2016 FFA Cup preliminary rounds


The 2016 FFA Cup preliminary rounds were the qualifying competition to decide 21 of the 32 teams which took part in the 2016 FFA Cup Round of 32, along with the 10 A-League clubs and reigning National Premier Leagues champion. The preliminary rounds operated within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition was staggered in each state/territory, 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 fixturesClubsACTNSWNNSWNTQLDSATASVICWA
22 + 6 byes704 → 682–––––––20–21 Feb–
First Round60 + 7 byes682 → 622––27–28 Feb–27 Feb––27–29 Feb27–28 Feb
Second Round122 + 11 byes622 → 500––12 Feb–13 Mar–12 Feb–12 Mar18–20 Mar–4–7 Mar6–13 Mar
Third Round180 + 24 byes500 → 32026–28 Apr16–21 Mar13 Feb–6 Apr–26 Feb–29 Mar1–6 Apr5 Mar11–14 Mar19–20 Mar
Fourth Round145 + 4 byes320 → 17510–19 May3–13 Apr5 Mar–4 May19–27 Apr24 Mar–12 Apr25 Apr12–14 Mar18–21 Mar28 Mar
Fifth Round80 + 4 byes175 → 9531 May–2 Jun19–25 Apr2 Apr–21 May3–4 May16 Apr–4 May28 May–1 Jun28 Mar19 Apr–4 May25 Apr
Sixth Round4295 → 537–9 Jun3–4 May18 Jun8 Jun7–18 May14–15 Jun30 Apr17 May–8 Jun14 May
[|Seventh Round]2153 → 3218 Jun18 May19 Jun18 Jun3–11 Jun25 Jun13 Jun7–15 Jun6 Jun

The preliminary rounds structures are as follows, and refer to the different levels in the unofficial Australian association football league system :
Note: Blacktown City FC did not participate in the New South Wales qualifying rounds, as they had already qualified into the FFA Cup as 2015 National Premier Leagues champions.
Note: A-League Youth teams playing in their respective state leagues are specifically excluded from the preliminary rounds as their respective Senior A-League clubs are already part of the competition.

Key to Abbreviations

Qualifying Round

FedZoneSub ZoneTie noHome Team ScoreAway Team
VIC––12Churchill United 2–1†East Bentleigh
VIC––13Myrtleford Savoy 3–2Old Trinity Grammarians
VIC––14Forest Rangers 1–9Dandenong Warriors
VIC––15Monash City 2–0Chelsea FC
VIC––16Ballarat North United 1–6Swinburne University
VIC––17Heidelberg Eagles 0–2Lara United
VIC––18Twin City Wanderers 4–0Pakenham United
VIC––19Casey Panthers 0–5North Melbourne Athletic
VIC––20Sandown Lions w/oYarra Jets
VIC––21Keilor Wolves w/oHealesville SC
VIC––22Mt Lilydale Old Collegians 3–2Greenvale United

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164 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including 153 qualifiers from the previous round and 16 entering at this stage. The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Endeavour Hills Fire, the only level 7 team left in the competition.
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A total of 84 teams competed in this round of the competition. The 42 victorious teams in this round qualified for the Seventh Round. The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Killarney Districts. They were the only level 6 team left in the competition.
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A total of 42 teams competed in this round of the competition. The 21 victorious teams in this round qualified for the 2016 FFA Cup Round of 32. The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Wagga City Wanderers. They were the only level 5 team left in the competition.
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