South Melbourne have won the Australia Cup. They beat Melbourne Victory 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Saturday night’s final at AAMI Park.
South are a former NSL club that now plays outside the A-League. According to the competition’s official site, they are the first member-association club to win the Australia Cup. It was also the first time the final had gone to penalties, the site said.
A crowd of 29,911 watched on, a figure the Australia Cup described as a record. The Guardian reported it was the largest crowd ever at AAMI Park.
The Guardian also reported that 777 clubs started this year’s competition, and South Melbourne were the last of them left standing.
Should South Melbourne be given an A-League licence?
Choose an answer, then select Vote.
Two Late Goals
Victory took the lead through Denis Genreau in the 95th minute, the Australia Cup reported.
South hit back in the 117th minute, when Max Mikkola equalised, AAP reported. Substitute Jordan Swibel’s cross started the move, according to the official site. A goal that late can turn a whole night around, as Troy Parrott’s last-gasp hat-trick did when it fired Ireland into the World Cup playoffs.
Victory had their chances earlier. They hit the post twice, and Santos missed a chance in the 78th minute, the Guardian reported.
Lopez Saves Twice
The shootout came down to Javier Lopez.
Lopez saved Harry Sawyer’s penalty, the Australia Cup reported, but he was ruled to have left his line. Sawyer had to take it again. Lopez saved the retake too.
Then Victory captain Jason Davidson stepped up and sent the deciding kick high, according to the official site.
Lopez was awarded the Mark Viduka Medal, the Australia Cup reported.
There was a family thread through the night as well. The Guardian reported that Davidson is the son of South great Alan Davidson. It also reported that Sawyer is a former South favourite.
So both of the shootout’s turning points fell to Victory players with ties to South. Sawyer, once a favourite at the club, was denied twice by Lopez. Davidson, the son of one of its greats, put the last kick high, and that miss handed South Melbourne the cup.
A Long Season
Coach Sinisa Cohadzic made two changes from the semi-final, the Australia Cup reported.
The final was South’s 54th game of the season, AAP reported. It came after the club lost the OFC Pro League final to Auckland FC, according to AAP.
After the match, Cohadzic spoke about what he had said to his players.
“I said to them that tonight sometimes the reality surpasses even the most beautiful dreams, and tonight was one of those nights,” he said, as quoted by AAP.
Before kick-off, sections of the crowd booed the Welcome to Country, the Guardian reported.
What the Result Means
AAP reported that the win technically gives South a berth in next season’s AFC Champions League Two.
For Victory, the loss extends a trophy drought that goes back to the 2021 Australia Cup, according to AAP.
South’s A-League Case
South have been locked out of the top flight since the NSL era ended. The Guardian put the win at “22 years on from their banishment”.
Cohadzic was clear about where he thinks the club belongs.
“I really cannot find any excuse not to see this club to play in the A-League,” he said after the match, as quoted by AAP.
For now, the Australia Cup belongs to South Melbourne, and for the first time to a member-association club.
Sources: Australia Cup, “South Melbourne lift Hahn Australia Cup trophy in front of historic AAMI Park crowd”, 10 October 2026 (https://australiacup.com.au/news/south-melbourne-lift-hahn-australia-cup-trophy-front-historic-aami-park-crowd); The Guardian, “South Melbourne make history with Australia Cup win that could change the future too”, 11 October 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/oct/11/south-melbourne-vs-victory-australia-cup-final); AAP, “South Melbourne stun Victory to claim Australia Cup”, 11 October 2026 (https://aapnews.aap.com.au/news/south-melbourne-stun-victory-to-claim-australia-cup)
Image by Gary Houston, released under CC0, from Wikimedia Commons.
Melbourne’s AAMI Park from the parkland outside, July 2018. A file photo of the venue, taken years before Saturday night’s final.