2025–26 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season

Western Sydney Wanderers
2025–26 season
ChairmanPaul Lederer
ManagerAlen Stajcic
(to 20 January 2026)
Gary van Egmond
(from 21 January 2026)
StadiumCommBank Stadium
A-League Men12th
A-League Men FinalsTBD
Australia CupRound of 16
Top goalscorerLeague: Kosta Barbarouses
Ryan Fraser
Bozhidar Kraev (5)
All: Kosta Barbarouses
Bozhidar Kraev (5)
Highest home attendance21,258
vs. Sydney FC
(29 November 2025)
A-League Men
Lowest home attendance4,461
vs. Wellington Phoenix
(14 February 2026)
A-League Men
Average home league attendance7,784
Biggest win3–0
vs. Peninsula Power (A)
(22 July 2025)
Australia Cup
Biggest defeat0–3
vs. Heidelberg United (A)
(12 August 2025)
Australia Cup
1–4
Sydney FC (A)
(31 January 2026)
A-League Men
All statistics correct as of 13 March 2026.

The 2025–26 season is the 14th in the history of Western Sydney Wanderers FC. In addition to the domestic league, Western Sydney Wanderers participated in the Australia Cup.

Players

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF  AUS Alex Gersbach
5 MF  MLT Dylan Scicluna
7 FW  SCO Ryan Fraser
8 MF  AUS Steven Ugarkovic
9 FW  NZL Kosta Barbarouses
11 FW  JPN Hiroshi Ibusuki
14 DF  AUS Phillip Cancar
17 MF  AUS Jarrod Carluccio
18 DF  AUS Jacob Farrell (on loan from Portsmouth)
19 DF  AUS Ruon Tongyik
20 GK  AUS Lawrence Thomas (captain)
21 FW  AUS Aydan Hammond (scholarship)
22 DF  AUS Anthony Pantazopoulos
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 MF  BUL Bozhidar Kraev
24 DF  AUS Nathan Barrie (scholarship)
25 MF  AUS Joshua Brillante
26 FW  AUS Brandon Borrello
30 GK  AUS Jordan Holmes
31 DF  AUS Aidan Simmons
32 MF  AUS Angus Thurgate
34 DF  AUS Ricky Fransen (scholarship)
36 DF  AUS Ben Mewett (scholarship)
37 FW  AUS Alaat Abdul-Rahman (scholarship)
39 FW  AUS Awan Lual (scholarship)
45 FW  AUS Alou Kuol

Transfers

Transfers in

No. Position Player Transferred from Type/fee Contract length Date Ref
10 FW Alexander Badolato Melbourne Victory End of loan (1 year) 30 June 2025 [1]
9 FW Kosta Barbarouses Wellington Phoenix Free transfer 1 year 1 July 2025 [2]
8 MF Steven Ugarkovic Melbourne City Free transfer 2 years 1 July 2025 [3]
14 DF Phillip Cancar Newcastle Jets Free transfer 1 year 1 July 2025 [4]
45 FW Alou Kuol Central Coast Mariners Free transfer 1 year 1 July 2025 [5]
11 FW Marcus Younis Jong PSV End of loan (2 years) 1 July 2025 [6]
36 DF Ben Mewett Central Coast Mariners Academy Free transfer 2 year scholarship 13 July 2025 [7]
19 DF Ruon Tongyik Unattached Free transfer 1 year 11 August 2025 [8]
32 MF Angus Thurgate Unattached Free transfer 3 years 14 September 2025 [9]
11 FW Hiroshi Ibusuki East Bengal Free transfer 1.5 years 16 January 2026 [10]
7 FW Ryan Fraser Southampton Undisclosed 6 months 23 January 2026 [11]
18 DF Jacob Farrell Portsmouth Loan 5 months 7 February 2026 [12]

From youth squad

No. Position Player Age Notes Ref
37 FW Alaat Abdul-Rahman 18 2-year scholarship contract [13]
34 DF Ricky Fransen 18 2-year scholarship contract [14]
39 FW Awan Lual 19 3-year scholarship contract [15]

Transfers out

No. Position Player Transferred to Type/fee Date Ref
14 FW Nicolas Milanovic Aberdeen Undisclosed 15 May 2025 [16]
13 MF Dean Pelekanos Sabah End of contract 15 June 2025 [17][18]
7 FW Zac Sapsford Dundee United Undisclosed 10 June 2025 [19]
1 GK Taiga Harper Unattached End of contract 30 June 2025 [17]
8 DK Jeong Tae-wook Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors End of loan 30 June 2025 [17]
9 FW Marcus Antonsson IFK Värnamo End of contract 30 June 2025 [20][17]
10 FW Alexander Badolato Newcastle Jets Mutual contract termination 30 June 2025 [1][21]
19 DF Jack Clisby Unattached End of contract 30 June 2025 [17]
27 FW James Temelkovski Tai Po End of contract 30 June 2025 [22]
64 MF Juan Mata Unattached End of contract 30 June 2025 [23]
11 FW Marcus Younis Brøndby Undisclosed 22 August 2025 [24]
18 MF Oscar Priestman Motherwell Undisclosed 26 August 2025 [25]
6 MF Mohamed Al-Taay Al-Karma Mutual contract termination 4 January 2026 [26][27]
4 DF Alex Bonetig Portland Timbers Undisclosed 8 January 2026 [28]
2 DF Gabriel Cleur Retired 12 January 2026 [29]

Contract extensions

No. Player Position Duration Date Notes Ref.
2 Gabriel Cleur Right-back 1 year 2 June 2025 [30]
30 Jordan Holmes Goalkeeper 2 years 4 June 2025 [31]
25 Joshua Brillante Defensive midfielder 1 year 21 July 2025 Contract extension triggered [32]

Pre-season and friendlies

  Win   Draw   Loss

2 August 2025 Persib Bandung 1–0 Western Sydney Wanderers Bandung, Indonesia
  • Wiliam 60'
 Report Stadium: GBLA Stadium
Attendance: 14,633
Referee: Thoriq Alkatiri (Indonesia)
19 August 2025 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–1 Newcastle Jets Sydney, Australia
 Report
  • Fryer
Stadium: Wanderers Football Park
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
27 August 2025 Western Sydney Wanderers 3–1 Blacktown Spartans Sydney, Australia
19:00 AEST
Report
  • 40'
 Stadium: Wanderers Football Park
20 September 2025 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–1 Central Coast Mariners Sydney, Australia
 Report
Stadium: Wanderers Football Park
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)
4 October 2025 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–1 Wellington Phoenix Australia
 Report
10 October 2025 Western Sydney Wanderers 2–1 Perth Glory Sydney
8:00 AWST
Report
Stadium: Wanderers Football Park
Attendance: 0 (behind closed doors)

Competitions

Overall record

Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
A League Men 18 October 2025 25 April 2026 Matchday 1 TBD 21 5 6 10 24 30 −6 023.81
Australia Cup 22 July 2025 12 August 2025 Round of 32 Round of 16 2 1 0 1 3 3 +0 050.00
Total 23 6 6 11 27 33 −6 026.09

Last updated: 13 March 2026
Source: Competitions

A-League Men

Main article: 2025–26 A-League Men

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
8 Macarthur FC 21 6 7 8 26 35 −9 25
9 Brisbane Roar 21 6 6 9 21 27 −6 24
10 Wellington Phoenix[a] 21 6 6 9 31 40 −9 24
11 Perth Glory 21 6 4 11 24 34 −10 22
12 Western Sydney Wanderers 21 5 6 10 24 30 −6 21
Updated to match(es) played on 17 March 2026. Source: A-Leagues
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) wins; 5) head-to-head results; 5a) head-to-head points; 5b) head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair Play points; 7) away goal difference; 8) away goals per match; 9) home goal difference; 10) home goals per match; 11) toss of a coin in an event of a tie of two clubs.
Notes:
  1. ^ Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for Asian Football Confederation competitions as they are based in New Zealand, which is part of the Oceania Football Confederation.

Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
21 5 6 10 24 30  −6 21 4 4 3 14 11  +3 1 2 7 10 19  −9

Last updated: 13 March 2026.
Source: Ultimate A-League

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
GroundHAAAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAAAAHAHAH
ResultDLDLWWLDLLLWLWLDDLWLD
Position7101111989711111211121112121212111212
Points0122588999912121515161717202021
Updated to match(es) played on 13 March 2026. Source: Ultimate A-League
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

18 October 2025 1 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–1 Melbourne City Sydney
17:00 AEDT
Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 9,205
Referee: Alex King
25 October 2025 2 Auckland FC 1–0 Western Sydney Wanderers Auckland
17:00 NZDT
Report Stadium: Go Media Stadium
Attendance: 14,767
Referee: Tim Danaskos
1 November 2025 3 Macarthur FC 1–1 Western Sydney Wanderers Sydney
19:35 AEDT
Report
Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium
Attendance: 7,605
Referee: Alireza Faghani
7 November 2025 4 Adelaide United 2–0 Western Sydney Wanderers Adelaide
19:05 ACDT
Report Stadium: Coopers Stadium
Attendance: 9,916
Referee: Lachlan Keevers
22 November 2025 5 Western Sydney Wanderers 3–2 Central Coast Mariners Sydney
17:00 AEDT
Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 6,557
Referee: Daniel Elder
29 November 2025 6 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–0 Sydney FC Sydney
19:35 AEDT
Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 21,258
Referee: Alex King
5 December 2025 7 Perth Glory 1–0 Western Sydney Wanderers Perth
18:45 AWST
  • Despotovski 30'
 Report Stadium: HBF Park
Attendance: 5,590
Referee: Shane Skinner
13 December 2025 8 Western Sydney Wanderers 0–0 Brisbane Roar Sydney
17:00 AEDT Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 4,652
Referee: Adam Kersey
19 December 2025 9 Western Sydney Wanderers 0–2 Auckland FC Sydney
20:00 AEDT Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 5,029
Referee: Alex King
Note: The match was originally scheduled for 19:35, but was delayed to 20:00 due to adverse weather conditions.
27 December 2025 10 Adelaide United 3–2 Western Sydney Wanderers Adelaide
19:05 ACDT
Report
Stadium: Coopers Stadium
Attendance: 13,582
Referee: Daniel Elder
1 January 2026 11 Western Sydney Wanderers 0–1 Macarthur FC Sydney
19:00 AEDT Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 8,048
Referee: Jonathan Barreiro
10 January 2026 12 Melbourne Victory 0–1 Western Sydney Wanderers Melbourne
17:00 AEDT Report
Stadium: AAMI Park
Attendance: 12,502
Referee: Daniel Elder
17 January 2026 13 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–2 Newcastle Jets Sydney
17:00 AEDT
  • Lual 83'
 Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 5,243
Referee: Alireza Faghani
25 January 2026 14 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–0 Perth Glory Sydney
17:00 AEDT
Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 5,178
Referee: Ben Abraham
31 January 2026 15 Sydney FC 4–1 Western Sydney Wanderers Sydney
19:35 AEDT
Report
Stadium: Allianz Stadium
Attendance: 33,265
Referee: Adam Kersey
7 February 2026 16 Western Sydney Wanderers 1–1 Melbourne City Sydney
19:35 AEDT
Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 5,081
Referee: Eric Saba
13 February 2026 17 Western Sydney Wanderers 2–2 Wellington Phoenix Sydney
19:35 AEST
Report
Stadium: CommBank Stadium
Attendance: 4,461
Referee: Adam Kersey
22 February 2026 18 Central Coast Mariners 3–2 Western Sydney Wanderers Gosford
17:00 AEDT
Report
Stadium: Polytec Stadium
Attendance: 4,506
Referee: Shane Skinner
28 February 2026 19 Macarthur FC 0–4 Western Sydney Wanderers Sydney
19:35 AEDT Report
Stadium: Campbelltown Stadium
Attendance: 5,321
Referee: Daniel Elder
7 March 2026 20 Newcastle Jets 2–1 Western Sydney Wanderers Newcastle
17:00 AEDT
Report
Stadium: McDonald Jones Stadium
Attendance: 10,995
Referee: Adam Kersey
13 March 2026 21 Brisbane Roar 2–2 Western Sydney Wanderers Brisbane
18:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: Suncorp Stadium
Attendance: 4,769
Referee: Sam Kelly
20 March 2026 22 Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide United Sydney
19:35 AEDT Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
4 April 2026 23 Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers Melbourne
19:35 AEDT Report Stadium: AAMI Park
11 April 2026 24 Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC Sydney
19:35 AEST Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium
18 April 2026 25 Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers TBC
17:00 NZDT Report Stadium: TBC
25 April 2026 26 Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory Sydney
17:00 AEST Report Stadium: CommBank Stadium

Australia Cup

Main article: 2025 Australia Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss

22 July 2025 Round of 32 Peninsula Power 0–3 Western Sydney Wanderers Brisbane
19:30 AEST Report
Stadium: A.J. Kelly Park
Attendance: 1,839
Referee: Jack Powers
12 August 2025 Round of 16 Heidelberg United 3–0 Western Sydney Wanderers Melbourne
19:30 AEST
Report Stadium: Olympic Park
Attendance: 1,103
Referee: Zijad Ahmetovic

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Includes all competitions. Players with no appearances not included in the list.[33]

As of 13 March 2026
No. Pos Nat Player Total A-League Men Australia Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
20 GK  AUS Lawrence Thomas 23 0 21 0 2 0
Defenders
3 DF  AUS Alex Gersbach 19 0 16+1 0 2 0
14 DF  AUS Phillip Cancar 8 1 7+1 1 0 0
18 DF  AUS Jacob Farrell 6 0 5+1 0 0 0
19 DF  AUS Ruon Tongyik 11 0 6+4 0 0+1 0
22 DF  AUS Anthony Pantazopoulos 23 1 20+1 1 2 0
24 DF  AUS Nathan Barrie 5 0 0+4 0 0+1 0
31 DF  AUS Aidan Simmons 14 0 12 0 0+2 0
Midfielders
5 MF  MLT Dylan Scicluna 19 0 8+11 0 0 0
8 MF  AUS Steven Ugarkovic 22 1 14+6 1 1+1 0
17 MF  AUS Jarrod Carluccio 17 0 4+11 0 0+2 0
23 MF  BUL Bozhidar Kraev 22 7 17+3 5 2 2
25 MF  AUS Josh Brillante 22 0 14+6 0 2 0
32 MF  AUS Angus Thurgate 21 1 21 1 0 0
Forwards
7 FW  SCO Ryan Fraser 8 4 7+1 4 0 0
9 FW  NZL Kosta Barbarouses 22 5 16+4 4 2 1
11 FW  JPN Hiroshi Ibusuki 6 1 0+6 1 0 0
21 FW  AUS Aydan Hammond 18 1 6+10 1 2 0
26 FW  AUS Brandon Borrello 18 3 15+3 3 0 0
37 FW  AUS Alaat Abdul-Rahman 2 0 0+2 0 0 0
37 FW  AUS Jai Rose 4 0 1+3 0 0 0
39 FW  AUS Awan Lual 10 1 0+10 1 0 0
45 FW  AUS Alou Kuol 15 1 9+4 1 2 0
52 FW  AUS Atiya Waraga 1 0 0+1 0 0 0
Player(s) transferred out but featured this season
2 DF  AUS Gabriel Cleur 9 0 1+6 0 2 0
4 DF  AUS Alex Bonetig 13 0 11 0 2 0
6 MF  IRQ Mohamed Al-Taay 2 0 0+1 0 0+1 0
11 FW  AUS Marcus Younis 2 0 0 0 0+2 0
18 MF  AUS Oscar Priestman 1 0 0 0 1 0

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.[33]

As of 13 March 2026
Rank No. Pos. Nat. Name A-League Men Australia Cup Total
     
1 22 DF Anthony Pantazopoulos 4 0 0 2 0 0 6 0 0
2 5 MF Dylan Scicluna 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0
3 18 DF Jacob Farrell 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0
4 3 DF Alex Gersbach 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0
17 MF Jarrod Carluccio 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0
21 FW Aydan Hammond 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
31 DF Aidan Simmons 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
32 MF Angus Thurgate 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
9 8 MF Steven Ugarkovic 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
14 DF Phillip Cancar 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
23 MF Bozhidar Kraev 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
45 FW Alou Kuol 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
13 9 FW Kosta Barbarouses 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
24 DF Nathan Barrie 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
26 FW Brandon Borrello 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
38 FW Jai Rose 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Player(s) transferred out but featured this season
1 2 DF Gabriel Cleur 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
4 DF Alex Bonetig 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Total 40 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0

Clean sheets

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play. Goalkeepers with no clean sheets not included in the list.

As of 13 March 2026
Rank No. Nat. Goalkeeper A-League Men Australia Cup Total
1 20 Lawrence Thomas 4 1 5
Total 4 1 5

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Wanderers confirm departure of Alex Badolato". Western Sydney Wanderers. 27 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Barbarouses joins Wanderers for 2025/26 season". Western Sydney Wanderers. 18 June 2025.
  3. ^ "A-Leagues Champion Ugarkovic returns to Western Sydney". Western Sydney Wanderers. 20 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Cancar returns to the Red & Black". Western Sydney Wanderers. 29 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Alou Kuol joins Wanderers for 2025/26 season". Western Sydney Wanderers. 2 July 2025.
  6. ^ "PSV neemt afscheid van meerdere spelers Jong PSV" [PSV bids farewell to several Jong PSV players]. PSV (in Dutch). 16 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Mewett signs scholarship deal". Western Sydney Wanderers. 13 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Wanderers confirm signing of defender Tongyik". Western Sydney Wanderers. 11 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Wanderers sign Thurgate on three-year deal". Western Sydney Wanderers. 14 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Wanderers sign experienced striker Hiroshi Ibusuki". Western Sydney Wanderers. 16 January 2026.
  11. ^ Csaszar, Jessica (23 January 2026). "Wanderers secure the signature of Scottish Winger Ryan Fraser". Western Sydney Wanderers.
  12. ^ "Wanderers secure loan signing of Jacob Farrell from Portsmouth FC". Western Sydney Wanderers. 7 February 2026.
  13. ^ "Abdul-Rahman signs two-year scholarship deal". Western Sydney Wanderers. 10 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Fransen pens two-year scholarship deal". Western Sydney Wanderers. 11 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Rising star Awan Lual signs three-year scholarship with Western Sydney Wanderers". Western Sydney Wanderers. 18 February 2026.
  16. ^ Dodd, James (2025-05-15). "Western Sydney Wanderers agree club-record transfer fee for Nicolas Milanovic: Full Details". A-Leagues. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
  17. ^ a b c d e Csaszar, Jessica (7 June 2025). "Wanderers confirm departure of five players". Western Sydney Wanderers.
  18. ^ Sabah [@SabahFCofficial] (15 June 2025). "Welcome to the Land Below the Wind, Dean! Sydney-born 🇦🇺 Formerly from Western Sydney Wanderers. Midfield engine for Sabah. Say hello to our newest Rhino!" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  19. ^ Evans, Jordan (10 June 2025). "Wanderers agree transfer for Sapsford to Dundee United". Western Sydney Wanderers.
  20. ^ Diamant, Jonatan Pinheiro (27 May 2025). "Officiellt: Antonsson klar för IFK Värnamo" [Official: Antonsson ready for IFK Värnamo]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish).
  21. ^ Logan, Tom (27 June 2025). "Newcastle Jets sign Alex Badolato". Newcastle Jets.
  22. ^ "𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐊𝐎𝐕𝐒𝐊𝐈". Tai Po. 20 July 2025 – via Instagram.
  23. ^ Csaszar, Jessica (15 September 2025). "Wanderers confirm Mata departure". Western Sydney Wanderers.
  24. ^ Mac, Pat (22 August 2025). "Club-Record Transfer Fee: Younis departs club for overseas opportunity with Brøndby IF". Western Sydney Wanderers.
  25. ^ "'Big talent & potential' - Motherwell buy Australian midfielder Priestman". BBC Sport. 26 August 2025.
  26. ^ Csaszar, Jessica (4 January 2026). "Wanderers part ways with Al-Taay". Western Sydney Wanderers.
  27. ^ "تعاقد رسمي! الدولي محمد الطائي يبدأ رحلته مع صقور الغربية قادماً من نادي ويسترن سيدني الأسترالي" [Official signing! International player Mohamed Al-Taay begins his journey with Al-Saqour Al-Gharbia, joining from Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers.] (in Arabic). Al-Karma. 8 January 2026 – via Instagram.
  28. ^ "Wanderers farewell homegrown star Alex Bonetig following club record transfer fee". Western Sydney Wanderers. 8 January 2026.
  29. ^ Csaszar, Jessica (12 January 2026). "Wanderers confirm Cleur's departure to pursue further study". Western Sydney Wanderers.
  30. ^ "Cleur signs one-year extension". Western Sydney Wanderers. 2 June 2025.
  31. ^ "Holmes extends contract with Wanderers". Western Sydney Wanderers. 4 June 2025.
  32. ^ "Brillante's contract automatically extended". Western Sydney Wanderers. 21 July 2025.
  33. ^ a b "Newcastle Jets FC – Squad". soccerway.com.
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