The 2020–21 season was the 52nd season of national competitive association football in Australia and 138th overall.
| Season | 2020–21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Men's soccer | ||
| A-League Premiership | Melbourne City | |
| A-League Championship | Melbourne City | |
| FFA Cup | None | |
| Women's soccer | ||
| W-League Premiership | Sydney FC | |
| W-League Championship | Melbourne Victory | |
| ||
Several events from March 2020 onwards were disrupted or postponed due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[1][2]
National teams edit
Australia men's national soccer team edit
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification / 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification edit
Second round edit
| 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 edit
Friendlies edit
The following is a list of friendlies played by the men's under 23 national team in 2020–21.
| 12 November 2020 | Sydney FC | 3–0 | Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 19:00 AEDT |
|
Report | Stadium: Jubilee Oval |
| 17 November 2020 | Macarthur FC | 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 edit
Friendly edit
| 20 December 2020 | Central Coast Mariners | Cancelled | Australia | Gosford, Australia |
| Report | Stadium: Central Coast Stadium |
AFC U-19 Championship edit
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 edit
AFC U-16 Championship edit
The 2020 AFC U-16 Championship was cancelled after the draw for the group stage was conducted.[3]
| 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 edit
Friendlies edit
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) |
AFC competitions edit
AFC Champions League edit
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 edit
A-League edit
| 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:
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:
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is under the Oceania Football Confederation.
- ^ The top 8 teams qualified for the round of 32, while the bottom four teams participated in a playoff round.[5]
- ^ Qualified as the 2021 FFA Cup winners.
National Premier Leagues edit
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 edit
FFA Cup edit
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 edit
W-League edit
| 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
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
New clubs edit
- A-League: Macarthur FC[13]
Deaths edit
- 12 January 2021: Frank Arok, 88, Australian head coach from 1983 to 1989.[14]
- 26 January 2021: Jozef Vengloš, 84, Australian head coach in 1967.[15]
- January 2021: Frank Parsons, Australian striker.[16]
- 9 March 2021: Alan Marnoch, 77, Australian and Sydney Hakoah defender.[17][18]
- 29 March 2021: Bill Murphy, Australian footballer.[19]
- 23 May 2021: Alan Garside, Australian and Granville Kewpies striker.[20]
Retirements edit
- 12 July 2020: Mile Jedinak, 35, former Australia, Sydney United, and Central Coast Mariners midfielder.[21]
- 10 August 2020: Oriol Riera, 34, former Western Sydney Wanderers forward.[22]
- 12 August 2020: Pirmin Schwegler, 33, former Switzerland and Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder.[23]
- 26 August 2020: Daniel Bowles, 28, former Gold Coast United, Adelaide United, and Brisbane Roar defender.[24]
- 9 October 2020: Chris Harold, 28, former Gold Coast United, Perth Glory, and Central Coast Mariners forward.[25]
- 16 December 2020: Archie Thompson, 42, former Australia, Gippsland Falcons, Carlton, Marconi Stallions, and Melbourne Victory forward.[26]
- December 2020: Rashid Mahazi, 28, former Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder.[27]
- 25 March 2021: Rhali Dobson, 28, former Australia, Newcastle Jets, and Melbourne City forward.[28]
- 5 June 2021: Andrew Durante, 39, former New Zealand, Sydney Olympic, Parramatta Power, Newcastle Jets, Wellington Phoenix, Sydney FC, and Western United defender.[29][30]
- 11 June 2021: Nigel Boogaard, 34, former Newcastle Jets, Central Coast Mariners, and Adelaide United defender.[31]
- 20 June 2021: Mark Milligan, 35, former Australia, Northern Spirit, Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets, Melbourne Victory, and Macarthur FC defender and midfielder.[32][33]
- 29 June 2021: Beñat Etxebarria, 34, former Spain and Macarthur FC midfielder.[34]
- 29 June 2021: Markel Susaeta, 33, former Spain, Melbourne City, and Macarthur FC midfielder.[34]
Notes edit
- ^ a b c d Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Kuwait, the match was played behind closed doors.
References edit
- ^ "FFA to postpone remaining matches in the Hyundai A-League season due to COVID-19". Football Federation Australia. 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Socceroos' March and June qualifiers postponed". Football Federation Australia. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Update on FIFA Women's World Cup and men's youth competitions". FIFA. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "Latest update on AFC Champions League". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 4 June 2021.
- ^ "FFA Cup to introduce Hyundai A-League play-off process from 2020". Football Federation Australia. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "Grassroots football temporarily suspended". FFA Cup. Football Federation Australia. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Thank you to our Corporate Partners". Football South Australia. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Manly United set for NPL NSW kick-off". Football NSW. 22 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ "Grassroots football temporarily suspended". Football Federation Australia. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled". The World Game. SBS. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Andrew Cooling (13 July 2020). "Lakoseljac Cup Round of 16 Wrap". Sliceofcheese.net. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ "A-League announces new expansion teams Western Melbourne Group and Macarthur South-West Sydney". Fox Sports. 13 December 2018.
- ^ "Tributes flow as former Socceroos coach Frank Arok dies, aged 88". ABC News. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ "Dr Jozef Venglos: Former Villa & Celtic boss dies at 84". BBC Sport. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ "Vale Frank Parsons". Football Australia. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ Iskandar, Azhar (9 March 2021). "Alan Marnoch Death – Obituary : Alan Marnoch Has Died, Funeral, Dead". NewDeaths.com. 21CenturyMedia.
- ^ "Vale Alan Marnoch". Football Australia. 12 March 2021.
- ^ @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.
- ^ "Vale Alan Garside". Football Australia. 24 May 2021.
- ^ "Mile Jedinak, former Socceroos captain, retires from football with Instagram announcement". ABC News. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Rugari, Vince (12 August 2020). "Schwegler retires a winner as Wanderers, Victory end woeful seasons". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Manuca, David (22 December 2020). "Former Socceroo Archie Thompson hangs up the boots". Football Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Retiring Melbourne City star Rhali Dobson scores, gets engaged". ESPN. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Larkin, Steve (19 May 2021). "Phoenix legend Andrew Durante announces retirement from football ahead of Wellington homecoming". Stuff.co.nz.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ Monteverde, Marco (2 June 2021). "Former Socceroos captain announces retirement as new role beckons". Fox Sports.
- ^ 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...
- ^ a b "Beñat & Susaeta announce retirement". A-League. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.