2018 FFA Cup preliminary rounds


The 2018 FFA Cup preliminary rounds was the qualifying competition to decide 21 of the 32 teams which took part in the 2018 FFA Cup Round of 32, along with the 10 A-League clubs and reigning National Premier Leagues champion, Heidelberg United. The preliminary rounds operated within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition was staggered in each federation, with the winning clubs from Round 7 of the preliminary rounds in each member federation gaining entry into the Round of 32. All Australian clubs were eligible to enter the qualifying process through their respective FFA member federation, however only one team per club was permitted entry in the competition.

Schedule

The number of fixtures for each round, and the match dates for each Federation, were as follows.
RoundNumber of fixturesClubsACTNSW[Northern Football NSW|NSW Football|NNSW]NTQLDSATASVICWA
32 + 11 byes781 → 749–––––––10–17 Feb–
First round57 + 16 byes749 → 692––24 Feb–14 Mar–28 Feb–24 Mar––23–25 Feb–
Second round171 + 80 byes692 → 521–9–13 Mar23 Feb–15 Apr–15 Feb–11 Apr22–28 Mar–2–6 Mar11–18 Mar
Third round189 + 4 byes521 → 33218 Mar–3 Apr14–28 Mar24 Mar–21 Apr27 Mar–17 Apr10 Mar–22 Apr9–14 Apr3 Mar8–11 Mar23–29 Mar
Fourth round154 + 2 byes332 → 17818 Apr–1 May3–11 Apr1–12 May1–8 May17 Mar–25 Apr25 Apr2 Apr17 Mar–2 Apr2 Apr
Fifth round83 + 1 bye178 → 9515–31 May2–9 May13–16 May9–22 May24 Mar–22 May5 May28–29 Apr11–24 Apr25 Apr
Sixth round4295 → 535–7 Jun15–23 May9 Jun5 Jun5 May–5 Jun22–23 May19 May1–9 May19–20 May
Seventh round2153 → 3216 Jun30 May13 Jun23 Jun9–10 Jun11 Jun11 Jun23–30 May4 Jun

  • Some round dates in respective Federations overlap due to separate scheduling of zones.

Format

The preliminary rounds structures were as follows, and refer to the different levels in the unofficial Australian soccer league system :
  • Qualifying round:
  • First round:
  • Second round:
  • Third round:
  • Fourth round:
  • Fifth round:
  • Sixth round:
  • Seventh round:

Other qualification issues

  • A-League Youth teams playing in their respective federation leagues are specifically excluded from the preliminary rounds as their respective Senior A-League clubs are already part of the competition.
  • Heidelberg United did not participate in the Victorian qualifying rounds, as they already qualified into the FFA Cup as 2017 National Premier Leagues champions.

Qualifying round

FedZoneTie noHome team ScoreAway team
VIC–17Reservoir Yeti 3–2†Alphington SC
VIC–18Bunyip District 4–3†East Bentleigh
VIC–19Keon Park 1–7Gisborne SC
VIC–20Myrtleford Savoy w/oWestside Strikers
VIC–21Melbourne Lions w/oMonash SC
VIC–22Old Mentonians 2–3Somerville Eagles
VIC–23Wangaratta City 17–0Swinburne FC
VIC–24Falcons 2000 2–3Mount Waverley City
VIC–25Maribyrnong Greens 1–0Forest Rangers
VIC–26Brunswick Zebras w/oFortuna 60
VIC–27Twin City Wanderers 8–2Old Ivanhoe Grammarians
VIC–28Aspendale SC 4–0Warrnambool Wolves
VIC–29Glen Eira FC 1–7Melton Phoenix
VIC–30Waverley Wanderers w/oCampbellfield Lions
VIC–31Glen Waverley 2–0Monash City
VIC–32Lara United 8–3Kensington City

;Notes:

First round

;Notes:
  • w/o = Walkover
  • † = After Extra Time
  • NNSW Byes – Boambee Bombers, Coffs City United, Kempsey Saints, Macleay Valley Rangers, Orara Valley, Port Saints, Port United, Sawtell Scorpions, Taree Wildcats, Urunga FC, Wallamba FC, Wauchope Axemen and Westlawn Tigers.
  • QLD Byes – Buderim Wanderers and Stratford Dolphins.
  • VIC Bye – Mount Waverley City.

Second round

;Notes:

Third round

;Notes:
  • w/o = Walkover
  • † = After Extra Time
  • NT Byes – Darwin Olympic, Hellenic AC
  • QLD Byes – Capricorn Coast, Mackay Lions, Marlin Coast Rangers and Southside United.

Fourth round

;Notes:

Fifth round

;Notes:

Sixth round

;Notes:
  • w/o = Walkover
  • † = After Extra Time

Seventh round

;Notes:
  • † = After Extra Time