The make-up of this year’s Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 is confirmed after the final two entrants were decided in South Australia and the Northern Territory at the weekend.
Seven clubs, including four from leagues below the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues, will make their maiden appearance in the Westfield FFA Cup Final Rounds as the competition enters the stage when the 10Â Hyundai A-League clubs join the fold.
The seven new clubs are New South Wales trio APIA Leichhardt Tigers, Bankstown Berries and Hills United, Queensland’s Moreton Bay United and Peninsula Power, Olympia FC Warriors from Tasmania and WA side Western Knights.
Notably, three clubs (Queensland’s FNQ Heat and New South Wales pair Blacktown City and Sydney United 58 FC) have become the only Member Federation sides to qualify for the Round of 32 every year since the Westfield FFA Cup began in 2014.
The match-ups for the Round of 32 will be determined at a draw to be conducted at 3.00pm AEST on Thursday in Sydney. The draw will be hosted by Fox Sports football personality Tara Rushton and conducted by former Socceroos captains Peter Raskopoulos and Charlie Yankos.
The draw will be live on Fox Sports News 500 and streamed online at foxsports.com.au and theffacup.com.au.
The Round of 32 draw will see the Hyundai A-League clubs placed into one pot (Pot A), with the Member Federation clubs placed into another pot (Pot B).
The order of the draw will see balls pulled out of the pots in order to firstly determine the three all-Hyundai A-League club matches and nine all-Member Federation club pairings, before the intriguing four Member Federation club v Hyundai A-League club fixtures.
The 16 matches in the Round of 32 will be held over three weeks with four matches per night across four match nights (either Tuesdays or Wednesdays) beginning in the last week of July.
In total, Fox Sports will show 11 matches live (one match per match night) while providing coverage and updates as well as live streaming of all non-broadcast matches. Details around the Fox Sports broadcast and streaming will be announced closer to the start of the Round of 32.
Westfield FFA Cup 2017 Round of 32 Draw
When:Â Thursday, June 29, 3.00pm AEST
Broadcast: Live on Fox Sports News 500 and streamed online at foxsports.com.au and theffacup.com.au.
Qualified clubs and numbering for the draw
Pot A (10 Hyundai A-League clubs):Â 1.Adelaide United, 2.Brisbane Roar, 3.Central Coast Mariners, 4.City, 5.Melbourne Victory, 6.Newcastle Jets, 7.Perth Glory, 8.Sydney FC, 9.Wellington Phoenix, 10.Western Sydney Wanderers
Pot B (22 Member Federation clubs): 11.APIA Leichhardt Tigers (NSW), 12.Bankstown Berries (NSW), 13.Bentleigh Greens (VIC), 14.Blacktown City (NSW), 15.Broadmeadow Magic (NNSW), 16.Canberra Olympic (ACT), 17.Darwin Rovers FC (NT), 18.Edgeworth Eagles (NNSW), 19.FNQ Heat (QLD), 20.Gold Coast City (QLD), 21.Hakoah Sydney City East (NSW), 22.Heidelberg United (VIC), 23.Hills United (NSW), 24.Hume City (VIC), 25.MetroStars (SA), 26.Moreton Bay United (QLD), 27.Olympia FC Warriors (TAS), 28.Peninsula Power (QLD), 29.Sorrento (WA), 30.South Melbourne (VIC), 31.Sydney United 58 FC (NSW), 32.Western Knights (WA)
Draw process
Pot A: 6 balls drawn out one at a time from Pot A (home then away) for the three Hyundai A-League v Hyundai A-League matches.
Pot B: 18 balls drawn out one at a time from Pot B (home then away) for the nine Member Federation v Member Federation matches.
Pots B & A: Remaining balls drawn out one at a time (home from Pot B and then away from Pot A) for the four Member Federation v Hyundai A-League matches.
