Round 1 concludes on Sunday with five fixtures featuring teams from around the country.
There are four teams from New South Wales involved, while Premiers in Queensland, Western Australia, ACT, Tasmania and Victoria all take the field for the first time.
Record-breaking Heidelberg United are also in action.
Broadmeadow Magic v Moreton City Excelsior
Watch live on SBS On Demand.
Kick-off: 1:00 pm (AEDT)
Venue: Magic Park
In an intriguing clash, the NPL Northern NSW Premiers host first-time NPL Queensland Premiers, Moreton City Excelsior.
Broadmeadow won the NPL Northern NSW double in 2025, losing only once across the season.
Magic have built a dynamic squad ahead of the Australian Championship, bringing in six new additions, with winger Arran Cocks joining from Scotland and defender Jakob Cresnar from Blacktown City
James Cresnar and Jarred Baker are Magic’s key attacking threats, with 19 goals between them in 2025 as part of a 54-goal team haul.
With only 18 goals conceded in 24 matches in the league, Broadmeadow’s defence has been resolute, as former Newcastle Jets centre-back Tom Beecham and Will Ingram head up the backline.
Moreton City Excelsior, an amalgamation of Moreton Bay and Albany Creek Excelsior, lifted the NPL Queensland Premiership for the first time in 2025.
Moreton City’s league campaign featured an outstanding late-season run before losing the Grand Final to second-placed Lions.
Seita Murai top-scored for the side with 14 goals, with Zachary Kierpal also cracking double digits for the year.
Moreton City could give the Magic attack a tough time, having conceded just 23 goals across the regular NPL Queensland season.
Goalkeeper Nathan Foster is a crucial figure in goal for the side and kept the most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in the competition, with nine.
The side had a busy transfer window, recruiting several players, including defender Trent Millard and hardworking Jackson Courtney-Perkins.
With well-recruited squads and already-claimed league titles ahead of the Australian Championship, these teams will want to make the best possible start on Sunday.
South Hobart v Wollongong Wolves
Watch live on SBS On Demand.
Kick-off: 1:00 pm (AEDT)
Venue: South Hobart Oval
Wollongong face the long trip to South Hobart in their opening match on Saturday.
The Wolves have beefed up their squad ahead of the Australian Championship.
After securing the return of famed coach Luke Wilkshire for the tournament, Wollongong re-signed former NPL NSW Golden Boot winner Thomas James.
The side also picked up an impressive coup of former Western Sydney Wanderers and Western United fullback Tate Russell.
The Wolves have boosted their midfield, signing passing machine Issac Danzo from Rockdale Ilinden. Danzo will keep the tempo for the side, having made the most passes of any player in the 2025 NPL NSW.
Wollongong finished the regular season in the NPL NSW season in eighth place, falling away from their finals chances after a late winless run.
Nicholas Olsen will be the focal point of the Wolves’ attack, providing a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield, which earned him the NPL NSW Player of the Year.
South Hobart qualified for the Australian Championship as the highest-ranked team in Tasmania, claiming the NPL Tasmania Premiership.
The side suffered only one defeat in their league campaign, and dropped points on just three other occasions.
They also made the Final Rounds of the 2025 Hahn Australia Cup, being knocked out by fellow Australian Championship entrants South Melbourne in the Round of 32.
South Hobart were the best in Tasmania in both attack and defence, with an unmatched 84 goals scored and 20 conceded across 22 matches.
Nicholas Morton will be crucial to South Hobart’s attacking, firing home 28 in 29 matches so far, while Kobe Kemp has contributed 19 from midfield and Austin Yost 13.
Both teams have plenty of firepower on offer ahead of their opening Australian Championship match-up and will hope to kick off their national-stage campaign with a bang.
Heidelberg United v Marconi Stallions
Watch live on SBS On Demand.
Kick-off: 1:00 pm (AEDT)
Venue: Olympic Village
Heavy hitters from Victoria and New South Wales are in action on Sunday.
Heidelberg have been one of the featured stories of Australian football in 2025, making it all the way to the Hahn Australia Cup Final.
En route to the Final, the side comfortably dispatched three A-League teams, defeating Western Sydney Wanderers 3-0, followed by a 4-0 win over Wellington Phoenix and a 2-0 victory over Auckland.
United had success elsewhere, claiming the NPL Victoria Grand Final and finishing as runners-up in the Dockerty Cup Final.
Ex-Wollongong Wolves striker Bul Juach has had a standout year so far for Bergers, earning the NPL Victoria Golden Boot with 22 goals.
Asahi Yokokawa has also been a critical performer in attacking midfield for the side, key to chance creation, while former Western United defender Ben Collins leads the defence.
United have another midfield dynamo in Anthony Lesiotis, whose exceptional passing range will help his team get up the pitch on Sunday. Lesiotis completed the most accurate passes in the final third in the 2025 NPL Victoria.
The Stallions finished the NPL NSW regular season in third, four points behind league-winning NWS Spirit, before going out in the finals series to eventual Champions Wests APIA.
Marconi boast a strong team across the park, including veteran forward Marko Jesic and 2025 NPL NSW Goalkeeper of the Year James Hilton.
The side have been active in the transfer window, making three signings, one of which is former A-Leagues player Harry van der Saag, who will sit at the base of midfield.
Heidelberg have already proven they can take on any team in the country, while Marconi have sufficient quality to cause them problems.
Sydney United 58 v Bayswater City
Watch live on SBS On Demand.
Kick-off: 4:30 pm (AEDT)
Venue: Sydney United Sports Centre
United 58 play host to NPL WA double winners Bayswater City.
United 58 made the finals of the NPL NSW with a sixth-place finish and also won the 2025 Waratah Cup - their eighth time lifting the trophy.
The side won 14 of their 30 games in their regular NPL campaign, before losing to the 2024 Champions Marconi Stallions in the semi-finals.
Attackers Marco Arambasic and Mason Wells have provided the bulk of their goals so far this season, while experienced defender and club captain Adrian Vlastelica shores up the backline.
Winger Wells is a handful cutting in from the right and completed the fourth-most successful dribbles in the 2025 NPL NSW.
United 58 made it to the Round of 16 of the 2025 Hahn Australia Cup, where they went out to A-League side Sydney FC.
Bayswater prevailed in a tight NPL WA regular season, winning the competition by a single point over Australia Cup giant slayers Olympic Kingsway.
The pair met again in the NPL WA Grand Final, where City edged past their opponents once more.
City’s success so far has been founded on a solid defensive record, conceding only 17 goals on their way to the NPL double in Western Australia.
Goalkeeper Lewis Italiano will be integral to Bayswater keeping United 58 at bay, with an unmatched 13 clean sheets this season.
At the other end of the field, City will be a varied threat on Sunday as they have shared the goals around in 2025. Christopher Jackson and Cameron Teece have hit double figures, while Oliver La Galia and Patrick Loughrey also contribute.
Both teams have already lifted silverware this campaign and will be eager to put down an early marker in the Australian Championship.
Avondale v Canberra Croatia
Watch live on SBS On Demand.
Kick-off: 4:30 pm (AEDT)
Venue: Avenger Park
The Premiers in Victoria and Canberra go head-to-head on Sunday.
Avondale’s 2025 season has been one to remember so far.
The side lifted the NPL Victoria Premiership, and went on a magical Australia Cup run all the way to their first-ever semi-final appearance.
Avondale have been free-flowing in attack this year as their Cup run featured 16 goals in four matches, while also being the top scorers in the NPL Victoria with 66 goals.
Despite losing sharp shooter Manny Aguek to rivals South Melbourne, the side has secured a ready-made replacement in A-Leagues legend and Socceroo Bruno Fornaroli. The striker has scored more than 100 goals in his Australian career.
Canberra Croatia secured another NPL ACT Premiership this year, but went out of the finals series in straight sets.
The side scored more than 80 goals in the regular season, with Nicholas Pratezina and Maxx Green combining for more than half of those.
The ACT giants earned their third appearance in the Australia Cup Finals Rounds in 2025, but were eliminated at the Round of 32 stage.
Canberra have made several signings to boost their defensive ranks ahead of the Australian Championship.
Robert Tkatchenko and Shandon Whitehead offer new options as full-backs, while former Sutherland Sharks goalkeeper Sebastian Arranz also joins up.
These teams have already secured their respective state-based Premierships and will aim for strong starts to their Australian Championship campaigns.