AFL Teams

The AFL (Australian Football League) is Australia’s premier Aussie Rules footy league. Teams from all five Australian mainland states compete each season to lift the title. We will explain more about those taking part.

How Many AFL Teams Are There?

There are currently 18 AFL teams from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. They compete against each other from March to September over a 23-match regular season where teams meet home and away.

The team at the top of the league table at the end of the regular season will lift the minor premiership title. However, the top eight sides then head to the play-off round to try and be crowned overall Premiers by winning the AFL Grand Final. This is held at the MCG each year.

The majority of the 18 clubs come from Victoria, which is no surprise given the AFL was initially formed as the VFL (Victoria Football League) in 1897. A total of 10 teams are now based in Victoria with the other eight from other states. Their participation resulted in the name change in 1990 to the AFL.

There are plans for a 19th team, which will represent the state of Tasmania, to join the AFL in 2028. While the NRL and Super Rugby sees teams from New Zealand feature in their leagues, this is not the case for the AFL, even though games have been played in New Zealand to try and grow the game.

AFL Teams Lists

Here is a list of the current AFL teams all in one place ahead of the 2025 season. You can also see which state they are based.

What is the Oldest AFL Club?

The oldest AFL club is Melbourne, which was formed in 1858 and has featured in the VFA, VFL and AFL. The second oldest is Geelong after that club was launched a year later in 1859.

Both clubs are still playing in the AFL to this day. Melbourne has 13 VFL/AFL Premierships, which is three off the highest number of titles of 16 – an accolade shared by Carlton, Essendon, and Collingwood.

Melbourne University also formed a team the same year as Geelong but that club only exists in lesser leagues these days after leaving the VFL in 1915. The youngest club in the league is the GWS Giants after being formed in 2010.

What Old AFL Clubs No Longer Exist?

Only one club has withdrawn from the league since it started as the VFL in 1897. That is Melbourne University, which withdrew ahead of the 1915 season due to being an amateur club trying to compete as professional Aussie rules players became more common.

The club still competes in the VAFA (Victorian Amateur Football Association along with Fitzroy, which initially joined Brisbane Bears to form current AFL club the Brisbane Lions. Fitzroy, however, resumed its own playing operations in 2009 in the VAFA.