The AFL stands for Australia Football League and is a Aussie Rules Football competition that is played in Australia. The season starts each year in March and ends with the finals series in September. During the regular season, each team will play 22 games and every team will play against each other at least once.
AFL Ladder
After every game in the regular season, the winning team is given 4 pts and 2 pts if it’s a draw. The margin of the game is also calculated to determine the team’s percentage. As the season progresses, each team is positioned on the AFL ladder by points and then by percentage if they’re tied on points. After the final round of the regular season, the top 8 teams on the ladder will qualify for the finals.
AFL Finals System
Here’s a quick overview of how the AFL finals system works as of 2024.
Qualifying and Elimination Finals
1st Qualifying Final - 1st vs 4th
1st Elimination Final - 5th vs 8th
2nd Elimination Final - 6th vs 7th
2nd Qualifying Final - 5th vs 8th
Semi Finals
1st Semi Final - Loser of QF1 vs Winner of EF1
1st Semi Final - Loser of QF2 vs Winner of EF2
Preliminary Finals
1st Preliminary Final - Winner of QF1 vs Winner of SF2
2nd Preliminary Final - Winner of SF1 vs Winner of QF2
Grand Final
Winner of PF1 vs Winner of PF2
AFL Teams
There are currently 18 teams in the AFL competition. The Melbourne Demons are the longest-running club, established in 1858. At the moment, the Greater Western Sydney Giants are the newest team having entered the comp in 2012. The Sydney Swans were originally based in South Melbourne but moved to Sydney in the ‘80s.
Team | Est |
Adelaide Crows | 1990 |
Brisbane Lions | 1996 |
Carlton Blues | 1897 |
Collingwood Magpies | 1897 |
Essendon Bombers | 1897 |
Fremantle Dockers | 1995 |
Gold Coast Suns | 2011 |
GWS Giants | 2012 |
Hawthorn Hawks | 1925 |
Melbourne Demons | 1858 |
North Melbourne Kangaroos | 1925 |
Port Adelaide Power | 1997 |
Richmond Tigers | 1908 |
St Kilda Saints | 1897 |
Sydney Swans | 1897 |
West Coast Eagles | 1987 |
Western Bulldogs | 1925 |