Back A-League Men Afrikaans الدوري الأسترالي لكرة القدم Arabic А-Лига Bulgarian Lliga australiana de futbol Catalan A-League Czech A-League Men Welsh A-League Danish A-League Men German Πρωτάθλημα ποδοσφαίρου Αυστραλίας Greek A-League Men English
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia and New Zealand |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Most championships | Sydney FC (5) |
| Website | keepup.com.au |
A-League Men, known before the 2021–22 season as the A-League, is a soccer league which is the top division in Australia and New Zealand. It was established in 2004 as a replacement to the National Soccer League and started in August 2005. Unlike professional soccer leagues in most of the rest of the world, A-League Men has what is called a "franchise" system—the same teams play in the league each year, unless a team drops out of the league on its own, or the league decides to add one or more new teams. This system is normal for pro sports leagues in Australia, as well as in the United States and Canada.
Since the beginning of the league in 2005, fourteen teams have competed in the league with Western United becoming the last club to join the league in the 2019–20 season. From those fourteen teams, six have taken the title while seven have taken the minor premiership. The current champion is Melbourne City FC, who defeated Sydney FC in the 2021 Grand Final.
The word "Men" was added to the league name after the 2020–21 season when the country's men's, women's, and youth leagues were brought under the "A-League" brand.