events, we can engage a wide cross-section of the football community and make the event an increasingly attractive proposition to host cities and Governments.”
The 2020 version of the FFA Cup was cancelled earlier this year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of cancellation, 765 clubs had registered to participate in the competition – the second most since the competition commenced in 2014.
Johnson is confident that a significant number of the clubs registered to compete in 2020 will return in 2021, as the FFA Cup Round of 32 draw and format is also revised.
“Next year’s FFA Cup Preliminary Rounds will be held much like in years gone by, however we are moving to adjust the structure of the Round of 32 – where professional A-League clubs enter the competition – into four geographic Zones. These Zones will promote local rivalries and competitive tension, and for the first time will feature an open draw to determine matches. The open draw will continue to feature right through to the semi-final stage, ensuring that there’s absolute uncertainty when the draw for each round of the competition is staged,” he said.
The FFA Cup 2021 Preliminary Rounds will be held between February and July next year, with the Final Rounds planned to be played between July and November. Precise match dates and details will be confirmed in due course.
The FFA Cup has received widespread acceptance by the Australian football community since its inception in 2014 because of its ability to connect all levels of the game across Australia. The knockout format has generated competitive tension and uncertainty over the years and these new enhancements further solidify that this competition rewards sporting merit.
The introduction of an FFA Cup for women and youth are part of FFA’s bold and innovative 15-year vision for the game. FFA will also continue to assess the introduction of a group stage throughout the competition, as ways to enhance and increase the number of competitive match minutes available to Australian players are considered.
Throughout 2021, FFA will conduct consultation with Australia’s football community regarding the potential renaming of the FFA Cup. The potential renaming of the competition is due to the current transition from Football Federation Australia to the new company name of ‘Football Australia’. The transition from Football Federation Australia to ‘Football Australia’ received unanimous Congress support at FFA’s seventeenth Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, 25 November 2020.
In addition, FFA today launched a short survey to capture data and feedback related to the FFA Cup and its development. The survey, available here, provides Australia’s football family with the opportunity to submit ideas as to what the FFA Cup could be named in the future.
*Admission to AFC Champions League Preliminary Rounds subject to winning club meeting AFC Club Licensing Regulations.