The OFC Pro League heads down under to Melbourne, Australia, for Round 3 of the competition.
Once an integral member of OFC, Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006 and now play in Asian competitions, including the AFC Asian Cup and AFC Champions League Elite.
Their roots in Pacific football remain strong though, and OFC competition will return to the nation after two decades when the OFC Pro League touches down in Melbourne.
Former Oceania Club of the Century, South Melbourne FC have hosting duties in front of their passionate supporter base, and will be confident as the only club in the competition still unbeaten after two rounds.
All clubs will play at least three matches, with six sides playing an additional fixture due to the rescheduled matches from Round 1’s postponements.
Venues
The Home of the Matildas
Match Days Hosted: 24th, 25th, 27th, & 28th February, 3rd & 4th March
Located at La Trobe University Sports Park in Melbourne, The Home of the Matildas is the training base for the Australian national women’s team and central hub for Australian women’s football.
Opened in July 2023, the venue is also used by professional club Melbourne Victory to host A-League Women’s matches, and Football Victoria. It features a grandstand capable of holding 800 people, and the facilities also include a high-performance gym, multiple changing rooms, elite-level recovery areas, and function spaces.
Olympic Village
Match Days Hosted: 21st & 22nd February
Located in Heidelberg West, Olympic Village is synonymous for serving as part of the athlete village during the 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympic Games.
Also sometimes known as Olympic Park, it is the home of local NPL Victoria and Australia Championship club Heidelberg United, who famously beat Auckland FC on a run to the semi-finals of the Australia Cup in 2025.
Heidelberg United have used the ground since 1982, which holds a capacity of 12,000 – including a grandstand and a grass bank.
Great Moments in Australia Football History
Mark Schwarzer’s gloves end Australia’s 32-year World Cup wait
Having blitzed their way through OFC qualifying without a defeat, Australia met Uruguay in a two-legged intercontinental play-off in November 2005 for a place at FIFA World Cup 2006™ in Germany.
Uruguay had denied the Socceroos a place at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ at the same stage four years earlier and took the lead in the tie with a 1-0 win in Montevideo. Australia still harbored belief though, and a Mark Bresciano goal sent the second leg at home in Sydney to a penalty shoot-out to decide who headed to Germany.
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer stepped up for the Socceroos, sparking wild celebrations with two saves in the shoot-out to send Australia to their second FIFA World Cup™, and their first since 1974 – 32 years previously.
Matildas win hat-trick of OFC Women’s Nations Cup titles
After finishing runners-up in three of the previous four continental tournaments, Australia finally got their hands on the OFC Women’s Nations Cup in 1994, leading to a dynasty of three consecutive titles up to 2003.
They won the 1994 tournament by virtue of goal difference in Papua New Guinea, before beating New Zealand in both the 1998 and 2003 finals, the latter being a 2-0 win on home soil in Canberra.
Success in those tournaments meant Australia also qualified for three consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup’s™ between 1995 and 2003.
South Melbourne FC face Manchester United
As winners of the OFC Men’s Champions League in 1999, South Melbourne FC were drawn alongside the glitz and glamour of European champions Manchester United at FIFA Club World Cup 2000™ in Brazil.
Competing as the only amateur club at the tournament at the time, the Australian side faced a United squad packed with world class talent, including David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson in the dugout.
South Melbourne FC more than held their own however, despite conceding twice inside the first twenty minutes to two goals from Quinton Fortune in a 2-0 loss. They also delivered commendable performances against Brazil’s Vasco da Gama, and Mexica’s Nexaca, but failed to get a point on the board and exited at the group stage.
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