Western United’s future in Australian professional football suffered a major blow after the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) terminated the club’s participation agreement ahead of the 2026/27 season, which begins on October 16.
The decision means Western United will not return to the A-League Men and Women after both teams spent the entire 2025/26 campaign in conditional hibernation amid the club’s ongoing financial and ownership problems.
View this post on Instagram
APL chair Stephen Conroy confirmed on Monday that the league had been working closely with Western United since September last year as the club attempted to resolve their financial, governance and legal issues.
However, the APL board ultimately decided to terminate Western United’s Club Participation Agreement after determining that the club had breached several of their obligations, including compliance with Football Australia’s National Club Licensing Regulations.
The latest development came almost a year after WMG Football Club Limited, the company that owned and operated Western United, was placed into liquidation by Australia’s Federal Court.
Despite the termination, Western United responded that the decision does not necessarily spell the end of the club.
In their own statement, the club said they had been working with the APL on a pathway to survive and rebuild under new ownership, with the termination opening the door for new investment and custodians.
Western United are now targeting a return to the A-Leagues for the 2027/28 season, with preserving the club’s identity and academy structure in Melbourne’s west among their priorities.
The club joined the A-League Men as an expansion side in 2019 and won their first championship just three years later, while their women’s team memorably finished as runners-up in their 2022/23 debut season.
