Ok, fair enough not my best work but the point stands, Lakeside Stadium is set to host games in the 2026 Oceania Pro League after it was announced the South Melbourne have been officially included in the competition!

We’ve covered this a few times so we’ll stick to the new facts. South has been confirmed as a team in the new competition at a swanky launch event at Eden Park in New Zealand. South’s Coach and GM were in attendance for the announcement which included club reps from across the continent, OFC reps and FIFA reps.

The competition will have a convoluted format which poses two main challenges for South. Firstly, fixture congestion. South will need to play the competition in January to May navigating travel and the overlapping NPL competition. Second, suboptimal fan experience. In short, the convoluted format means that Lakeside will only host a couple of games and the team will play the majority of its fixtures away.

Since the announcement of the teams, two interesting items have been discussed by fans. Firstly, the exclusion of Wellington Phoenix. Although their A-League counterparts Auckland were accepted in the competition, Wellington were bafflingly excluded, making South’s inclusion all the stranger. Secondly, there was a large sponsorship announced by the Saudi Tourism Authority which will bankroll the competition to the tune of $20m!

It is speculated that South have received some government support to participate in the endeavour as direct funding from FIFA is intended to only go to Oceania teams, but who knows!?

I think from a fan perspective the jury is out on this competition, but from a football perspective if it makes South a more attractive club to staff and players then great, as long as it’s affordable!

The first games are set for January 2026, likely to be played in New Zealand. Away days anyone?