South Melbourne become the first NPL club to win the Australia Cup

10 October 2026

South Melbourne won the Australia Cup football final on 10 October 2026, beating Melbourne Victory 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The match was played at AAMI Park in Melbourne before a sellout crowd of 29,911. South Melbourne became the first National Premier Leagues (NPL) club to win the Australia Cup. Denis Genreau scored for Victory in extra time and Max Mikkola equalised in the 117th minute. Goalkeeper Javier Lopez won the Mark Viduka Medal as man of the match. The win technically gives South Melbourne a berth in next season's Asian Champions League 2 competition.