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The Central Coast Mariners have been the dominant force in Australian soccer over the last two years. They have won the A-league Grand Final to become champions in each of the last two campaigns, firstly thumping Melbourne City 6-1 18 months ago to claim their first crown in a decade.

They then successfully defended their title with a thrilling extra-time win against the Melbourne Victory last season. But while they have shone domestically, they struggled to translate any of that success onto the continental stage.

Their recent elimination from the AFC Champions League came with a whimper. Knowing they needed a win against Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos on matchday six to have any hope of progression, the Aussie champions slumped to an embarrassing 4-0 defeat. First-half goals from Kenta Inoue (two) and Anderson Lopes put the tie to bed by halftime, with Jun Amano adding insult to injury with a fourth in the second period.

That result left the Mariners rock bottom of the eastern group with just one point from their opening six games. With two games remaining, they are seven points adrift of the top eight, which has confirmed their elimination. But they aren't the first Aussie side to struggle in the tournament in recent years.

Humbling Exit

After earning qualification following their stellar A-League championship-winning campaign, hopes were high for the Mariners to make a meaningful impact in the 2024/25 Champions League. Representing the smallest market among Australia's professional clubs and boasting one of the leanest budgets in the competition, they were never the favourites. However, their hard-nosed approach had led them to back-to-back domestic titles, and they were ready to prove the doubters wrong once more.

Unfortunately, however, the Champions League proved to be too big of a gap to bridge. They gave a spirited display in their opening game away against Shandong Taishan, drawing level at the break only to be over-roared in the second half. Things got worse on matchday two as they lost perhaps their most winnable fixture at home to Thai side Buriram United. From there, they displayed plenty of their famed grit and determination once more, twice losing narrowly in China and Japan, as well as drawing at home to Shanghai Shenhua.

But that was as good as it would get. The 4-0 drubbing to Yokohama confirmed their relegation, and it has compounded Australia, who are now one of the few footballing nations not to have a representative in next summer's Club World Cup. To put that into perspective, even neighbouring New Zealand has a participant in the form of Auckland City. However, online sportsbook providers haven't been super impressed or excited thus far. The popular Bovada online sportsbook makes them a rank +100000 outsider. Even so, having a contender is certainly better than not having one!

Australia's Continental Woes

Just over a decade ago, Western Sydney Warriors shocked the footballing world as they became the first Aussie side to become Asian champions in just their second year as a professional club. They won the A-League at the first attempt in 2013, before heading into the Champions League the following year. Not expected to pull up any trees, a squad consisting of players such as Aaron Mooy and Shinji Ono breezed through the group stage, winning four of their six games to top their quartet ahead of Kawasaki Frontale.

From there, they went on a fairytale run for the ages. They eliminated Sanfrecce Hiroshima and the reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande, who had Italian World Cup winner Alberto Gilardino up top. They then knocked off FC Seoul in the semifinals to punch their ticket to the showpiece contest against Saudi heavyweights Al Hilal. A 1-0 victory at home coupled with a 0-0 draw made them champions and completed the greatest achievement in Aussie club soccer, but since then it has been all downhill.

Only one Aussie team has managed to make it out of the group stages in the decade-plus since, namely the Melbourne Victory. They managed to progress to the round of 16 in both 2016 and 2020, only to be unceremoniously dumped out. Firstly, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors managed to secure a 3-2 aggregate win before going on to win the tournament. Four years later, it was another Korean outfit, Ulsan Hyundai, who picked up a resounding 3-0 win.

Melbourne City have twice come close to progression. They finished undefeated in 2022 but still missed out on progression to Thai side BG Pathum United due to goal difference. Last season, they lost just once but still finished two points adrift of Japanese club Ventforet Kofu.

But the woeful displays of the Central Coast Mariners this term have led Australian soccer to a new low. Add to that the dwindling attendances at Central Coast Stadium, with just 1,864 showing up for the crunch clash at Yokohama, and it's clear that the Land Down Under needs significant strengthening if it plans to be a major player in the Champions League once again. It remains to be seen whether this season's A-League winners can perform any better on the continental stage next season.