The A-League has announced a new expansion for the 2024-25 season to introduce Canberra and Auckland into the league.

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) confirmed on Tuesday that they plan to implement a new men’s team to partner with Canberra United and a second New Zealand club for the future season.

This is the first stage of expansions the APL has arranged since their unbundling from Football Australia (FA) in 2020.

CEO Danny Townsend has said that an additional two licences will be awarded for the expansion, though he has not disclosed the locations of these teams.

“Our priority here is having two new clubs come in (for the 2024-25 season)… and hit the ground running,” he said.

“We’re focused on building really strong sustainable clubs into the future, and we definitely think Canberra and Auckland fit that bill.”

The A-League is set to have 16 teams for both the men’s and women’s competitions in the coming years.

“We’ve got a very clear growth strategy… and part of that is bringing more football to more communities,” Townsend said.

The plans for the League’s expansion come right after FA received 32 expressions of interest for a national second division, which may commence by March 2024.

Townsend said he has not ruled out the possibility of promoting clubs from FA’s second division to fill in for the remaining expansions.

Photo: 2015 A-League Grand Final AAMI Park panorama by Paladisious available HERE and used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.