The 2026 Zone Football League is approaching its climax with the return of promotion and relegation and the induction of a connected football pyramid in 2024 creating high stakes across all five divisions.
The Zone Football League, comprising the Zone League One, Zone League Two and Zone League Three competitions, is administrated by the Newcastle Football, Macquarie Football and Hunter Valley Football member zones.
Northern NSW Football and the three member zones announced in 2023 that the men's Hunter football pyramid would be connect from the NPL Men's NNSW and HIT106.9 Northern League One competitions down to Zone League One, Two and Three, with the return of promotion and relegation in 2024.
Zone Football League Three
Charlestown JFC have extended their lead at the top of the Zone Football League Three table to eight points, with Garden Suburb FC sitting second on 35 points.
Charlestown created the buffer with a 2-0 victory over Garden Suburb in their round 17 clash.
Medowie FC climbed from fourth to third on 28 points after a 4–1 win over then third-placed Merewether United in round 17. They now face a crucial test against league leaders Charlestown in round 18.
At the foot of the table, Maitland JFC remain on six points after going without a point since their 3-1 victory over Fletcher FC in round nine.
Fletcher sit just one point ahead on seven points, making their round 20 meeting on 16 August a must-win fixture for both sides.
Zone Football League Two
Just two points separate the top four teams in Zone Football League Two, with Bolwarra Lorn JSC (33 points) climbing from third to first to strengthen their push for promotion to Zone Football League One in 2027.
North United Wolves (second), Nelson Bay FC (third) and Minmi Wanderers (fourth) are separated only by goal difference, although Wanderers hold a game in hand. They are scheduled to face Southern United in their rescheduled round 16 fixture on Tuesday 11 August.
Nelson Bay climbed to third after a 1–1 draw with Bolwarra in their rescheduled round 10 fixture on Wednesday night. But their pursuit of top spot will be hampered by the round 18 bye.
At the other end of the table, Merewether Advance have dropped to the foot of the standings on four points and remain the side most at risk of relegation. South Maitland FC moved two points clear in 10th after defeating Merewether 3-1 in round 16.
Zone Football League One
The race for a place in the HIT106.9 Northern League One competition is heating up, with the 2026 Zone Football League One premiers set to earn automatic promotion for the 2027 season.
Newcastle Olympic remain in first on the table (49 points) but are ineligible for promotion, as they already have a team competing across the top two tiers of the football pyramid, the NPL Men's NNSW competition and HIT106.9 Northern League One. As a result, should they finish the season as premiers, they could not be promoted.
As outlined during the introduction of promotion and relegation, in this scenario the team finishing second on the table would instead earn automatic promotion. This adjustment does not extend further down the standings.
Mayfield United moved into second on 34 points after defeating then second-placed Kotara South FC 1-0 in round 17. But Kotara reclaimed second spot on goal difference after a 5-1 win over Cardiff City FC in their rescheduled round 14 fixture on Thursday night.
Mayfield will face a tough challenge to regain the coveted second spot when they take on league leaders Newcastle Olympic in round 18.
Newcastle Suns (fourth) and Thornton Redbacks (fifth) remain firmly in the hunt for automatic promotion. Both sides sit on 31 points separated only by goal difference.
The two teams will have the chance to create some separation when they meet in their round 18 clash.
At the other end of the table, Swansea FC have slipped to 12th on six points and remain the side most at risk of relegation. They sit two points behind Stockton Sharks, who strengthened their position with a 2-0 win in round 15 before earning a 2–2 draw in round 16.
HIT106.9 Northern League One
The race for automatic promotion to the NPL Men’s NNSW in 2027 continues to intensify, with two teams locked in a battle for top spot.
Lake Macquarie City FC have edged ahead of Wallsend FC on goal difference, with both sides sitting on 34 points. Lake Macquarie are unbeaten in their last five matches, while two draws in their last five matches have seen Wallsend slip to second.
The race for a promotion/relegation play-off place is also heating up, with just six points separating Cessnock City Hornets in sixth (20 points) and New Lambton FC in third (26 points).
New Lambton, Newcastle Croatia (fourth) and Dudley Redhead United (fifth) all have a game in hand. Croatia will look to extend the two-point gap over Dudley when the two sides meet in their rescheduled round 15 fixture on Sunday.
At the other end of the table, the relegation battle remains tight, with seven points separating West Wallsend SFC in seventh (18 points) and South Cardiff FC in 10th (11 points).
Toronto Awaba FC climbed off the bottom of the table with an important 2-0 win over West Wallsend in round 16. But with South Cardiff set to play their rescheduled round 15 fixture on Sunday, Toronto could find themselves back at the foot of the standings.
Singleton Strikers (eighth) will host Lake Macquarie City in a crucial rescheduled round 15 fixture on Saturday as they look to extend the four-point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone.
The team that finishes 11th in the NPL Men's NNSW will join the teams that finish second, third and fourth in HIT106.9 Northern League One in a promotion/relegation play-off series to determine the 12th team in NPL Men's NNSW in 2027.
The team that finishes 10th in HIT106.9 Northern League One will be relegated to Zone Football League One in 2027.
NPL Men's NNSW
The NPL Men’s NNSW competition remains tightly contested, with just three points separating 10th and 12th place, keeping the relegation battle firmly in focus.
Charlestown Azzurri sit 12th on 14 points after going without a point since round 10 in early May. Kahibah climbed from the bottom of the table to 11th following a crucial 3-1 victory over Belmont Swansea United in round 20.
The two sides have a game in hand. Charlestown will face Edgeworth Eagles in their rescheduled round 19 fixture on Wednesday 12 August, while Kahibah’s round 17 match against Maitland FC is yet to be rescheduled.
Adamstown Rosebud occupies 10th place, edging ahead of Kahibah on goal difference while also holding two games in hand. The Buds will look to move further clear of the relegation battle when they take on eighth-placed Valentine FC this weekend in their rescheduled round 19 fixture before facing second-placed Weston Bears on Wednesday 12 August, in their rescheduled round 20 clash.
At the top of the table, reigning premiers and champions Broadmeadow Magic remain in first place on 43 points and are firmly in contention for another Australian Championship berth. Weston Bears sit second on 36 points.
Magic could seal the premiership when they play Cooks Hill United in their rescheduled round 19 match tonight.
The team that comes last in NPL Men's NNSW will be relegated to HIT106.9 Northern League One in 2027, while the team that finishes 11th must survive the promotion/relegation play-offs to feature in the NPL NNSW competition next season.