South Melbourne have had a major boost ahead of next month’s launch of the OFC Pro League by winning the first-ever Australian Championship.
The club, heavily supported by Victoria’s Greek community, have taken the title for the Championship, going through the 16-club competition unbeaten.
The newly-established Championship is Australia’s second-tier competition, behind only the A-League.
Watched by about 5,000 fans at Melbourne’s Olympic Park village, South Melbourne beat the Marconi Stallions 2-0 in Saturday’s grand final, keeping their third successive clean sheet in the finals rounds.
South Melbourne celebrate after taking the lead in the grand final.
South Melbourne will be the sole Australian entry in the new eight-team OFC Pro League set to launch in January 2026.
After winning their four-team group, South Melbourne won their quarter-final against NWS Spirit 2-0 before beating Heidelberg United 1-0 in the semi-final.
The club now wants to unite fans in Australia, especially those with Pacific Islands heritage, in their support for South Melbourne in the Oceania league.
“We are keen to embrace all of the people from the Pacific who live in Australia as our immigrant origins reflect the broad fabric of our multicultural society,” the club’s co-president, Bill Papastergiadis, said.
“Representing Australia and bringing together the very best of football from across the Oceania region is something we are immensely proud of.
“This competition connects deeply with our history and our identity. We are excited to contribute to a new professional landscape that will benefit clubs, players and administrators throughout the region.
“Our football product will expand beyond our national border and will now have an international footprint. This is fitting for a club that was awarded by FIFA as the Oceania Club of the Century.”
Head coach Sinisa Cohadzic said the OFC Pro League was about more than football.
“It’s about creating pathways for players, coaches and staff to operate in a professional environment.
“It’s an opportunity to test ourselves, to learn, and to grow as part of an exciting new era for the game across Oceania.”
More about South Melbourne
Fixtures
The inaugural OFC Pro League kicks off on Saturday January 17, when Auckland FC play South Island United at Auckland’s Eden Park.
South Melbourne’s first game will be against Tahiti United at Eden Park on Sunday January 18.
The league will culminate in a grand final to be played in Auckland on Sunday May 24, 2026.
READ MORE: All the fixtures for 2026 OFC Professional League >>>>
Who’ll be in the Pro League?
The eight clubs in line to participate are:
New Zealand
- Auckland FC
- South Island United
Australia
Fiji
Papua New Guinea
- PNG Hekari (rebranded from Hekari United)
Solomon Islands
Tahiti
Vanuatu
How the league will work
The first OFC Professional League season will run from January 17 through to May 2026, with each club playing a minimum of 17 matches.
The first OFC Pro League will be played in a circuit format, with all teams gathering in one location to play three matches each across a 10-day window. The round-robin matches will be played in Auckland, Port Moresby, Melbourne, Honiara and Fiji.
After the circuit series phase, teams will be split into two play-off groups: Leaders and Challengers.
The Leaders Play-off Group will see the top four teams battle for three of the four semi-final spots, while the Challengers Play-off Group will involve the remaining teams, with the top side earning a playoff match against the fourth-placed team from the Leaders Group to determine the remaining semi-final berth.
The semi-finals and the final will be single-leg knockout matches.
More about the OFC Professional League
READ MORE: Our previous stories about the OFC Professional League >>>>
This story was first published on December 9, 2025.
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