In the A-League the two titles are separate. The club on top of the ladder after the regular season wins the Premier's Plate and is the premier; the winner of the Grand Final at the end of the finals series is the champion. We rebuilt every finals series from the season records, all 125 finals matches, and matched each club to its final ladder place.
How often the A-League premiers win the Grand Final
Of the 21 premiers, 11 won the Grand Final, 5 reached it and lost, and 5 went out before it. That makes the premiers 69 percent winners once they reach the decider: 11 of 16.
Six clubs have done the premiership and championship double. Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory have three each, Brisbane Roar two, and Adelaide United, Melbourne City and the Central Coast Mariners one:
- 2006-07: Melbourne Victory, 45 points, beat Adelaide United 6-0.
- 2008-09: Melbourne Victory, 38 points, beat Adelaide United 1-0.
- 2009-10: Sydney FC, 48 points, beat Melbourne Victory on penalties, 4-2, after a 1-1 draw.
- 2010-11: Brisbane Roar, 65 points, beat Central Coast Mariners on penalties, 4-2, after a 2-2 draw.
- 2013-14: Brisbane Roar, 52 points, beat Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 in extra time.
- 2014-15: Melbourne Victory, 53 points, beat Sydney FC 3-0.
- 2015-16: Adelaide United, 49 points, beat Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1.
- 2016-17: Sydney FC, 66 points, beat Melbourne Victory on penalties, 4-2, after a 1-1 draw.
- 2019-20: Sydney FC, 53 points, beat Melbourne City 1-0 in extra time.
- 2020-21: Melbourne City, 49 points, beat Sydney FC 3-1.
- 2023-24: Central Coast Mariners, 55 points, beat Melbourne Victory 3-1 in extra time.
The double was close to the norm for the league's first 16 seasons: 10 premiers out of 16 won the Grand Final through 2020-21, 63 percent. Since 2021-22, when the semi-finals became two-legged ties, only one of five has.
Premiers who missed out in the finals
Five premiers reached the Grand Final and lost it. The Central Coast Mariners lost to the Newcastle Jets in 2007-08, the Western Sydney Wanderers to the Mariners in 2012-13 and Perth Glory to Sydney FC in 2018-19. Melbourne City won three straight premierships from 2020-21 and the double in the first of them, then lost the next two Grand Finals as premiers, to Western United in 2021-22 and 6-1 to the Mariners in 2022-23.
Five more never got there. Adelaide United in 2005-06 and the Mariners in 2011-12 had a second chance under the old format and lost twice, the second time in the preliminary final. Sydney FC lost a semi-final to Melbourne Victory in extra time in 2017-18 after a 64-point season. The last two premiers, Auckland FC in 2024-25 and the Newcastle Jets in 2025-26, both went out in the two-legged semi-finals.
A-League premiers and champions, season by season
Every premier, how its finals series ended, and where the champion finished on the ladder:
| Season | Premiers (points) | Premiers' finals | Champions (ladder place) | Grand Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Newcastle Jets (48) | Knocked out by Sydney FC | Auckland FC (3rd) | Auckland FC 1-0 Sydney FC |
| 2024-25 | Auckland FC (53) | Knocked out by Melbourne Victory | Melbourne City (2nd) | Melbourne City 1-0 Melbourne Victory |
| 2023-24 | Central Coast Mariners (55) | Won the Grand Final | Central Coast Mariners (1st) | Central Coast Mariners 3-1 Melbourne Victory (extra time) |
| 2022-23 | Melbourne City (55) | Lost the Grand Final | Central Coast Mariners (2nd) | Central Coast Mariners 6-1 Melbourne City |
| 2021-22 | Melbourne City (49) | Lost the Grand Final | Western United (3rd) | Western United 2-0 Melbourne City |
| 2020-21 | Melbourne City (49) | Won the Grand Final | Melbourne City (1st) | Melbourne City 3-1 Sydney FC |
| 2019-20 | Sydney FC (53) | Won the Grand Final | Sydney FC (1st) | Sydney FC 1-0 Melbourne City (extra time) |
| 2018-19 | Perth Glory (60) | Lost the Grand Final | Sydney FC (2nd) | Sydney FC 0-0 Perth Glory, 4-1 on penalties |
| 2017-18 | Sydney FC (64) | Knocked out by Melbourne Victory | Melbourne Victory (4th) | Melbourne Victory 1-0 Newcastle Jets |
| 2016-17 | Sydney FC (66) | Won the Grand Final | Sydney FC (1st) | Sydney FC 1-1 Melbourne Victory, 4-2 on penalties |
| 2015-16 | Adelaide United (49) | Won the Grand Final | Adelaide United (1st) | Adelaide United 3-1 Western Sydney Wanderers |
| 2014-15 | Melbourne Victory (53) | Won the Grand Final | Melbourne Victory (1st) | Melbourne Victory 3-0 Sydney FC |
| 2013-14 | Brisbane Roar (52) | Won the Grand Final | Brisbane Roar (1st) | Brisbane Roar 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers (extra time) |
| 2012-13 | Western Sydney Wanderers (57) | Lost the Grand Final | Central Coast Mariners (2nd) | Central Coast Mariners 2-0 Western Sydney Wanderers |
| 2011-12 | Central Coast Mariners (51) | Knocked out by Perth Glory | Brisbane Roar (2nd) | Brisbane Roar 2-1 Perth Glory |
| 2010-11 | Brisbane Roar (65) | Won the Grand Final | Brisbane Roar (1st) | Brisbane Roar 2-2 Central Coast Mariners, 4-2 on penalties |
| 2009-10 | Sydney FC (48) | Won the Grand Final | Sydney FC (1st) | Sydney FC 1-1 Melbourne Victory, 4-2 on penalties |
| 2008-09 | Melbourne Victory (38) | Won the Grand Final | Melbourne Victory (1st) | Melbourne Victory 1-0 Adelaide United |
| 2007-08 | Central Coast Mariners (34) | Lost the Grand Final | Newcastle Jets (2nd) | Newcastle Jets 1-0 Central Coast Mariners |
| 2006-07 | Melbourne Victory (45) | Won the Grand Final | Melbourne Victory (1st) | Melbourne Victory 6-0 Adelaide United |
| 2005-06 | Adelaide United (43) | Knocked out by Central Coast Mariners | Sydney FC (2nd) | Sydney FC 1-0 Central Coast Mariners |
How each ladder position does in the finals series
Finishing first is the best single place to be, but second is close behind. Second-placed clubs have reached more Grand Finals than the premiers, 18 to 16, and won 7. Together, the top two have produced 18 of the 21 champions, 86 percent, and 14 Grand Finals have been first against second.
| Ladder place | Seasons in the finals | Grand Finals | Titles | Title rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 21 | 16 | 11 | 52% |
| 2nd | 21 | 18 | 7 | 33% |
| 3rd | 21 | 5 | 2 | 10% |
| 4th | 21 | 1 | 1 | 5% |
| 5th | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| 6th | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Only three champions finished lower than second: Melbourne Victory from fourth in 2017-18, Western United from third in 2021-22 and Auckland FC from third in 2025-26. Fifth place has reached the Grand Final twice, Melbourne Victory in 2024-25 and Sydney FC in 2025-26, and lost both; sixth has never got there. The higher-placed finalist has won 15 of the 21 Grand Finals.
The format explains part of the pattern. Until 2011-12 the top two met in a two-legged major semi-final and the loser got a second chance; since 2012-13 first and second have skipped the elimination finals and waited for the semi-finals. For comparison, MLS's Supporters' Shield winner has won MLS Cup in 8 of 30 seasons, 27 percent of the time, and the NBA's best regular-season team has won the title in 21 of 47 seasons since 1979-80.
The 2025-26 premiers and champions
The Newcastle Jets were the 2025-26 premiers, their first Premier's Plate, clinched with a round to spare under coach Mark Milligan. They finished on 48 points from 26 games, five clear of Adelaide United. In the semi-finals they drew both legs with Sydney FC, who had finished fifth, and went out on penalties.
Auckland FC, premiers in their first season in 2024-25, finished third. They beat Melbourne City on penalties in an elimination final, Adelaide United over two legs in the semi-finals, then Sydney FC 1-0 in the Grand Final on May 23, 2026, at Mount Smart Stadium, with a second-half goal from Cameron Howieson. They are the first New Zealand club to win the A-League title.
When the 2026-27 A-League Men season starts
The 2026-27 season starts on Friday, October 16, with the Sydney Derby between Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers at Allianz Stadium. Each club plays 26 games, a full home-and-away fixture plus four extra matches, and the Grand Final is scheduled for the weekend of June 3 to 6, 2027.
The A-League ladder and the A-League fixtures and results follow the race for the Premier's Plate, and the A-League ladder simulator lets you fill in the remaining results and see who would finish in the top six. Last season the league averaged 2.87 goals a game and had the tightest table of the 16 leagues in our goals-per-game comparison.
A-League premiers and champions: frequently asked questions
How often do the A-League premiers win the Grand Final? In 11 of the 21 seasons from 2005-06 to 2025-26, 52 percent of the time, most recently the Central Coast Mariners in 2023-24.
What is the difference between A-League premiers and champions? The premiers finish first on the ladder after the regular season and receive the Premier's Plate; the champions win the Grand Final at the end of the finals series.
Which clubs have won the A-League double? Sydney FC (2009-10, 2016-17, 2019-20), Melbourne Victory (2006-07, 2008-09, 2014-15), Brisbane Roar (2010-11, 2013-14), Adelaide United (2015-16), Melbourne City (2020-21) and the Central Coast Mariners (2023-24).
Who won the A-League in 2025-26? The Newcastle Jets were premiers and Auckland FC won the championship, beating Sydney FC 1-0 in the Grand Final.
When does the 2026-27 A-League Men season start? On Friday, October 16, 2026, with Sydney FC against the Western Sydney Wanderers.
How this was built: final regular-season ladders and all 125 finals-series matches from 2005-06 to 2025-26, taken from the Wikipedia season articles and the finals-series articles they transclude. We grouped the matches into ties, decided each one on the score, the aggregate over two legs or the penalty shootout, and took the Grand Final winner as champion. Ladder places are the official ones, so Perth Glory, excluded from the 2014-15 finals, count as seventh. Premiers, champions and doubles match the honours table of the A-League Men article; the 2025-26 results were checked against the A-Leagues and ABC reports linked above, and the 2026-27 dates against the league's fixture release, read on October 4, 2026.