Countries playing Australian rules football

Note: In order to be recognised as a true national team and not simply expatriates (for the purposes of this entry), the list is subject to International Cup eligibility rules.^[1]

Australian Football League has official affiliation agreements with 15 international governing bodies, ARFL Ireland, AFL Canada, Danish Australian Football League, AFL Scotland, AFL England, AFL Wales, AFL Japan, Nauru Australian Football Association, AFL New Zealand, USAFL, AFL South Africa, AFL PNG, AFL Samoa, Tonga Australian Football Association, AFL Germany and AFL Middle East, although it has working relations with leagues and clubs in further countries.

However, while these affiliations are in place, Australia is the only nation that actively engages in this sport at a professional level.

Africa[edit]

Countries with established league(s) and non-Australian-based national team:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
South Africa	Overview^[2]	Lions (formerly Buffaloes)		AFL South Africa	North West Province Gauteng Province		3rd, 2008

Other nations with some history of Australian Rules:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)
Botswana	Overview^[3]	None	None	None	None	None
Ghana	Overview^[4]	None	None	None	None	None
Kenya	Overview^[5]	None	None	None	None	None
Senegal	Overview	None	None	None	None	None
Uganda	Overview^[6]	None	None	None	None	None
Western Sahara	Overview^[7]	None	None	None	None	None
Zimbabwe	Overview	None	None	None	None	None

Americas[edit]

Countries with established league(s) and non-Australian-based national team:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
Canada	Overview	Northwind		AFL Canada	OAFL BCAFL AFL Quebec CWAFL	USAFL National Championships	6th, 2008
United States	Overview	Revolution		USAFL	MAAFL EAFL NWPAFL SEAFL WAFA	USAFL National Championships	3rd, 2005

Other countries with some history of Australian Rules:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)
Argentina	Overview		Los Santos de Santiago	AAFAU
Brazil	Overview^[8]		Carnaval
Bermuda	Overview^[9]		Bermuda Lions
Cayman Islands	Overview^[10]	None	None	None	None	None
Chile	Overview^[11]		Santiago Saints

Asia[edit]

Main articles: Australian rules football in Asia and Australian rules football in the Middle East

Countries with an established league(s) and non-Australian-based national team:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
Japan	Overview	Samurais	Tokyo Goannas	AFL Japan	JAFL	Asian Championships Narita Cup	8th, 2008

Countries with at least one active club and/or national team including Australian players:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
Brunei	Overview		Sharks	BARFL		Asian Championships
China	Overview		Beijing Bombers Shanghai Tigers Tianjin Normal University			Asian Championships	15th, 2008
Hong Kong	Overview		Dragons			Asian Championships
India	Overview^[12]^[13]^[14]			AFL India			16th, 2008
Indonesia	Overview^[15]		Jakarta Bintangs Jakarta Bulldogs Bali Geckos Banda Aceh Bandits Borneo Bears		WeJAFL	Asian Championships Pancawati Cup Java-Bali Cup Bali 9s
Israel	Overview^[16]	Peres Peace Team					13th, 2008 (as Peace Team)
Laos	Overview		Lao Elephants
Malaysia	Overview		Warriors			Asian Championships
Pakistan	Overview^[17]^[18]	Dragoons		AFL Pakistan	Swat
Philippines	Overview^[19]^[20]	Philippine Eagles	Philippine Eagles	PAFL		Asian Championships
Qatar	Overview		Doha			Dubai 9s
Singapore	Overview		Singapore Wombats			Asian Championships
Thailand	Overview		Thailand Tigers			Asian Championships
United Arab Emirates	Overview^[21]^[22]^[23]		Dubai Dingoes Dubai Dragons Dubai Heat			Asian Championships Dubai 9s
Vietnam	Overview		Hanoi Swans Saigon Saints			Asian Championships

Countries with some history of Australian Rules and/or a club in development:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)
East Timor	Overview	Crocodiles
Lebanon	Overview^[24]	Falcons
Macau	Overview	Lightning	None	None	None	None
South Korea	Overview	None	None	None	None	None
Sri Lanka	Overview	Lions	None	None	None	None

Europe[edit]

+Countries with an established league and/or non-Australian-based national team:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
Austria	Overview	Avalanche	Styrian DownUnderDogs Vienna Galahs			CEAFL Cup, EU Cup
Catalonia	Overview			LFAC	LFAC	EU Cup
Czech Republic	Overview	Dragons	Prague Dragons	CAAFL	CAAFL League	EU Cup
Denmark	Overview	Vikings	Farum Cats	DAFL	DAFL Premier League	Doctor's Cup	4th, 2002
Croatia	Overview	Knights	Zagreb Hawks, Agram Power, Velika Gorica Bombers	CAARF	CRO League	EU Cup
England	Overview	Dragonslayers (Form part of the Great Britain Bulldogs for the IC)		AFL Britain	AFL London Southern Division Central & North West Division North East Division	Brit Cup EU Cup
France	Overview^[25]	Les Bleus	Aix-Marseille Dockers Bordeaux Bombers Montpellier Fire Sharks Paris Cockerels Perpignan Tigers Strasbourg Kangaroos Toulouse Crocodiles	UFFA	UFFA ARFLF	EU Cup	14th, 2011
Finland	Overview^[26]	Ice Breakers	Helsinki Heatseekers Salo Juggernauts Espoo Roos Turku Dockers Waasa Wombats		FAFL	EU Cup	14th, 2008
Germany	Overview	Black Eagles	Munich Kangaroos Frankfurt Redbacks Rheinland Lions Hamburg Dockers Berlin Crocodiles Stuttgart Emus	AFLG	AFLG	EU Cup, Tri-Nations
Iceland	Overview	Ravens	Bulls Eagles Dragons	IceAFL		EU Cup
Ireland	Overview	Warriors		ARFLI	ARFLI		1st, 2002 and 2011
Italy	Overview	Azzurri	Roma Blues Milano Aussie Rulers Genova Dockers	AFL Italia
Montenegro	Overview	Survivors		AFL Crnu Gora
Netherlands	Overview^[27]	The Flying Dutchmen	Delft Blues Waterland Eagles Amsterdam Devils	DAFA	DAFA Premiership	EU Cup
Norway	Overview	Trolls	Oslo Crows Ås Battlers Tromsø
Scotland	Overview	Clansmen (Form part of the Great Britain Bulldogs for the IC), Sirens	Edinburgh Bloods Glasgow Sharks Greater Glasgow Giants Kingdom Kangaroos West Lothian Eagles	AFL Britain	SARFL	Haggis Cup EU Cup
Spain	Overview	Bulls	Madrid Bears Móstoles Kangaroos				10th, 2005
Sweden	Overview	Elks		AFL Sweden	SAFL SAFF	Tri-Nations	8th, 2008
Switzerland		Steinbocks	Winterthur Lions Basel Dragons Geneva Jets	AFL Switzerland
United Kingdom	Overview	Bulldogs			AFL Britain WARFL SARFL		6th, 2002 & 2005
Wales	Overview	Cymru Red Dragons (Form part of the Great Britain Bulldogs for the IC)	Cardiff Double Blues Gwent Tigers South Cardiff Panthers Swansea Magpies Vale Warriors	AFL Britain	WARFL	Dragon Cup

Countries with at least one active club and/or national team including Australian players:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main cup competition(s)
Belgium	Overview		Brussels Saints		EU Cup
Poland	Overview	Polish Devils	Warsaw Bisons Fort Nysa Wrocław Lions \|\| AFL Polska \|\| AFL Polska\|\| EU Cup\|\|
Russia	Overview	Czars	The Pirates The Shooters Slavyane St. Petersburg Cats Lazy Coalas	ФАФР	EU Cup
Hungary	Overview	Cats	Budapest Bats	AFL Hungary	EU Cup

Other countries with some history of Australian Rules:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
Georgia	Overview			Ozirulz Georgia

Oceania[edit]

Countries with active league(s) and national teams.

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
Australia	Overview	Galahs All-Australian Team	List of clubs	AFL	AFL SANFL WAFL VFL Queensland State NTFL Sydney AFL TSL O&M MFL VWFL SAWFL SWAFL WAWFL ACTWAFL NTWARFA	AFL Grand Final NAB Cup TAC Cup	Ineligible
Fiji	Overview	Tribe	Nausori Cats Raiwaqa Bulldogs Suva City Swans Suva Lions	AFL Fiji	AFL Fiji		10th, 2014
Nauru	Overview	Chiefs		Nauru Australian Football Association	NAFA Senior League NAFA Junior League		5th, 2008
New Zealand	Overview	Falcons		AFL New Zealand	Auckland AFL Canterbury AFL Waikato AFL Wellington AFL	NPC	1st, 2005
Papua New Guinea	Overview	Mosquitos		PNG Rules Football Council	Goroka Kimbe Lae Mt Hagen Port Moresby Rabaul Eastern Highland	NPC	1st, 2008; 2014
Samoa	Overview	Kangaroos		Samoa Australian Rules Football Association			5th, 2005
Tonga	Overview	Black Marlins		Tonga Australian Football Association
Vanuatu	Overview			AFL Vanuatu

Other countries with some history of Australian Rules:

Country	Overview	National team	Major teams/clubs	Governing Body	Main league competition(s)	Main cup competition(s)	Best IC performance
Solomon Islands	Overview

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Australian Football International

[1] AFL and Countries ponder eligibility rules for 2008, by Brett Northey - worldfootynews.com, 23 April 2007

[2] South Africa target 28000 players by 2010, youth Test match confirmed, by Brett Northey - worldfootynews.com, 15 Jan 2007

[3] "FootyWILD set to take Africa by storm? - World Footy News".

[4] "West African kids kick the Aussie Footy in soccer's heartland - World Footy News".

[5] Footy a welcome hit in Kenya, by Matt Morris - worldfootynews.com, 20 Nov 2004

[6] "Footy Shorts - Footy in Uganda ? - World Footy News".

[7] "Aussie Rules in Western Sahara - World Footy News".

[8] Santiago Saints headed to Rio for Brazil's first-ever footy match, by Aaron Richard - worldfootynews.com, 9 June 2009

[9] Bermuda 2007 cancelled, by Brett Northey - worldfootynews.com, 16 January 2007

[10] "Footy in the Cayman Islands - World Footy News".

[11] Footy enters Chilean alternative sports scene, by Aaron Richard - worldfootynews.com, 15 Oct 2004

[12] Dixon's world tour to advance the cause, by Brett Northey - worldfootynews.com, 13 Sep 2006

[13] Kickstart to sport from Down Under by Romila Saha for the Calcutta Times 16 November 2006

[14] Indian footy - the 2008 International Cup, Croatian connection and Vegemite Vindaloo, by Ash Nugent - worldfootynews.com, 18 January 2007

[15] "Indonesian League does the hard yards alone, by Sean - worldfootynews.com, 28 November 2006". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2006.

[16] Footy in Israel - From St Kilda to the Dead Sea, by Aaron Richard - worldfootynews.com, 19 January 2005

[17] College tournament planned for North-West Pakistan, by Aaron Richard - worldfootynews.com, 18 May 2006

[18] Pakistan keen to spread the word, by Ash Nugent - worldfootynews.com, 22 June 2006

[19] Aussie Rules gets its start in the Philippines, by Derek Ackary - worldfootynews.com, 15 January 2005

[20] Asian Eagles want to take to the skies again, by Craig Francis - hk-dragons.com, 24 November 2006 Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine

[21] Dubai tries to get footy moving in the Middle East, by Ash Nugent - worldfootynews.com, 23 November 2006

[22] "Aussie Rules is gaining momentum in Dubai, by Steve Hill - gulfnews.com, 25 November 2006". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2006.

[23] Dubai 9s preview, by Ash Nugent - worldfootynews.com, 7 Mar 2007

[24] Lebanese Falcons take Flight, by Aaron Richard - worldfootynews.com, 1 Oct 2004

[25] French footy gets on board with Leo Lagrange, by Aaron Richard - worldfootynews.com, 22 November 2006

[26] Finland domestic comp ready to break the ice in 2007, by Aaron Richard - worldfootynews.com, 16 November 2006

[27] Netherlands

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v t e Australian Football International Cup
Tournaments	2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017 2024
National teams (men)	Canada China Croatia Denmark Fiji Finland France Germany Great Britain India Indonesia Ireland Israel-Palestinian territories Japan Nauru New Zealand Pakistan Papua New Guinea Samoa South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Timor-Leste Tonga United States
National teams (women)	Australia CAN - Midnight Suns CAN - Northern Lights European Crusaders Fiji Great Britain Ireland Pakistan Papua New Guinea Tonga USA - Freedom USA - Liberty

Africa[edit]

Americas[edit]

Asia[edit]

Europe[edit]

Oceania[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]