Australia Cup Quarter-Final Tips & Predictions

Six of the eight Australia Cup quarter-finalists are non-A-League clubs and only Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory are left. Tips, dates and how to bet all four ties across 18, 19, 25 and 26 August.

The Hahn Australia Cup quarter-finals are the story of the 2026 competition. Six of the eight remaining clubs are not A-League sides, only Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory survive, and two of the four ties are between non-A-League clubs, which guarantees at least two of them a semi-final place. The ties are split across two Tuesday and Wednesday double-headers, on 18 and 19 August and then 25 and 26 August, all at 7:30pm AEST on Paramount+.

Five A-League clubs have already gone out: the Round of 16 claimed Melbourne City (beaten 2-0 by Lions FC) and Macarthur FC (on penalties to SD Raiders), after the Round of 32 removed defending champions Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners. Below are our tips for all four quarter-finals.

Australia Cup quarter-final draw and dates

Every tie kicks off at 7:30pm AEST and is broadcast on Paramount+. All four are hosted by the lower-ranked club, which is how the Australia Cup draw works and a large part of why it produces upsets.

SD Raiders vs Sydney FC

Prediction: Sydney FC to advance

SD Raiders have already beaten one A-League club, edging Macarthur FC 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and they get another at Fairfield Showground. Sydney FC are the strongest side left in the competition and put four past Brisbane Roar in the Round of 16, with Takahiro Sekine, Ben Garuccio, Tiago Quintal and Gabriel Popovic all scoring.

Sydney are four-time winners and the obvious favourite here, but a Tuesday night on a tight suburban ground against a side with nothing to lose is exactly the setting that has already eaten five A-League clubs this year. Back Sydney to go through, and remember the 90-minute market is a three-way bet: extra time and penalties are live outcomes, not edge cases.

APIA Leichhardt vs Melbourne Victory

Prediction: Melbourne Victory to advance

APIA Leichhardt came through an all-NPL NSW derby against Sydney United 58 on penalties, and now host the competition’s other surviving A-League club at Leichhardt Oval. Melbourne Victory needed penalties themselves to get past Western Sydney Wanderers, winning 3-2 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw, with keeper Jack Duncan saving three.

Victory have four Australia Cup titles and the deeper squad, but they have not looked convincing: they were taken to a shootout by a Wanderers side that finished below them. Leichhardt Oval is a genuinely hostile away night. Victory to advance is the call, without confidence in the 90 minutes.

Lions FC vs North Sunshine Eagles

Prediction: Lions FC to advance

The tie that guarantees a non-A-League semi-finalist. Lions FC are the story of the cup: they knocked out Perth Glory on penalties in the Round of 32 and then beat Melbourne City 2-0, so they have removed two A-League clubs in one run. North Sunshine Eagles went one better on drama, eliminating 2025 runners-up Heidelberg United on penalties.

Lions FC are at home and are the higher-ranked side, and they have shown they can beat teams above them rather than just survive against them. North Sunshine are a Victorian third-tier club and this is already their run of a lifetime. Lions FC to advance.

Preston Lions vs South Melbourne

Prediction: South Melbourne to advance

The pick of the four for anyone who likes Australian football history. Preston Lions knocked out defending champions Newcastle Jets 3-2 in the Round of 32 and have kept going. South Melbourne, one of the biggest names the domestic game has produced, needed penalties to get past Fremantle City after a 3-3 draw, their keeper saving three.

Preston have home advantage at Genis Steel Stadium and the better cup run on paper. South Melbourne have the stronger squad and the greater depth of experience in these nights. It is the closest tie of the round: South Melbourne narrowly, and the draw is very much live at 90 minutes.

How to bet the Australia Cup quarter-finals

The 90-minute market is a three-way bet: A price on a club to win is a price on them winning inside 90 minutes. The draw is a live third outcome and sends the tie to extra time, so a 90-minute favourite price is not a to-advance price. Three of the eight Round of 16 ties went to penalties.

Extra time and penalties are the norm here, not the exception: Knockout football between clubs of different levels tends to be cagey rather than open. Look for the to-advance or to-qualify market if that is what you actually want.

The venue matters more than the ladder: All four quarter-finals are hosted by the lower-ranked club on small grounds with partisan crowds. That is the structural reason this competition produces upsets, and it is under-priced almost every year.

Rotation is real: A-League clubs are in pre-season, with the new season not starting until 16 October, so Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory are using these games for minutes. Team news matters more than form.

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Australia Cup quarter-final FAQs

When are the 2026 Australia Cup quarter-finals?

Across two midweek double-headers: SD Raiders v Sydney FC on Tuesday 18 August and APIA Leichhardt v Melbourne Victory on Wednesday 19 August, then Lions FC v North Sunshine Eagles on Tuesday 25 August and Preston Lions v South Melbourne on Wednesday 26 August. All kick off at 7:30pm AEST.

How many A-League clubs are left in the Australia Cup?

Two: Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. Five have been eliminated, with Melbourne City and Macarthur FC going out in the Round of 16 and defending champions Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners in the Round of 32.

Where can I watch the Australia Cup quarter-finals?

All four are broadcast on Paramount+ in Australia, each at 7:30pm AEST.

Is a non-A-League club guaranteed to reach the semi-finals?

Two are. Lions FC v North Sunshine Eagles and Preston Lions v South Melbourne are both ties between non-A-League clubs, so at least two of the four semi-finalists will come from outside the A-League.

Why do the lower-ranked clubs host Australia Cup ties?

It is built into the competition. The lower-ranked club gets home advantage, which means small grounds, partisan crowds and unfamiliar surfaces for the visiting side. It is the main reason the cup produces so many upsets.

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