AFL & NRL Crowds - 2026

[Terry]

Wow, 4 million fans attending AFL games compared to 2 million for the NRL

Wow!!!! Like that's never happened before has it beatup lolololol??? It's just par for the course pal. Fumbling gets bigger crowds. RL annihilates 'em on TV ratings. Combine 'em both and WOW.........RL wins again lolololoolol!!!!!!!!!

[makingnrlfansgowacko]

Wow, 4 million fans attending AFL games compared to 2 million for the NRL

Wow!!!! Like that's never happened before has it beatup lolololol??? It's just par for the course pal. Fumbling gets bigger crowds. RL annihilates 'em on TV ratings. Combine 'em both and WOW.........RL wins again lolololoolol!!!!!!!!!

the TV excets seem to pay more attention to the crowds than they do the ratings

[Terry]

Wow, 4 million fans attending AFL games compared to 2 million for the NRL

Wow!!!! Like that's never happened before has it beatup lolololol??? It's just par for the course pal. Fumbling gets bigger crowds. RL annihilates 'em on TV ratings. Combine 'em both and WOW.........RL wins again lolololoolol!!!!!!!!!

the TV excets seem to pay more attention to the crowds than they do the ratings

Can you please explain what TV excets are makingdumbeasy. Once this has been clarified I may or may not be able to respond to your........ ummmm.........thoughts loolololo!!!

[Beaussie]

HOME CROWDS
After Round 14 (excluding Gather Round).

Club (# of home games played) = Total (Average)

Collingwood (5) = 358,768 (71,754)
Carlton (6) = 361,494 (60,249)
Essendon (6) = 337,209 (56,202)
Fremantle (5) = 241,928 (48,386)
Adelaide (6) = 280,364 (46,727)
West Coast (7) = 320,271 (45,753)
Hawthorn (6) = 245,858 (40,976)
Richmond (6) = 243,441 (40,574)
Sydney (7) = 283,942 (40,563)
Geelong (7) = 264,114 (37,731)
St Kilda (6) = 225,906 (37,651)
Port Adelaide (6) = 216,797 (36,133)
Melbourne (7) = 243,512 (34,787)
Brisbane Lions (6) = 191,679 (31,947)
Western Bulldogs (7) = 215,597 (30,800)
North Melbourne (7) = 205,977 (29,425)
Gold Coast (7) = 109,529 (15,647)
Greater Western Sydney (5) = 55,713 (11,143)

[makingnrlfansgowacko]

Wow!!!! Like that's never happened before has it beatup lolololol??? It's just par for the course pal. Fumbling gets bigger crowds. RL annihilates 'em on TV ratings. Combine 'em both and WOW.........RL wins again lolololoolol!!!!!!!!!

the TV excets seem to pay more attention to the crowds than they do the ratings

Can you please explain what TV excets are makingdumbeasy. Once this has been clarified I may or may not be able to respond to your........ ummmm.........thoughts loolololo!!!

well if you take in to consideration the crowds and ratings systems, the excs seem to offer the AFL more money for the broadcast deals

[leeroy*NRL*]

9 teams at above average EPL crowds (that is next level)

[Beaussie]

9 teams at above average EPL crowds (that is next level)

You’d think Brisbane will also join that list when Victoria Park is available post Olympics.

[Fred]

9 teams at above average EPL crowds (that is next level)

You’d think Brisbane will also join that list when Victoria Park is available post Olympics.

True - they are selling out the GABBA regularly. You think the opening AFL game there will be between Lions and Suns - or Lions and Collingwood? Me personally would not play a high drawing team like collingwood as would be a waste - as they could play anyone and it would be full.

[Fred]

HOME CROWDS
After Round 14 (excluding Gather Round).

Club (# of home games played) = Total (Average)

Collingwood (5) = 358,768 (71,754)
Carlton (6) = 361,494 (60,249)
Essendon (6) = 337,209 (56,202)
Fremantle (5) = 241,928 (48,386)
Adelaide (6) = 280,364 (46,727)
West Coast (7) = 320,271 (45,753)
Hawthorn (6) = 245,858 (40,976)
Richmond (6) = 243,441 (40,574)
Sydney (7) = 283,942 (40,563)
Geelong (7) = 264,114 (37,731)
St Kilda (6) = 225,906 (37,651)
Port Adelaide (6) = 216,797 (36,133)
Melbourne (7) = 243,512 (34,787)
Brisbane Lions (6) = 191,679 (31,947)
Western Bulldogs (7) = 215,597 (30,800)
North Melbourne (7) = 205,977 (29,425)
Gold Coast (7) = 109,529 (15,647)
Greater Western Sydney (5) = 55,713 (11,143)

By home games - do they mean at home stadium - or allocated home games - (e.g., North in Perth is a home game, Suns nin Darwin etc.).

[leeroy*NRL*]

9 teams at above average EPL crowds (that is next level)

You’d think Brisbane will also join that list when Victoria Park is available post Olympics.

yep i recan the 1st season at Victoria Park they will average over 50k

i do believe this figure will most certainly drop once fans of all sports have went and seen the new stadium.
after 2 seasons or so.

be interesting in year 3 and 4 what they can hit on average.

[leeroy*NRL*]

9 teams at above average EPL crowds (that is next level)

You’d think Brisbane will also join that list when Victoria Park is available post Olympics.

True - they are selling out the GABBA regularly. You think the opening AFL game there will be between Lions and Suns - or Lions and Collingwood? Me personally would not play a high drawing team like collingwood as would be a waste - as they could play anyone and it would be full.

Fred they are not selling out the GABBA regularly.
they hit like 36k and 37k like a few times over the last few years.
and they were the same BIG Victorian teams playing.

they are averaging like 31k the pass few seasons.
with bar in mind 3 grand final appearances.

(i do believe they will most certainly increase there attendance at new stadium however.)

[Fred]

I listened to an interview with the CEO or whatever he was and it was on how they are selling it out regularly - remembering a sell-out is not the same as having every seat filled - or even reaching capacity - its every seat that could be sold has been sold.

Quick google search - and it is AI so I wouldn't beat my house it was accurate but

In 2025, the Brisbane Lions had a total of 7 sell-out matches at the Gabba, showcasing strong fan support.

[Fred]

then I got this lol

During the 2025 AFL season, the Brisbane Lions had one confirmed sell-out match at the Gabba, which was the semi-final against the Gold Coast Suns during the Q-Clash.
Key Details
The Gabba hosted 11 regular-season games for the Brisbane Lions in 2025.
One sold-out game occurred, which was the semi-final Q-Clash against Gold Coast Suns, attracting a record crowd of 36,628 spectators – the largest Q-Clash crowd in AFL history
1
.
Over the season, a total of 373,211 patrons attended Brisbane Lions games at the Gabba, with an average of roughly 30,784 per game, indicating strong but not all sold-out attendance for home matches.
The sell-out match helped the Lions advance to the Grand Final for the third consecutive year, underscoring the significance of the fan support at the Gabba
1
.

1 Source
Context
While several games drew crowds close to the stadium’s maximum capacity of approximately 36,500 for AFL matches, only the semi-final achieved a full sell-out. This highlights the exceptional demand and popularity of the Q-Clash clash within the 2025 season.
Overall, in 2025, there was a single official sell-out at the Gabba for the Brisbane Lions.


I think the last point here is my point - good crowds - close to full.