Melbourne City has learned our opponent for the Australia Cup Round of 32 following Monday night’s draw, with Aurelio Vidmar’s side set to travel to Northern New South Wales to take on Weston Bears FC.
For the second consecutive season, we’ll head across the border for our opening Australia Cup fixture, with the NPL Northern NSW side receiving hosting rights under competition regulations.
The match will be played at Hunter City Motor Group Stadium, with full fixture details expected to be confirmed in the coming days. The Round of 32 ties are scheduled to take place in the second half of July and will mark our first competitive fixture of the 2026/27 campaign.
Weston Bears will be appearing in the final rounds of the Australia Cup for just the second time, having made their maiden Round of 32 appearance last season where they were defeated 2-0 by eventual finalists Heidelberg United.
For City, the fixture presents an opportunity to make a strong start to the new season after our Australia Cup campaign came to an early end at the same stage last year.
With the match falling early in pre-season and the Club balancing preparations for a busy campaign that included AFC Champions League Elite football, a youthful City side took on APIA Leichhardt in Sydney, with the hosts progressing via a 2-0 result.
This year’s fixture will once again arrive early in our preparations for the new campaign, though with the squad set to return to training in early July, Vidmar and his coaching staff are expected to have a strong group available for selection.
The Club has enjoyed a number of memorable Australia Cup campaigns in the past, lifting the trophy in 2016 while also reaching the Final in 2019 and the Semi-Finals in both 2015 and 2023.
Stay tuned to our website and social channels for full fixture details as soon as they are confirmed!
