Brandwave

How popular isAFL?

In September 2026, people searched for AFL by name about 175,000 times in New Zealand, a 1242.1% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 4.7% of all New Zealand sports league searches, placing AFL fifth out of eight leagues. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about sports leagues, AFL did not appear in any of the answers.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

AFL is the fifth most searched of 8 competitors and not listed in any AI answer.

  1. NRLShare of searches 59.8%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. Premier LeagueShare of searches 15.2%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. NFLShare of searches 11.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. A-LeagueShare of searches 6.9%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  5. AFLShare of searches 4.7%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

+3 more

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Top sports leagues in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, AFL did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Super Rugby Pacific1st
  2. NRL2nd
  3. NFL3rd
  4. Premier League4th
  5. A-League5th
  6. NBA6th
  7. Super Smash7th
  8. AFL–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • NRL3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • A-League3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Super Rugby Pacific3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Premier League2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • NFL2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • NBA2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Super Smash2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • AFL0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about sports leagues

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which sports leagues compete with AFL?

AFL against sports leagues in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for NRL, Premier League, NFL, A-League, AFL. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNRLPremier LeagueNFLA-LeagueAFLNBASuper Rugby PacificSuper Smash
Oct 202514.8%23.6%17.3%14.2%0.52%29.2%0.34%0.03%
Nov 20253.6%23.1%15.5%14.5%0.27%42.8%0.25%0.05%
Dec 20251.8%28.9%14.7%18.8%0.13%34.1%0.19%1.3%
Jan 20262.1%25.2%16.7%17.3%0.15%32.7%0.59%5.2%
Feb 20269.3%26.3%3%16.3%0.27%26.6%18.2%0.06%
Mar 202629.2%17.9%0.52%10.1%1.5%22.6%18.1%0.01%
Apr 202633%15.2%0.78%8.8%1.7%24%16.5%<0.01%
May 202629.7%16.8%0.24%8.4%1.5%28.8%14.5%<0.01%
Jun 202647.8%1.1%0.48%0.66%2%32.4%15.6%<0.01%
Jul 202684.7%2.9%0.71%1.6%4.1%5.1%0.92%<0.01%
Aug 202676.4%11%2.1%5.5%2.9%1.8%0.33%<0.01%
Sep 202659.8%15.2%11.3%6.9%4.7%1.8%0.34%0.01%

  1. 1.NRL

    59.8%

    Held 1st. 2.2M estimated branded searches, -22.8% vs prior month. Share -16.6 points.

  2. 2.Premier League

    15.2%

    Held 2nd. 561K estimated branded searches, +36.6% vs prior month. Share +4.2 points.

  3. 3.NFL

    11.3%

    Moved from 5th to 3rd. 418K estimated branded searches, +439.1% vs prior month. Share +9.2 points.

  4. 4.A-League

    6.9%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 254K estimated branded searches, +22.5% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  5. 5.AFL

    4.7%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 175K estimated branded searches, +63.3% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  6. 6.NBA

    1.8%

    Held 6th. 64.8K estimated branded searches, -5.7% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  7. 7.Super Rugby Pacific

    0.34%

    Held 7th. 12.4K estimated branded searches, +0.49% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Super Smash

    0.01%

    Held 8th. 480 estimated branded searches, +84.6% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between AFL and its closest rivals

Every comparison with AFL

7 comparisons

How has branded search demand for AFL changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for AFL in New Zealand rose from 13K to 175K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AFL’s share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand increased from 0.52% to 4.7%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AFL’s share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand peaked at 4.7% in September 2026 and was lowest at 0.13% in December 2025.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AFL rose from 6th to 5th among sports leagues in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand sports leagues in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, NFL overtook A-League and AFL to rank 3rd among sports leagues in New Zealand, with 11.3% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Premier League gained share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 11% to 15.2%.

  3. In September 2026, AFL gained share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 2.9% to 4.7%.

  4. In September 2026, A-League gained share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 5.5% to 6.9%.

  5. In September 2026, NRL lost share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 76.4% to 59.8%.

  6. NBA’s share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 32.4% to 1.8% in September 2026.

How are AFL’s branded searches counted?

14 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using AFL’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • afl
  • afl collingwood
  • afl draw
  • afl fixture
  • afl grand
  • afl ladder
  • afl live
  • afl live scores
  • afl match
  • afl results
  • afl results today
  • afl scores
  • afl teams
  • afl w

Do you work for AFL? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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