The 2022 Australia Cup was the ninth season of the Australia Cup, the main national soccerknockout cup competition in Australia. This edition was the first under the new name of the "Australia Cup" following the renaming of Football Federation Australia to Football Australia.[1] Thirty-two teams contested the competition proper.
Melbourne Victory were the defending champions but were eliminated by Western United in the Round of 32. Macarthur FC won the first trophy in their history after defeating Sydney United 58 in the final. Sydney United 58 was the first member federation club to qualify for the Australia Cup final,[2] with the Australia Cup final also being the first to feature two teams of the same state.
The 2022 edition was the first in which the winners qualified for the AFC Cup.[3] Macarthur FC competed in the 2023–24 edition, reaching the ASEAN zonal final before being defeated by Central Coast Mariners.[4]
Member federation teams are competing in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 22 places in the competition proper (at the Round of 32). All Australian clubs are eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective member federation; however, only one team per club is permitted entry into the competition. The preliminary rounds operate within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition is staggered in each state/territory, determined by what level the club sits at in the Australian soccer league system. This ultimately leads to round 7 with the winning clubs from that round entering directly into the round of 32.
As there was no NPL Champion in the previous year, an additional slot was allocated to Victoria for this edition only.[9]
The top eight placed A-League Men clubs from the 2021–22 A-League Men season gained automatic qualification to the Round of 32. The remaining four teams entered a play-off series to determine the remaining two positions.
The round of 32 draw took place on 29 June 2022. The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Wollongong United. They were the only level 6 team left in the competition.
The round of 16 draw took place on 3 August 2022.[7] The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Modbury Jets. They were the only level 3 team left in the competition.
The quarter-finals draw took place on 17 August 2022. The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Oakleigh Cannons, Peninsula Power and Sydney United 58. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
The semi-finals draw took place on 31 August 2022. The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Oakleigh Cannons and Sydney United 58. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
