Kanga Cup

At a glance

• A youth football tournament held every July in Canberra, Australia.
• The 2027 dates are expected to be announced in December 2026 and have not been confirmed yet.
• The Open and Girls' divisions each cover the same age categories, from U9 to U16.
• The previous edition was capped at 348 teams to maintain the level of play and participant satisfaction.
• Every team plays at least five matches, and all finals are held at Southwell Park.

Venue

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

About the tournament

The Kanga Cup is a youth football tournament held every July in Canberra, Australia. It is owned and run by Capital Football, a member federation of Football Australia, with the Open and Girls' divisions each covering U9 to U16, and teams coming from 15 countries including South Korea.

Details

The Kanga Cup is a youth football tournament held every July in Canberra, Australia. It is owned and run by Capital Football, the governing body for football in the Australian Capital Territory and a member federation of Football Australia. The information below is based on the previous edition, for which official information is available. 📅 Tournament dates The 2027 edition is scheduled for July, but the official dates have not been announced yet. The organizers state that the 2027 dates will be published in December 2026. The previous edition ran for five days, from Monday 13 to Friday 17 July 2026. · Semi-finals are played on Thursday and finals on Friday. · Since the previous edition, there is no longer an opening ceremony on the Sunday before the tournament. 📍 Venues All matches are spread across venues throughout Canberra, Australia's capital. For the previous edition, the organizers announced that six venues would be used depending on weather and pitch conditions. The venues listed on the official website are Calwell, Mawson, Harrison, Dickson, Charnwood, Kambah, Nicholls and Southwell. Finals for all age categories are played at Southwell Park in Lyneham. Most pitches are natural grass, with artificial grass pitches used when needed. ⚽ Categories The Open (boys and mixed) and Girls' divisions each have the same age categories, from U9 to U16. Age is based on birth year in the year of the tournament; for the previous edition, U10 was for players born on or after 1 January 2016. Each age category is split by ability into Cup (Division 1), Plate (Division 2) and Shield (Division 3). · Cup: Premier League teams, development teams (SAP, JDL), academies, regional representative teams and top Division 1 teams · Plate: teams newly promoted to Division 1 and Division 2 teams · Shield: development-stage teams from lower leagues Match squads can have up to 12 players for U9, up to 14 for U10–U13 and up to 16 for U14–U16, with up to 3 team officials. 🏆 Participating teams The previous edition in 2026 was capped at 348 teams in total to maintain the level of play and participant satisfaction. Official information states that past tournaments have brought together more than 350 teams and more than 5,000 participants. Overseas countries listed on the official FAQ page are the United States, England, Italy, Russia, Denmark, South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Chinese Taipei, Fiji and New Zealand. ⏱ Match format Every team plays at least five matches and no more than two matches per day. · The number of teams in each category is capped to create balanced draws. · Semi-finals are played on Thursday and finals on Friday for all categories. · Substitutions are unlimited in all categories, in line with the FIFA Laws of the Game. · A player may not play for two teams; if this happens, the team is disqualified and the match is forfeited. · Playing more than two years above or below one's birth-year category requires an official letter stating the reason. 🏟 Tournament operations Eligible teams are clubs and associations belonging to a member federation of Football Australia, and teams belonging to FIFA member national associations. Australian teams need approval from their association and federation, and overseas teams from their national football association. Non-affiliated clubs, academies, composite teams and schools must submit a separate eligibility request. Each team collects a team bag with match balls, beanies and a program book at its assigned venue, and new match balls for the finals are provided by the referees. The player photo registered in Dribl is the official means of identification, and players must carry photo ID during the tournament. Every venue has toilets, and some venues have canteens and food vendors. 🌊 About the area In July, Canberra has chilly mornings and clear, cool days that suit football. Morning matches can be especially cold, so layers are needed; temperatures rise in the afternoon, making play more comfortable. The organizers recommend bringing a warm jacket, beanie and gloves, and applying sunscreen even on cloudy days.

How to enter

Registration for the Kanga Cup is done online through the Dribl system, on a first-come, first-served basis. The steps below are based on information for the previous edition. 1. Check eligibility Australian teams need approval from their association and federation, and overseas teams need approval from their national football association. Non-affiliated clubs, academies, composite teams and schools must first submit a separate eligibility request. 2. Choose a category Choose the category matching your team's birth year from U9 to U16 in either the Open or Girls' division, and check the Cup, Plate or Shield level according to ability. Categories that are full do not appear on the registration screen. 3. Register online Once registration opens, apply per team in the Dribl system. It is first come, first served, and the organizers do not hold places in advance. If your preferred level is full, you can register one level higher but not lower. 4. Pay the fees Unless otherwise advised, payment is due at the time of registration. For the previous edition, the deposit was 250 Australian dollars per team, and the registration fee ranged from 1,360 Australian dollars for U9 to 1,800 Australian dollars for U14–U16 (including GST). 5. Confirmation Once registration and payment are complete, you receive a confirmation email. If it does not arrive, check your spam folder and contact the organizers. 6. Submit the approval form Australian teams submit the tournament approval form after receiving approval from their federation. 7. Book accommodation and transport Accommodation and transport can be booked through the official travel partner, Performance Travel. 📌 Registration summary Eligibility check → category selection → Dribl online registration (first come, first served) → fee payment → confirmation email → approval form → accommodation and transport booking Contact: info@kangacup.com / +61 2 6189 2222

Photos

Photo source: images.squarespace-cdn.com

Video

Watch video (YouTube)

Contact

Official website

kangacup.com

Email

info@kangacup.com

Phone

+61 2 6189 2222