Football Australia announces FFA Cup to change name to Australia Cup from next edition

Australia's main men's national knockout football competition will undergo a name change, with Football Australia confirming the FFA Cup will become the Australia Cup.

FFA Cup winners

2014 — Adelaide United

2015 — Melbourne Victory

2016 — Melbourne City

2017 — Sydney FC

2018 — Adelaide United

2019 — Adelaide United

2020 — No champion crowned

2021 — Melbourne Victory / Central Coast Mariners*

* Final on February 5

«Through discussion with Australian football historians, and dialogue with fans and stakeholders of the competition, the consensus was that the name Australia Cup truly speaks to what this competition is and represents,» Football Australia CEO James Johnson said in a statement.

«We are pleased that through this process pioneering players, clubs, and officials can feel recognised and connected to the competition.

»The research and consultation we have conducted regarding this name change indicates that people will be overwhelmingly happy with the shift to Australia Cup from 2022 onwards."

The competition will not be the first played with the name Australia Cup. For seven seasons in the 1960s, a competition with the same name was played between leading state league teams. The last side to win that Australia Cup was Sydney Hakoah.

The 2021 competition comes to a conclusion on Saturday night, with the final between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners.

The new cup competition will begin almost immediately, with the preliminary rounds for 2022 beginning in coming weeks across the states and territories.

The knockout competition regularly attracts 700 teams to compete for the cup.

Johnson said the name change for the FFA Cup was part of «an exciting next step in this evolution [of the competition]».