Football Australia (FA) announced it will report a record A$15.34 million (US$10.95 million) loss for the 2025 fiscal year at its annual general meeting next week. The loss is driven by rising staffing costs and legal expenses linked to a dispute with A-League management [1, 2].
The 2025 deficit is nearly double the A$8.5 million loss posted in 2024, underscoring a rapid worsening of the organisation’s finances [1, 2]. Despite this, FA recorded close to A$140 million in revenue for 2025, driven in part by strong commercial growth in women's football [1, 2].
FA chief executive Martin Kugeler said the organisation may cut up to 20% of its staff to "live within (their) means." Kugeler added, "Increasing losses year-on-year is obviously not a situation that is sustainable or acceptable" [1, 2].
The financial strain follows the settlement of a long-running dispute with the Australian Professional Leagues, operator of the A-League Men’s and Women’s competitions. The dispute centered on historic debts between the two bodies and was resolved in May 2026 [1, 2].
Australia co-hosted the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup with New Zealand, an event that was widely regarded as a major success. Large crowds attended matches, and the Australian national team, the Matildas, reached the semi-finals [1, 2]. The Matildas have become a major commercial driver for FA, attracting new sponsorships and generating significant match-day ticket revenue [1, 2].
In March 2026, Australia hosted the Women's Asian Cup, further raising the profile of women’s football in the region [1, 2]. Kugeler acknowledged that FA had failed to fully capitalise on hosting the Women's World Cup, which contributed to the ongoing financial challenges [1, 2].
FA’s annual general meeting next week will formally confirm the financial results and outline next steps for controlling costs amid a challenging fiscal environment [1, 2].