Heidelberg United's dreams of playing in Asia have been dashed after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) determined the semi-professional outfit to be ineligible to receive a slot to play in the Asian Champions League Two (ACL2).
Eliminating three A-League Men sides en route to the decider, Heidelberg fell to a 3-1 defeat to the Newcastle Jets in the 2025 Australia Cup final and, after the Jets surged up the table and booked a spot in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE), Football Australia confirmed in April that it would prioritise the Bergers for the Cup's ACL2 slot.
This kick-started a process in which Heidelberg sought to meet the necessary criteria to secure a licence to compete in continental football.
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But while the Melbourne-based club was able to demonstrate that they would meet the requisite standards to be sanctioned to play in Asia, the AFC informed Football Australia this week that they weren't eligible to receive a place in the ACL2 as runners-up in the Australia Cup.
The decision from the AFC represents a bitter blow for the club known as Alexander, but their securing of a licence does establish a precedent that clubs from outside the A-League, should they win the Australia Cup and prove able to meet the necessary licensing criteria, will not be prevented from taking up an ACL2 place in the years ahead.
"We understand this will be a disappointing outcome for everyone connected to Heidelberg United FC," Football Australia executive director of football Heather Garriock said in a statement. "The club earned enormous respect through its performances this season and should be proud of what it achieved both on and off the pitch.
"Football Australia advocated that the ACL Two slot be awarded to the runner-up of the Australia Cup, on the rare occasion that the winner of the A-League season is the same as the winner of the Australia Cup.
"We respect and accept the outcome of AFC's review and congratulate all the teams representing Australia in the AFC Champions League next season."
With the Jets and Adelaide United already having qualified for the expanded ACLE and Auckland FC, as a side based in Oceania and therefore ineligible for Asian competition, Heidelberg's slot in the ACL2 will now go to Melbourne Victory, who finished fourth during the A-League season.
Victory announced on Tuesday that they would not be bringing back off-contract head coach Arthur Diles, with managing director Caroline Carnegie saying in a statement that the club needed to be "bold and unapologetic in our ambitions."
A report from News Corp has linked former Macarthur FC and Matildas head coach Ante Milicic with the new opening.
However, after initial speculation that he had been sacked as China's head coach following the Women's Asian Cup, the 52-year-old was spotted in Beijing earlier this week, and Chinese media have reported he remains in charge of the Steel Roses, with former Western United academy head Anthony Frost instead brought in to be his assistant.
