Country Australia
New Zealand | ||
The 2017 FFA Cup will be the fourth season of the FFA Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. 32 teams will again begin competition in the competition proper (from the Round of 32), including the 10 A-League teams and 21 Football Federation Australia (FFA) member federation teams determined through individual state qualifying rounds, as well as the reigning National Premier Leagues Champion (Sydney United 58 from NSW).
Contents
Teams
A total of 32 teams will participate in the 2017 FFA Cup competition proper, ten of which will come from the A-League, one the 2016 National Premier Leagues Champion (Sydney United 58), and the remaining 21 teams from FFA member federations, as determined by the qualifying rounds. A-League clubs represent the highest level in the Australian league system, where as member federation clubs come from Level 2 and below. The current season tier of member federation clubs is shown in parentheses.
Preliminary rounds
FFA member federations teams will compete in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 21 places in the competition proper (Round of 32). All Australian clubs are eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective FFA member federation, however only one team per club is permitted entry in the competition. All nine FFA member federations are expected to take part in the tournament.
The preliminary rounds will operate within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition is staggered in each state/territory, ultimately leading to round 7 with the winning clubs from that round gaining direct entry into the round of 32. The first matches of the preliminary rounds began in February 2017, and the final matches of the preliminary rounds in June 2017.