Ninja A-League Kicks Off For Season 2025/26

• Sydney FC v Melbourne City free-to-air on 10 Drama, headlines huge opening round.
• More than 45 internationally capped players elevate the number one league in Asia.
• Current and future Matildas vie for AFC Asian Cup place in a huge year for women’s football.

This week the Ninja A-League Women 2025/26 season kicks off with a bang, ahead of another huge year for women’s football.

Ranked the number one league in Asia, the Ninja A-League continues to be the proven pathway for the next generation of national team heroes.

Last season, 22 Ninja A-League players were called up to the CommBank Matildas from nine clubs, and this season provides another fantastic opportunity as the current and next crop of stars vie for their place in the Matildas squad at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on home soil in March.

Before then, fans will be able to see a number of Matildas, Football Ferns and international stars in action, with 47 senior-capped internationals playing across the league. Stars like Holly McNamara, Tameka Yallop, Rebekah Stott, Isabel Gomez, Sharn Freier, Claudia Bunge, Natasha Prior and Michelle Heyman will shine every week in the Ninja A-League.

Fans can also get to know the stars of tomorrow, as the Ninja A-League continues to be the birthplace for the next generation of stars with 19 of the 23 players selected in the most recent Young Matildas squad (under 20’s) currently playing in the A-Leagues, and 10 of 18 in the Young Ferns (under 19’s) representing Wellington Phoenix.

This weekend’s opening round is the first of a 22-round season, with each club playing 20 home-and-away fixtures, plus two bye rounds. The top six sides will again qualify for the Ninja A-League Finals Series which will begin on the weekend of 24-26 April, culminating in the Ninja A-League Grand Final 2026 on the weekend of 15-17 May.

Paramount Australia remains the exclusive home of Australian football for the 2025/26 season, with every single Ninja A-League match available to stream live on Paramount+ and 10 streaming, and at least ten matches free-to-air on 10 Drama. 

Last season, the Ninja A-League reached over 900k Australians on 10 Drama, and on Paramount+ and 10 streaming the league had over 1 million stream starts across the 2024/25 campaign.

For New Zealand fans, Sky remains the exclusive home of the Ninja A-League Women. For season 2025/26, matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sport, Sky Sport Now and Sky Go, and selected A-Leagues games will be available to watch free-to-air on Sky Open.

Opening weekend action

The 2024/25 ‘invincibles’, Melbourne City, will kick off their Premiership defence away from home at Leichhardt Oval against Sydney FC. This match between the two heavyweights of the competition will also be shown live, free-to-air on 10 Drama from 2:00pm AEDT.

Elsewhere, Western Sydney Wanderers host Perth Glory at Wanderers Football Park on Friday night, while Melbourne Victory travel to Queensland to face Brisbane Roar at Spencer Park. Sunday sees reigning Champions, Central Coast Mariners host Adelaide United at polytec Stadium, while Canberra United rounds out the opening weekend as they welcome Newcastle Jets to McKellar Park, with Wellington Phoenix having a first-week bye.

To get your tickets for the opening rounds of the Ninja A-League head to aleagues.com.au/ninja-a-league-women-tickets/

For more information on the A-Leagues head to www.aleagues.com.au

Notes:

See below a list of the confirmed Ninja A-League Women matches free-to-air on 10 Drama:

Round 1: Sydney FC v Melbourne City, Leichhardt Oval

Round 3: Sydney FC v Perth Glory, Leichhardt Oval

Round 3: Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners, Home of the Matildas

Round 21: Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets, Service FM Stadium

Round 21: Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory, Leichhardt Oval

Round 22: Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC, polytec Stadium

Elimination Final: 24-26 April, 2026

Semi Final (Leg 1): 1-3 May, 2026

Semi Final (Leg 2): 8-10 May, 2026

Grand Final: 15-17 May, 2026

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