Football in Australia is a sport that is growing by leaps and bounds. Major franchises have appeared in the Oceanic country to boost the level of their teams. In addition, several stars have decided to end their careers on Australian soil.
A mix that has raised the level and made Australian football a thriving market. Not forgetting the Australian national team. Oceania’s strongest national team is a regular at World Cups alongside its great rival, New Zealand. Great players have emerged from a country where football is beginning to gain ground on other hegemonic sports such as rugby.
What is the Australian league like?
In order to analyse the level of Australian football, it is essential to know what the Australian league is like. The first division of football in Australia is called the A-League and has twelve teams. The peculiarity is that there is no relegation as it has a system similar to that of football in the United States.
Football teams in Australia
En la A-League compiten 12 equipos: Melbourne City FC, Western United, Macarthur FC, Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix, Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory. WS Wanderers, Central Coast Mariners y Brisbane Roar. El Wellington Phoenix es el único combinado de Nueva Zelanda.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) limits the number of teams per city to two. As it is a closed league, it is the FFA itself that accepts or denies more places or more teams. The first edition was played in 2005 with eight teams. Over the years, the number of clubs has increased to the current twelve, extended in 20/21.
A-League format
The A-League is played between spring and summer in Australia so as not to overlap with Australian football – another sport. All teams play each other a minimum of two and a maximum of three times, chosen by lottery. This makes up a total of 26 regular league rounds.
The champion is named after a play-off. The third to sixth-placed teams play in the quarter-finals. The winners advance to the semi-finals, where the top two finishers await. These play-offs are played as a single match at the stadium of the team in best position in the league. The final may be moved to a different venue if the FFA so decides for reasons of capacity and television broadcasting.
Australia’s best players
Australian football is growing in stature. Not only because of its teams and its continuous expansion, but also because of the national and foreign players who compete in it. Here are the best Australian players and the best players in the A-League.
Top Australian players
Since the legendary Tim Cahill retired in 2019, Australia has not had a world reference. Even so, new players are emerging and colonising European football. Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan is the best known, currently at Real Sociedad. He also had spells at Valencia CF and Arsenal FC.
Other Australian players in top leagues include Mathew Leckie at Hertha Berlin, Tom Rogic at Celtic, Aziz Behich at Instanbul Basaksehir, Danny Vukovic at Genk and Milos Degenek at Red Star Belgrade.
Top players in the Australian league
Australia is attractive in football terms. Some legendary footballers such as David Villa played in the Oceanic country before his retirement. Other great players like Daniel Sturridge, a former Liverpool striker who currently plays for Perth Glory, are also currently playing in the country.
Also Ulises Davila, formerly of Chelsea, Cordoba, Tenerife and Sabadell; Adrian Sardinero, formerly of Getafe and Hercules; and Roderick Miranda, who has played for Deportivo La Coruna, Wolverhampton and Benfica. Many players with great quality that sweeten Australian football.
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