Two Spots, Four Teams: NPL Men’s NSW Grand Final Awaits

Four teams will play for two spots in the NPL Men’s NSW Grand Final on Sunday afternoon, with the highly anticipated Preliminary Finals now upon us.

NWS Spirit FC and Manly United will join the top two sides, APIA Leichhardt and Sydney United 58, in the Preliminary Finals after victories in their respective Elimination Semi-Finals against Marconi Stallions and Sutherland Sharks.

For each team, just one victory now stands between them and a place in the 2026 NPL Men’s NSW Grand Final, with the Championship ultimately to be decided at St George Venues Jubilee Stadium.

All matches will be shown LIVE and exclusively on the Football NSW YouTube channel.

Sydney United 58 FC v Manly United FC

2:00pm, Sunday 6 September – Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 and Manly United will face off for the first spot in the NPL Men’s NSW Grand Final.

Manly United will face a tight turnaround after playing a gruelling 120 minutes against Sutherland Sharks on Wednesday night.

After taking the lead in the 67th minute through Ayumu Kimura, Manly looked set to advance to the Preliminary Finals with a 1-0 victory.

However, a late equaliser from the Sharks sent the contest into extra time.

Neither team could break the deadlock during the additional 30 minutes, forcing the game to penalties, where Manly prevailed after converting all five of their spot-kicks.

For Manly, the question now becomes one of recovery.

The young side comes into this clash having played 120 minutes just four days earlier, potentially giving United 58 a significant advantage in terms of preparation and freshness.

United 58 will be confident coming into the clash after securing a comprehensive 6-0 win over St George FC in Round 30 to earn themselves a direct path to the Preliminary Finals.

The defining moment of that performance was a Michael Krslovic hat-trick, which came inside 35 minutes, before a brace from Carlos De Oliveira and a late Michael Glassock goal rounded off the scoring.

Krslovic’s direct running will be key for United 58 this weekend, while De Oliveira’s bite and composure in midfield could also prove crucial.

One of the key battles could be De Oliveira against Manly United midfielder Saxon Hillyer, who impressed on Wednesday night before confidently converting his penalty in the shootout.

Manly will also rely on Aaron O’Driscoll, their commanding central defender, to help keep out a United 58 attack that has scored 47 goals this season.

At the other end, they will look to star striker Benjamin Koop to find a way through a United 58 defence that finished as the best in the league, conceding just 20 goals across 30 games.

The two sides’ first meeting of the campaign came back in Round Four, when United 58 picked up a 2-0 win over Manly.

Their most recent encounter ended in a 1-1 draw at Cromer Park, adding another layer of intrigue to Sunday’s clash.

For United 58, this is a chance to add to what has already been an exceptional campaign.

They finished second on the ladder and have already earned silverware in the form of the Waratah Cup.

Now, they are just one victory away from a place in the Grand Final.

For Manly, this is another opportunity to continue what has been an exceptional underdog story.

The young side defied expectations simply by making the Top Six and has now gone one step further, winning an Elimination Final and earning a place in the Preliminary Final.

Both sides will put everything on the line to extend their season by another week and earn a spot in the highly regarded NPL Men’s NSW Grand Final.

APIA Leichhardt FC v NWS Spirit FC

4:00pm, Sunday 6 September – Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt and NWS Spirit will face off in the second Preliminary Final on Sunday afternoon, with a place in the Grand Final awaiting the winner.

Spirit will come into the clash full of confidence following their upset win over Marconi Stallions on Wednesday night.

The sixth-placed side eliminated third-placed Marconi with a resounding 3-1 victory, which was set up by a 10th-minute goal from Kosta Petratos.

A quickfire second-half brace from Noah Peacock put Spirit further in the ascendancy, and they held on strongly against a late Marconi barrage to secure a well-earned place in the Preliminary Finals.

However, the task does not get any easier for Spirit.

After Wednesday night’s fixture, they now travel to face the 2026 NPL Men’s NSW Premiers and 2025 Champions, APIA Leichhardt.

APIA secured the Premiership by four points, finishing the regular season with 21 wins, five draws and just four defeats.

They scored 66 goals, by far the most of any side in the competition, averaging an astonishing 2.2 goals per game.

Now, they are aiming to secure the most magnificent of milestones — the double of Premiers and Champions in 2026, while also claiming back-to-back Championships after their 2025 triumph.

The first meeting between these sides in 2026 came back in Round Two, when APIA secured a 3-2 victory at Lambert Park.

Away from home, APIA also took the win, with a stoppage-time goal from Presley Ortiz securing three points for the eventual Premiers.

On paper, this first-versus-sixth clash will see APIA enter as favourites.

But, as demonstrated on Wednesday night, Spirit relish the challenge of being the underdog.

They will once again rely on their goalscorers Peacock and Petratos, while Corey Kavanagh looks set to be crucial in midfield for the visitors.

Meanwhile, joint Golden Boot winner Ortiz will be aiming to make it three goals in three games against Spirit in 2026.

He will be supported by a host of attacking talent, including Seiya Kambayashi, Jack Stewart and former Spirit star Michael Konestabo.

With so much on the line, this promises to be a fascinating Preliminary Final at Lambert Park.

The two previous meetings produced eight goals between them, and with Spirit arriving with confidence and APIA chasing a place in the Grand Final, another thriller could be in store.

Grand Final

The winners of both Preliminary Finals will earn a spot in the NPL Men’s NSW Grand Final, where the 2026 Champion will be crowned.

The Grand Final will take place at St George Venues Jubilee Stadium at 3:00pm on Sunday, 13 September.

Two Preliminary Finals.

Four contenders.

Two places at Jubilee.

The road to Championship glory continues on Sunday.