Overview
From 2026, every drawn Regular Season match in the Australian Championship will go to a penalty shootout, under the Penalty Shootout Bonus Point Model. Every draw now has a winner, who takes home an extra point.
How it works
Where a match is drawn at the conclusion of normal playing time:
No extra time will be played.
The match proceeds directly to a penalty shootout.
The official result stays a draw for both clubs.
The winner of the shootout receives one point for the draw, plus one Penalty Shootout Bonus Point (2 points total).
The loser of the shootout receives one point for the draw and no additional points (1 point total).
Finals series
The Bonus Point Model applies to the Regular Season only.
From the Finals (Quarter Finals onwards), matches revert to a straight knockout format.
If scores are level at full-time, standard extra time will be played, followed by penalties if still level, to determine the winner.
This applies to the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final.
Context
The model was introduced in response to feedback from clubs, many of whom were eager to explore innovative ways to evolve the competition.
Football Australia consulted with clubs throughout the review process.
The Japanese Football Association (JFA) adopted penalties for drawn matches for their transitional competition format, the "J1 100 Year Vision League", starting last February.
Football Australia engaged with the JFA to understand the outcome of their model.
Consultation consistently pointed to these shootouts creating genuine excitement, keeping supporters engaged to the final kick, and giving players rare high-pressure match experience.
Japan was also hoping it would have a knock-on effect for the senior national team: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/feb/19/japan-replace-draws-with-shootouts-hope-to-avoid-paying-world-cup-penalty
In Australia, the model was used in the 1994/95 NSL season, bringing a piece of the league's history back into the modern game.
The 1994/95 NSL season included 6 of the current 16 Australian Championship clubs (South Melbourne, Sydney United 58, Adelaide City, Wollongong Wolves, Sydney Olympic, Marconi Stallions).
Match Outcome |
Points |
Win in normal playing time |
3 |
Draw, win penalty shootout |
2 |
Draw, lose penalty shootout |
1 |
Loss in normal playing time |
0 |
