Football fans to watch the inaugural Australian Championship on SBS

Images here

SBS and Football Australia are delighted to announce a landmark two-year agreement to broadcast the exciting new Australian Championship competition, featuring 16 of the nation’s best club teams, which will launch on 10 October.

Key Broadcast Highlights:

• SBS will be the exclusive free-to-air broadcast partner of the Australian Championship for the next two years with an option to extend.
• All fixtures streamed live and free on SBS On Demand, ensuring fans never miss a minute of the action.
• 17 of 55 matches broadcast live and free-to-air; commencing with ‘Super Saturday’ double header matches plus access to Finals Series matches televised nationally on SBS, bringing quality football content into millions of homes.
• The much-anticipated opening match between South Melbourne FC and Sydney Olympic FC broadcast free-to air on SBS VICELAND, setting the stage for a highly competitive and unpredictable inaugural season.
• The Championship Final will be played on Saturday 6 December at 3:00pm AEDT, following coverage of the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 Final Draw which will be broadcast on SBS.

The Australian Championship will celebrate 16 of the nation’s highest-performing teams in a competitive and commercially appealing format, featuring eight Foundation Clubs and eight state champions from the National Premier Leagues (NPL). This innovative and sustainable format bridges the gap between the Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s competition and domestic state-based competitions, helping connect the Australian football pyramid and unlock new opportunities for aspirational clubs and players.

Four seeded Foundation Clubs including South Melbourne FC (Group A), Marconi Stallions FC (Group B), Avondale FC (Group C) and APIA Leichhardt FC (Group D), will be joined by the remaining Foundation Clubs and eight NPL Premiers to create four balanced groups.

SBS Director of Sport Ken Shipp said: “As the spiritual home of football in Australia, SBS is the natural home for the Australian Championship, an aspirational competition that will create a pathway for many of Australia’s brightest young players from the sport’s grassroots to the highest-level competition in the land, the Isuzu UTE A-league Men’s competition.

“SBS’s football offering now includes compelling competitions at every level and for every fan – including, of course, the FIFA World Cup 2026™.’’

Football Australia Interim Chief Executive Officer Heather Garriock said: “Our partnership with SBS is a landmark moment for Australian football and the Australian Championship.

“Accessibility sits at the heart of this agreement. Whether you’re watching on free-to-air television or streaming on SBS On Demand, every fan – from the city to our local football communities – can experience the very best of the Australian Championship through our Super Saturday format.

“The historic opening clash between South Melbourne FC and Sydney Olympic FC is a fitting way to launch this competition – two iconic clubs, a national audience, and the country watching via SBS VICELAND. It’s going to be a blockbuster start to the next era of Australian football.

“SBS shares our passion for uniting the game and our commitment to making it accessible to everyone. Together, we’re not just broadcasting matches – we’re building a national platform that celebrates Australian football’s storied past whilst also investing in future generations.”

SBS provides a depth and breadth of football coverage for Australian fans that no other network or platform can match – from clubland to the FIFA World Cup™.

The broadcast schedule over the coming months includes a feast of national and international games, building momentum towards the FIFA World Cup 2026™, which will be broadcast live and exclusively on SBS and SBS On Demand.

The slate includes the Australian Championships; the featured match of the week from the MLS ’Sunday Night Soccer’ program; the FIFA World Cup 2026™ draw; and the Road to FIFA World Cup 2026^TM Hub on SBS On Demand, featuring match replays, highlights, classic finals and iconic Socceroos moments.

The FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be hosted in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States, from 11 June to 19 July 2026. All 104 games will be broadcast live, free and exclusively on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand, with 30-minute, 12-minute and 3-minute highlights packages available for every match.

For comprehensive information, visit SBS Sports’ dedicated FIFA World Cup™ page.

ENDS

For a PDF of this media release, click here.