2006 A-League Pre-season Challenge Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia New Zealand |
| Dates | 15 July – 19 August 2006 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Defending champions | Central Coast Mariners |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Adelaide United (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Central Coast Mariners |
| Third place | Sydney FC |
| Fourth place | Newcastle Jets FC |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 24 |
| Goals scored | 44 (1.83 per match) |
| Attendance | 112,254 (4,677 per match) |
The 2006 A-League Pre-season Challenge Cup was a series in the Australian A-League football competition held in July and August in the lead up to the start of the main season. The opening round was 15 July 2006. The competition featured a group stage, with three regular rounds and a bonus round, followed by a two-week finals playoff. The bonus group round matched up teams against opponents from the other group, and also offered the incentive of "bonus points" based on goals scored (1 point for 2 goals, 2 points for 3 goals, 3 points for 4 or more goals).
The Pre-season Cup was used to enhance the A-League's profiles by playing pre-season games in regional centres including the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Launceston, Canberra, Wollongong, Port Macquarie, Orange and Tamworth.