Early years (2005–2010) victory. The
A-League Men was established for the
2005–06 season by eight clubs, after the
National Soccer League folded in 2004. The national league finals system was then reverted to the
page playoff system, so only top four teams can qualify. The
first grand final in 2006 took place at
Sydney Football Stadium between
Sydney FC and
Central Coast Mariners as Sydney FC won the home ground advantage by defeating premiers
Adelaide United to host. Sydney won 1–0 to become the first champions of the A-League Men. The first
Joe Marston Medalist was
Dwight Yorke, captain of Sydney FC at the time. In
2007,
The Original Rivalry teams of premiers
Melbourne Victory defeated Adelaide United 6–0; the largest margin of an A-League Men grand final. At
Docklands Stadium, it set the largest sporting attendance at the venue of 55,436.
Archie Thompson scored five in the match; the only player to score five goals in an A-League Men grand final, earning him the Joe Marston Medal. In the grand final in
2008 between the Central Coast Mariners and
Newcastle Jets, despite Central Coast as the host winner,
Central Coast Stadium was deemed by
FFA to have insufficient capacity to host the grand final, Sydney Football Stadium instead hosted the grand final for the second time, which was won 1–0 by Newcastle. The Original Rivalry teams returned to the grand final in
2009, with Victory claiming their second championship; winning 1–0 against Adelaide becoming the first A-Leagues club to win the
domestic treble. Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, teams of
The Big Blue were the grand finalists of
2010; the fourth consecutive rivalry grand final since 2007. Sydney won 4–2 after the first
penalty shoot-out in the A-League Men grand final after a 1–1 draw at Etihad Stadium's third and final A-League Men grand final.
2011–2019 trophy ceremony. With
Brisbane Roar claiming the premiership and hosting the grand final in
2011 against
Central Coast Mariners, it became the first grand final since its establishment outside of
Melbourne and
Sydney, to be hosted at
Lang Park in
Brisbane. Brisbane won 4–2 on
penalties, after a 2–2 draw by two late Brisbane goals in the final four minutes of extra time.
Mathew Ryan with the Central Coast Mariners won the
Joe Marston Medal as the first to win it on the losing team of the A-League Men grand final. It returned to Lang Park the following year in
2012, with Brisbane against the
Perth Glory; 2–1 via a late comeback winner, becoming the first A-League Men club to win back-to-back grand finals. The
Western Sydney Wanderers in their first ever season reached the
2013 grand final against the Central Coast Mariners. The host venue was again chosen as Sydney Football Stadium for the third time, due to Wanderers' home ground
Parramatta Stadium unable to host due to insufficient capacity for the event. Central Coast won 2–0, after losing their past three grand finals. Western Sydney Wanderers reached the grand final again the following year in
2014 with Brisbane Roar hosting for the third time at Lang Park for the last three of four grand finals since 2011. Brisbane won 2–1 in
extra time to win a record third grand final.
The Big Blue teams (Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC) reached the grand final to meet for the second time in
2015. Due to
Docklands Stadium and
Melbourne Cricket Ground being unavailable for the event,
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium became the last option to play host for the 2015 grand final. Melbourne Victory won 3–0; a record equalling third grand final win to the Brisbane Roar.
Adelaide United played host for the first time in their third grand final against the Western Sydney Wanderers also in their third in the past four for the
2016 grand final.
Adelaide Oval was the chosen venue, instead of Adelaide's usual home ground
Hindmarsh Stadium due to bigger capacity and for hosting high-profile matches. Adelaide United won 3–1 to record their first grand final win and the Western Sydney Wanderers' third loss still yet to win. The Big Blue teams played the
2017 hosted at
Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney for the fourth time, as Sydney won 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw to equal Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory on most grand final wins with three.
Newcastle Jets reached the grand final in
2018 after a ten-year drought against the Melbourne Victory hosted at
Newcastle International Sports Centre for the first time. Victory won 1–0 for a record fourth grand final win.
Kosta Barbarouses' 9th-minute goal in the match become the fastest scored in the A-League Men grand final. It also ultimately sparked controversy for the
video assistant referee (VAR) that failed to detect an offside for Victory's awarded goal.
Perth Glory qualified for their first grand final since 2012 in Brisbane against
Sydney FC at
Perth Stadium attended by 56,371; the current record of an A-League Men grand final attendance. Sydney won 4–1 on penalties after 0–0 draw; the third time they won on penalties and the record equalling fourth win overall.
2020–present at
AAMI Park. During the
2019–20 A-League season, it was impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and ultimately suspended the season in March 2020. From that point, matches were played
behind closed doors, teams travelled interstate, and crowds were restricted for the semi-finals and grand final. These measures caused the entire finals series to be played at
Western Sydney Stadium, meaning the
2020 grand final would be first to be hosted at a
neutral venue. Whilst originally scheduled for May 2020, it was postponed to August 2020; the first time the A-League Men grand final was played after May. The match was played between
Sydney FC and first-timers
Melbourne City in a restricted crowd of 7,051. Sydney won 1–0 after
extra time to win a record fifth Australian championship and grand final. The same teams met the following year in
2021 with Melbourne City claiming the host at
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in a 14,017 sell-out crowd of half-capacity, with travelling fans unable to attend due to
Sydney's 2021 lockdown. City claimed revenge and won 3–1 to win their first A-League Men grand final. City reached the
2022 grand final for their third consecutive appearance; against locals
Western United. It was the first grand final since the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia with no crowd restrictions. Western United won 2–0 to win their first grand final in their
third season of existence. It was announced in December 2022, that the 2023, 2024 and 2025 A-Leagues grand finals would be played in
Sydney as part of a deal with
Destination NSW, breaking the tradition of the highest placed team to host their grand final; the announcement initially being met with universal backlash from fans of all clubs, former players and active support groups. The
2023 grand final was then initially set to play at
Western Sydney Stadium which would be the second time it would host there, both times as a neutral venue. Melbourne City and
Central Coast Mariners were the participants for this grand final, as Central Coast won 6–1; the second A-League Men grand final where a team scored six goals. Fan controversies continued after the match, for the shape of Melbourne City's disadvantages for the match such as outnumbered fans and not hosting at
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. The Sydney grand final decision was eventually reversed in October 2023, in replacement of
Unite Round. ==Results==