Caboolture Set for Daunting Kappa Pro Series Opener Against Moreton City Excelsior

James Lane

Caboolture Sports FC begins its Queensland Kappa Pro Series campaign at 7:30 this Friday night with a tough trip to face Moreton City Excelsior. The tournament, featuring a mix of NPL and FQPL1 sides, is fiercely competitive: only the group winner advances to the knockout stages, and Caboolture faces long odds in a group that includes two NPL heavyweights in Moreton themselves and Brisbane City.

And this opening match certainly shapes as the most intimidating. Moreton City enter the competition on the back of an impressive 2025 season, having finished five points clear at the top of the NPL. They then impressed in the inaugural Australian Championship, finishing second in their group behind South Melbourne, claiming two notable wins over Broadmeadow Magic and draws against both South Melbourne and Sydney Olympic. Their campaign continued with a strong 3-1 victory over Avondale in the quarter-finals before a narrow 1-0 semi-final loss to Marconi Stallions. Hoping to continue that momentum, they are firmly in the hunt for silverware in the Kappa Pro Series.

Yet Caboolture has reason for cautious optimism. In last year’s edition of the tournament, the Snakes also faced Moreton City in the group stage. Despite Moreton being the ones to progress from the group, it was Caboolture who handed them their only defeat, a late 85th-minute strike from Shotaro Kadowaki sealing a 1-0 upset.

While the challenge is formidable, Caboolture will hope to replicate that magic on the road this Friday as they kick off their 2026 Kappa Pro Series journey.