# 2016 FFA Cup

The 2016 FFA Cup was the third season of the FFA Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. 32 teams again took part in the competition proper (from the round of 32), including the 10 A-League teams and 21 Football Federation Australia (FFA) member federation teams determined through individual state qualifying rounds, as well as the reigning National Premier Leagues Champion (Blacktown City from NSW).
The winner of the FFA Cup, Melbourne City, received $50,000 as part of a total prize money pool of $131,000. The defending champions, Melbourne Victory, were knocked out in the semi-final stage of the competition by the eventual champions.

## Round and dates

| Round | Draw date | Match date | Number of fixtures | Teams | New entries this round |
| Preliminary rounds | Various | 12 February–25 June 2016 | 672 + 56 byes | 704 → 32 | 693 |
| Round of 32 | 30 June 2016 | 27 July–10 August 2016 | 16 | 32 → 16 | 11 |
| Round of 16 | 10 August 2016 | 24–30 August 2016 | 8 | 16 → 8 | none |
| Quarter-finals | 30 August 2016 | 21–27 September 2016 | 4 | 8 → 4 | none |
| Semi-finals | 27 September 2016 | 19–25 October 2016 | 2 | 4 → 2 | none |
| Final | 25 October 2016 | 30 November 2016 | 1 | 2 → 1 | none |

## Prize fund

The prize fund was unchanged from the 2015 event.
| Round | No. of Clubs receive fund | Prize fund |
| Round of 16 | 8 | $2,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | 4 | $5,000 |
| Semi-finalists | 2 | $10,000 |
| Final runners-up | 1 | $25,000 |
| Final winner | 1 | $50,000 |
| Total | | $131,000 |
In addition, a further $2,500 was donated from sponsor NAB to Member Federation clubs for each goal scored by them against an A-League opposition. Clubs to receive donations were: Green Gully ($5,000), Redlands United ($5,000), Brisbane Strikers ($2,500), Edgeworth FC ($2,500) and Floreat Athena ($2,500).

## Preliminary rounds

FFA member federations teams competed in various state-based preliminary rounds to win one of 21 places in the competition proper (round of 32). All Australian clubs (other than youth teams associated with A-League franchises) 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. All nine FFA member federations participated.
| Federation | Competition | Round of 32 Qualifier |
| Australian Capital Territory | Federation Cup | 1 |
| New South Wales | Waratah Cup | 5 |
| Northern New South Wales | — | 2 |
| Northern Territory | Sport Minister's Cup | 1 |
| Queensland | Canale Cup / Football Queensland Cup | 4 |
| South Australia | Federation Cup | 1 |
| Tasmania | Milan Lakoseljac Cup | 1 |
| Victoria | Dockerty Cup | 4 |
| Western Australia | State Cup | 2 |
The preliminary rounds operated within a consistent national structure whereby club entry into the competition is staggered in each state/territory, ultimately leading to round 7 with the winning clubs from that round gaining direct entry into the round of 32. The first matches of the preliminary rounds began in February 2016, and the final matches of the preliminary rounds in June 2016.

## Teams

A total of 32 teams participated in the 2016 FFA Cup competition proper, ten of which came from the A-League, one the 2015 National Premier Leagues Champion (Blacktown City), and the remaining 21 teams from FFA member federations, as determined by the qualifying rounds. A-League clubs represent the highest level in the Australian league system, whereas member federation clubs come from Level 2 and below. The current season tier of member federation clubs is shown in parentheses.
A-League clubs :
| Adelaide United | Brisbane Roar | Central Coast Mariners | Melbourne City |
| Melbourne Victory | Newcastle Jets | Perth Glory | Sydney FC |
| Wellington Phoenix | Western Sydney Wanderers | | |
| Member federation clubs ||||
| Canberra Olympic (2) | Blacktown City (2) | Bonnyrigg White Eagles (2) | Manly United (2) |
| Marconi Stallions (3) | Sydney United 58 (2) | Wollongong Wolves (2) | Edgeworth FC (2) |
| Lambton Jaffas (2) | Shamrock Rovers Darwin (2) | Brisbane Strikers (2) | Far North Queensland (2) |
| Redlands United (2) | Surfers Paradise Apollo (3) | North Eastern MetroStars (2) | Devonport City (2) |
| Bentleigh Greens (2) | Green Gully (2) | Hume City (2) | Melbourne Knights (2) |
| Cockburn City (2) | Floreat Athena (2) | | |

## Bracket

| Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| Devonport City | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Lambton Jaffas | 0 | Devonport City | 0 | | | | | | |
| North Eastern MetroStars | 3 (3) | Bentleigh Greens (a.e.t.) | 1 | | | | | | |
| Bentleigh Greens (p) | 3 (4) | | | Bentleigh Greens | 0 | | | | |
| Hume City (p) | 1 (4) | | | Melbourne Victory | 2 | | | | |
| Marconi Stallions | 1 (2) | Hume City | 0 | | | | | | |
| Newcastle Jets | 1 | Melbourne Victory | 1 | | | | | | |
| Melbourne Victory | 3 | | | | | Melbourne Victory | 0 | | |
| Shamrock Rovers Darwin | 0 | | | | | Melbourne City | 2 | | |
| Brisbane Strikers | 6 | Brisbane Strikers | 1 | | | | | | |
| Floreat Athena | 1 | Melbourne City | 2 | | | | | | |
| Melbourne City | 2 | | | Melbourne City | 4 | | | | |
| Far North Queensland | 0 | | | Western Sydney Wanderers | 1 | | | | |
| Edgeworth FC | 3 | Edgeworth FC | 1 | | | | | | |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 3 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 5 | | | | | | |
| Wellington Phoenix | 2 | | | | | | | Melbourne City | 1 |
| Canberra Olympic | 1 | | | | | | | Sydney FC | 0 |
| Surfers Paradise Apollo | 0 | Canberra Olympic | 2 | | | | | | |
| Redlands United (a.e.t.) | 2 | Redlands United | 0 | | | | | | |
| Adelaide United | 1 | | | Canberra Olympic | 1 | | | | |
| Melbourne Knights | 2 | | | Green Gully | 0 | | | | |
| Cockburn City | 1 | Melbourne Knights | 1 | | | | | | |
| Green Gully | 2 | Green Gully | 3 | | | | | | |
| Central Coast Mariners | 1 | | | | | Canberra Olympic | 0 | | |
| Blacktown City (a.e.t.) | 6 | | | | | Sydney FC | 3 | | |
| Sydney United 58 | 2 | Blacktown City | 3 | | | | | | |
| Bonnyrigg White Eagles | 3 | Bonnyrigg White Eagles | 0 | | | | | | |
| Manly United | 0 | | | Blacktown City | 0 | | | | |
| Brisbane Roar | 0 | | | Sydney FC | 3 | | | | |
| Perth Glory | 2 | Perth Glory | 0 | | | | | | |
| Wollongong Wolves | 0 | Sydney FC (a.e.t.) | 2 | | | | | | |
| Sydney FC | 3 | | | | | | | | |

## Round of 32

The Round of 32 draw took place on 30 June 2016, with match information confirmed on 5 July.
The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Marconi Stallions and Surfers Paradise Apollo. They were the only level 3 teams left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST

## Round of 16

The Round of 16 draw took place on 10 August 2016, immediately following matchday 4 of the round of 32, with match information confirmed on 12 August.
The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Bentleigh Greens, Blacktown City, Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Brisbane Strikers, Canberra Olympic, Devonport City, Edgeworth FC, Green Gully, Hume City, Melbourne Knights and Redlands United. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST

## Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals draw took place on 30 August 2016, immediately following the final matchday of the round of 16, with match information confirmed on 2 September.
The lowest ranked sides that qualified for this round were Bentleigh Greens, Blacktown City, Canberra Olympic and Green Gully. They were the only level 2 teams left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEST

## Semi-finals

The semi-finals draw took place on 27 September 2016, immediately following the final matchday of the quarter-finals, with the match details announced on 29 September.
The lowest ranked side that qualified for this round was Canberra Olympic, who were the only level 2 team left in the competition.
All times listed below are at AEDT

## Final

All times listed below are at AEDT

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Patrick Antelmi | Blacktown City | 5 |
| 2 | Liam Boland | Green Gully | 4 |
| 3 | Bruno Fornaroli | Melbourne City | 3 |
| 4 | Stipo Andrijašević | Melbourne Knights | 2 |
| 4 | Besart Berisha | Melbourne Victory | 2 |
| 4 | Fernando Brandán | Melbourne City | 2 |
| 4 | Tim Cahill | Melbourne City | 2 |
| 4 | David Carney | Sydney FC | 2 |
| 4 | Dino Djulbic | Perth Glory | 2 |
| 4 | Joey Gibbs | Blacktown City | 2 |
| 4 | Greig Henslee | Brisbane Strikers | 2 |
| 4 | Angelo Konstantinou | Canberra Olympic | 2 |
| 4 | Daniel McBreen | Edgeworth Eagles | 2 |
| 4 | Matt Simon | Sydney FC | 2 |
Note: Goals scored in preliminary rounds not included.

## Broadcasting rights

The live television rights for the competition were held by the subscription network Fox Sports, who broadcast 11 games live, with live updates and crosses from a single camera at the concurrent matches for goals and highlights. Games not broadcast on Fox Sports were streamed live via their online services.