2020–21 in Australian soccer

Soccer in Australia
Season2020–21
Men's soccer
A-League PremiershipMelbourne City
A-League ChampionshipMelbourne City
FFA CupNone
Women's soccer
W-League PremiershipSydney FC
W-League ChampionshipMelbourne Victory
← 2019–20 Australia 2021–22 →

The 2020–21 season was the 52nd season of national competitive association football in Australia and 138th overall.

Several events from March 2020 onwards were disrupted or postponed due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[1][2]

National teams

Australia men's national soccer team

Main article: 2021 Australia national soccer team season

2022 FIFA World Cup qualification / 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification

Second round
3 June 2021 Group B Australia  3–0  Kuwait Kuwait City, Kuwait
21:30 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium
Attendance: 0[note 1]
Referee: Jumpei Iida (Japan)
7 June 2021 Group B Australia  5–1  Chinese Taipei Kuwait City, Kuwait
19:30 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium
Attendance: 0[note 1]
Referee: Saoud Al-Adba (Qatar)
11 June 2021 Group B Nepal    0–3  Australia Kuwait City, Kuwait
19:30 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium
Attendance: 0[note 1]
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
15 June 2021 Group B Australia  1–0  Jordan Kuwait City, Kuwait
19:30 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium
Attendance: 0[note 1]
Referee: Kim Woo-Sung (South Korea)

Men's under 23

Main article: Australia men's national under-23 soccer team

Friendlies

The following is a list of friendlies played by the men's under 23 national team in 2020–21.

12 November 2020 Sydney FC Australia 3–0  Australia Sydney, Australia
19:00 AEDT
Report Stadium: Jubilee Oval
17 November 2020 Macarthur FC Australia 1–2  Australia Sydney, Australia
15:00 AEDT
Report
Stadium: Jubilee Oval
Attendance: 0
2 June 2021 Australia  1–2  Republic of Ireland U-21 Marbella, Spain
13:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Marbella Football Centre
Referee: Parejo Nieto (Spain)
5 June 2021 Australia  Cancelled  Saudi Arabia Marbella, Spain
14:00 UTC+2 Cancellation Stadium: Estadio Municipal de Marbella
8 June 2021 Australia  0–1  Romania Marbella, Spain
20:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Estadio Municipal de Marbella
12 June 2021 Australia  2–3  Mexico Marbella, Spain
20:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Estadio Municipal de Marbella

Men's under-20

Main article: Australia national under-20 soccer team

Friendly

20 December 2020 Central Coast Mariners Australia Cancelled  Australia Gosford, Australia
Report Stadium: Central Coast Stadium

AFC U-19 Championship

The 2020 AFC U-19 Championship was cancelled after the draw for the group stage was conducted.[3]

March 2021 Group stage Australia  Cancelled  Vietnam Namangan, Uzbekistan
Source Stadium: Navbahor Central Stadium
March 2021 Group stage Laos  Cancelled  Australia Namangan, Uzbekistan
Source Stadium: Navbahor Central Stadium
March 2021 Group stage Saudi Arabia  Cancelled  Australia Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Source Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium

Men's under-17

Main article: Australia national under-17 soccer team

AFC U-16 Championship

The 2020 AFC U-16 Championship was cancelled after the draw for the group stage was conducted.[3]

2021 Group stage Australia  Cancelled  India Riffa, Bahrain
Source Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium
2021 Group stage Uzbekistan  Cancelled  Australia Muharraq, Bahrain
Source Stadium: Sheikh Ali Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium
2021 Group stage South Korea  Cancelled  Australia Riffa, Bahrain
Source Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium

Australia women's national soccer team

Main article: Australia women's national soccer team

Friendlies

The following is a list of friendlies played by the women's senior national team in 2020–21.

10 April 2021 Germany  5–2  Australia Wiesbaden, Germany
16:10
Report Gielnik 82', 90+2' Stadium: Brita-Arena
Referee: Marta Frías Acedo (Spain)
13 April 2021 Netherlands  5–0  Australia Nijmegen, Netherlands
18:30 CEST
Report Stadium: Stadion de Goffert
Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)
10 June 2021 Denmark  3–2  Australia Horsens, Denmark
18:00 CEST
Report
Stadium: CASA Arena
Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (Finland)
15 June 2021 Sweden  0–0  Australia Kalmar, Sweden
18:45 CEST Report Stadium: Guldfågeln Arena
Referee: Ivana Martinčić (Croatia)

AFC competitions

AFC Champions League

All three teams that qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League – Sydney FC, Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar – withdrew from the competition after the draw.[4]

Men's football

A-League

Main article: 2020–21 A-League
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Melbourne City (C) 26 15 4 7 57 32 +25 49 Qualification for 2022 AFC Champions League group stage and finals series[a]
2 Sydney FC 26 13 8 5 39 23 +16 47 Qualification for 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs and finals series[a]
3 Central Coast Mariners 26 12 6 8 35 31 +4 42 Qualification for finals series[a]
4 Brisbane Roar 26 11 7 8 36 28 +8 40
5 Adelaide United 26 11 6 9 39 41 −2 39
6 Macarthur FC 26 11 6 9 33 36 −3 39
7 Wellington Phoenix[b] 26 10 8 8 44 34 +10 38
8 Western Sydney Wanderers 26 9 8 9 45 43 +2 35
9 Perth Glory 26 9 7 10 44 44 0 34 Qualification for 2021 FFA Cup play-offs[c]
10 Western United 26 8 4 14 30 47 −17 28
11 Newcastle Jets 26 5 6 15 24 38 −14 21
12 Melbourne Victory 26 5 4 17 31 60 −29 19 Qualification for 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs and 2021 FFA Cup play-offs[d]
Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Least red cards; 5) Least yellow cards; 6) Toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c The top two teams entered the finals series at the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third to sixth entered the finals series at the elimination-finals.
  2. ^ Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is under the Oceania Football Confederation.
  3. ^ The top 8 teams qualified for the round of 32, while the bottom four teams participated in a playoff round.[5]
  4. ^ Qualified as the 2021 FFA Cup winners.
Finals
 
Elimination-finalsSemi-finalsGrand Final
 
          
 
 
 
 
20 June – Sydney
 
 
Melbourne City2
 
12 June – Gosford
 
Macarthur FC0
 
Central Coast Mariners0
 
27 June – Melbourne
 
Macarthur FC2
 
Melbourne City3
 
 
Sydney FC1
 
 
19 June – Sydney
 
 
Sydney FC2
 
13 June – Brisbane
 
Adelaide United1
 
Brisbane Roar1
 
 
Adelaide United2
 

National Premier Leagues

Main article: 2020 National Premier Leagues

The competition in all member federations was suspended, effective from 18 March, due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[6] Apart from Victoria, competitions resumed in the various member federations between late June and late July.[7][8] It was announced on 3 July that the finals series for the 2020 competition had been cancelled.[9]

Cup competitions

FFA Cup

Main article: 2020 FFA Cup

The competition was suspended for one month due to the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, effective 18 March,[10] and cancelled on 3 July,[11] although the associated Lakoseljac Cup competition in Tasmania recommenced in July.[12]

Women's football

W-League

Main article: 2020–21 W-League
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Sydney FC 12 9 1 2 26 11 +15 28 Qualification to Finals series
2 Brisbane Roar 12 7 4 1 29 12 +17 25
3 Melbourne Victory (C) 12 7 2 3 25 14 +11 23
4 Canberra United 12 6 4 2 21 16 +5 22
5 Adelaide United 12 7 1 4 22 18 +4 22
6 Western Sydney Wanderers 12 4 1 7 13 21 −8 13
7 Melbourne City 12 4 1 7 11 23 −12 13
8 Newcastle Jets 12 2 1 9 14 21 −7 7
9 Perth Glory 12 0 1 11 7 32 −25 1
Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions


New clubs

Deaths

Retirements

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait, the match was played behind closed doors.

References

  1. ^ "FFA to postpone remaining matches in the Hyundai A-League season due to COVID-19". Football Federation Australia. 24 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Socceroos' March and June qualifiers postponed". Football Federation Australia. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Update on FIFA Women's World Cup and men's youth competitions". FIFA. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Latest update on AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 4 June 2021.
  5. ^ "FFA Cup to introduce Hyundai A-League play-off process from 2020". Football Federation Australia. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Grassroots football temporarily suspended". FFA Cup. Football Federation Australia. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Thank you to our Corporate Partners". Football South Australia. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Manly United set for NPL NSW kick-off". Football NSW. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Grassroots football temporarily suspended". Football Federation Australia. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  12. ^ Andrew Cooling (13 July 2020). "Lakoseljac Cup Round of 16 Wrap". Sliceofcheese.net. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  13. ^ "A-League announces new expansion teams Western Melbourne Group and Macarthur South-West Sydney". Fox Sports. 13 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Tributes flow as former Socceroos coach Frank Arok dies, aged 88". ABC News. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Dr Jozef Venglos: Former Villa & Celtic boss dies at 84". BBC Sport. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Vale Frank Parsons". Football Australia. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  17. ^ Iskandar, Azhar (9 March 2021). "Alan Marnoch Death – Obituary : Alan Marnoch Has Died, Funeral, Dead". NewDeaths.com. 21CenturyMedia.
  18. ^ "Vale Alan Marnoch". Football Australia. 12 March 2021.
  19. ^ @Socceroos (29 March 2021). "We are deeply saddened to have learned of the passing of Socceroo #131, Bill Murphy. Murphy made his debut against New Zealand in 1954, playing a total of five times for Australia" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Vale Alan Garside". Football Australia. 24 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Mile Jedinak, former Socceroos captain, retires from football with Instagram announcement". ABC News. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Oriol Riera se retira: "Se va el Oriol jugador y empieza el Oriol entrenador"" [Oriol Riera retires: "The player Oriol leaves and the coach Oriol begins"]. Marca (in Spanish). 10 August 2020.
  23. ^ Rugari, Vince (12 August 2020). "Schwegler retires a winner as Wanderers, Victory end woeful seasons". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  24. ^ Monteverde, Marco (26 August 2020). "A-League: Cafe owner and Brisbane defender Daniel Bowles quits at just 28 to focus on business". News.com.au. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  25. ^ Bossi, Dominic (9 October 2020). "'It left me disenfranchised': State of game pushes Mariners player into early retirement". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  26. ^ Manuca, David (22 December 2020). "Former Socceroo Archie Thompson hangs up the boots". Football Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  27. ^ Davidson, John (25 March 2021). "Anxiety and falling out of love with football: Why Mahazi quit at 28". The World Game. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Retiring Melbourne City star Rhali Dobson scores, gets engaged". ESPN. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  29. ^ Larkin, Steve (19 May 2021). "Phoenix legend Andrew Durante announces retirement from football ahead of Wellington homecoming". Stuff.co.nz.
  30. ^ Comito, Matthew (5 June 2021). "Job done in Gosford: Mariners finish third after 2-0 win over Western United". A-League. Retrieved 7 June 2021. Andrew Durante - in the final game of his storied career
  31. ^ Bryce, Bindi (11 June 2021). "Newcastle Jets captain Nigel Boogaard hangs up his A-League boots after 16 years". ABC News. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  32. ^ Monteverde, Marco (2 June 2021). "Former Socceroos captain announces retirement as new role beckons". Fox Sports.
  33. ^ Harrington, Anna (20 June 2021). "Melbourne City overcomes Macarthur Bulls to seal A-League grand final berth". The New Daily. Retrieved 24 June 2021. ...Bulls skipper Mark Milligan, in what proved his final professional game...
  34. ^ a b "Beñat & Susaeta announce retirement". A-League. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.