MELBOURNE, Australia — For over half a decade, in some form or another, the road to the A-League Men title has gone through Melbourne. If AAMI Park wasn’t hosting the Grand Final itself, one of its tenants was at least taking part in the decider — Perth Glory and Sydney FC‘s clash in 2019 gave way to six games in which one of Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory or Western United was competing for the fabled “toilet seat.” That streak, however, will end in 2026. And its exit will augur the start of an offseason in which the city’s three top-flight outfits will face significant decisions and, potentially, upheaval.
With United still in “hibernation,” it fell to Victory and City to fly the flag for the Victorian capital in 2025-26 and, in the span of a few hours on Saturday, both their campaigns ended in the elimination finals. First, Aurelio Vidmar’s defending champions went close to staging a dramatic comeback against Auckland FC, equalising with almost the last kick of the game to send it into extra-time, only to subsequently fall in a penalty shootout. Hours later, Arthur Diles’ Victory huffed and puffed but were, as they have been so many times this season, sunk by an inability to turn control of the game and final-third entries into goals, as Patrick Wood instead capitalised on an error from Franco Lino and secured Sydney FC a smash-and-grab win.
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Two campaigns ended and, as a result, a period of reflection began.
Given that both sides faced off in last year’s Grand Final — and that Victory competed in the one before that — failing to progress out of the first week of the finals inevitably represents a level of regression. That’s even without accounting for silverware being seen as something of a base expectation at both clubs, a mark neither really came close to in 2025-26, as well as the quality assembled in both dressing rooms possessing a pedigree, especially when pegged to the rest of the league, justifying expectations of some kind of trophy.
It’s just the second-time since the exit of Warren Joyce and arrival of Erick Mombaerts — the most fitting point to assign the commencement of their early 2020s dynasty — that City has failed to either win a trophy or qualify for Asia, the other being a 2023-24 season in which Vidmar was parachuted in after just two rounds following the late Rado Vidošić’s ouster. Their 10 wins this season were their second lowest of the CFG-era, while their 33 goals scored were their lowest total since the club were known as Melbourne Heart back in the 2012-13 season.
Indeed, City scored multiple goals in just nine of their games this season — experiencing a nine-game stretch between rounds four and 13 in which they failed to net multiple times and, perhaps as a result, won just once. Getting some level of continuity at the end of the campaign (and free of Asian commitments) they did end the regular season by scoring multiple goals in four of five must-win games but this stretch, arguably, was only necessary because of their early season struggles and, and with on-loan Marcus Younis likely having played his way out of another stint in Melbourne with his key role in this run, will be difficult to build-on next season.
Victory’s wait for an A-League trophy, be it premiership or championship, is even more profound as it now approaches a decade — the Kevin Muscat-orchestrated Heist in the Hunter during the 2017-18 campaign was their last piece of league silverware. For a club that touts itself as one of the biggest and best in the league, which has both earned and invites a harsher glare of scrutiny, it’s something that becomes increasingly stark with every passing year, especially as the likes of Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners, and Newcastle Jets — all sides that sit outside the league’s traditional heavy hitters — have found ways to win a plate during this period.
That Victory, chasing an equaliser in a do-or-die elimination final, were eliminated without any of Denis Genreau, Juan Mata, or Nishan Velupillay on the park is illustrative of the challenges Diles had in setting his side up to close out close-games, too; Victory conceded a goal after the 75th minute to drop points seven times in 2025-26 — more than a quarter of their games played — and 42% of their total goals conceded came in the last 20 minutes of games. While they always managed to get up for the big games, there was also a maddening inability to win the ones they were supposed to: flat defeats against lowly Western Sydney Wanderers, Brisbane Roar, Wellington Phoenix, and Central Coast throughout the campaign ultimately sinking their hopes of a top-two finish.
Certainly, both sides will take positives where they’re to be found. City reached the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League Elite for the first time — with their league form suffering as a result — and despite a rash of injuries, maintained a league-record 12-year run of finals appearances. Youngsters Max Caputo, Medin Memeti, Kavian Rahmani, and Besian Kutleshi all continued to get A-League exposure, and in the sale of Kai Trewin to New York City FC and the strong campaign by Younis, they reinforced their reputation as one of the league’s best finishing schools Without Asian commitments and with better health, they should be much better next year.
After finishing fourth, meanwhile, Victory are next-in-line for Australia’s slot in the Asian Champions League Two should Heidelberg United prove unable to secure the necessary infrastructure and licences to take part. After a miserable stint at Western Sydney, Mata was reinvigorated and became a leading contender for the Johnny Warren Medal as he led the league in scoring involvements. In Genreau, Velupillay, Matthew Grimaldi, Joshua Inserra, Keegan Jelacic, and Louis D’Arrigo, there’s a core of players under 30 for next season.
But with neither side living up to their standards, there will inevitably be some kind of shifts in approach for next season. Mata and Mathew Leckie the two most preeminent, both have a host of players coming off-contract, and while that aforementioned pair would be welcomed back with open arms, no doubt, others will present more difficult questions. Both Vidmar and Diles have seen their contracts conclude, too, and, such is the brutal world of coaching, they represent the most obvious question marks when it comes to retooling vs. rebuilding.
Both fanbases, certainly, have rankled under their coaches throughout the season, and each has vocal contingents that have made their desire to move on quite clear. And one only needs to observe recent dismissals of Vidošić and Steve Corica at Sydney FC to see that clubs are increasingly willing to be ruthless if they feel a change of direction is needed. Yet it was just a year ago that the pair were facing off in a Grand Final and, in a generally risk-averse landscape of coaching appointments (albeit, both the Jets and Adelaide have been richly rewarded this year for taking gambles on first-year coaches), there’s no clear slam-dunk figure out there that fits the profile of coach either club looks for, either.
“I do. I definitely do,” Diles said when asked if he was the right man to lead Victory next season. “I’m really proud of everything I’ve achieved so far. It comes with a lot of hard work, a lot of expectation, and a lot of pressure.”
Indeed, pressure is a privilege. And as Melbourne’s (men’s) A-League scene falls silent, a new form is descending at AAMI Park.
