The road to the 2026 New Balance Dockerty Cup Final will run through the VPLM this year after Brunswick Juventus and North Sunshine Eagles draw home Semi Finals.
The two second tier sides will play hosts to Heidelberg United and the Preston Lions respectively for a spot in the Cup Final on August 8th.
Here are the New Balance Dockerty Cup Semi Final Matchups:
- Brunswick Juventus vs Heidelberg United
- North Sunshine Eagles vs Preston Lions
Brunswick have cemented themselves as a bonafide giant killer so far this tournament, dispatching Senol NPLM sides Hume City and Oakleigh Cannons before narrowly defeating fellow VPLM1 side Bulleen Lions last night 1-0.
They’ve also had to do it the hard way, winning three of their five matches in extra time or penalties as well as playing an extra match in last night’s Semi Final qualifier.
They come up against a Heidelberg United side who will be keen to make amends for last year’s Cup Final loss to South Melbourne and bring the cup back to Olympic Village in 2026.
And what a challenge they will be for Juve. Heidelberg are yet to concede in their cup run so far, notching two 5-0 wins over Malvern City and Yarraville Glory, beating Altona East Phoenix 3-0 in the sixth round before booking their spot in the Semi Finals with a 2-0 win over the Bentleigh Greens.
This one promises to be an entertaining match between two sides who like to impose themselves on the game.
Watch the New Balance Dockerty Cup Semi Final Draw
Our other fixture shouldn’t fail to disappoint either, as the high scoring Eagles play host to a Preston side rounding into some dangerous form.
North Sunshine will no doubt still be riding the high of their surprise 3-2 victory over a strong Avondale side at Larissa Reserve in the quarter finals.
And they’ve had a flair for the dramatic all tournament, coming from behind to beat Collingwood City and Whittlesea United in Round 4’s and 5 and overcoming a strong Eltham Redbacks side in the quarter finals.
Can they pull off another dramatic victory when Preston come to town?
Besides a Round 5 scare from Keilor Park which saw the Lions score late to force extra time before prevailing in penalties, Preston have looked strong in the Cup so far.
They took care of 2025 Cup darlings Nunawading City to start their campaign, defeated Uni Hill Eagles 2-0 in Round 6 then cemented their spot in the Semi Finals with a comprehensive 6-0 over fellow NPLM foes Caroline Springs George Cross.
These matches can be fixtured on the below dates:
- Tuesday 30 June - 7:30pm - 8:30pm
- Wednesday 1 July - 7:30pm - 8:30pm
- Thursday 2 July - 7:30pm - 8:30pm
- Tuesday 7 July - 7:30pm - 8:30pm
- Wednesday 8 July - 7:30pm - 8:30pm
- Thursday 9 July - 7:30pm - 8:30pm
And every match will be streamed, live and free, on the Football Victoria app - Stay tuned for final match details soon.