---
title: "Sports leagues in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare the professional sports leagues New Zealand fans watch and follow. Share of Search among NRL, Premier League, A-League, AFL, NFL and NBA, the sports leagues Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sports-leagues"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Sports leagues in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare the professional sports leagues New Zealand fans watch and follow. Share of Search among NRL, Premier League, A-League, AFL, NFL and NBA, the sports leagues Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Sports leagues
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 6
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: NRL, 76.1%

## Which brand is most popular in search among sports leagues in New Zealand?

- In August 2026, NRL was the most searched among sports leagues in New Zealand, with an estimated 2.9M branded searches and 76.1% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Premier League is in 2nd place, 64.6 percentage points behind at 11.5% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NRL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand increased from 14.4% to 76.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Premier League’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand decreased from 24.8% to 11.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, A-League’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand decreased from 15.2% to 5.7%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, AFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand increased from 0.52% to 2.9%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand decreased from 16.8% to 2.1%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NBA’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand decreased from 28.2% to 1.8%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NRL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand peaked at 85.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 1.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Premier League’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand peaked at 34% in February 2026 and was lowest at 1.3% in June 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, A-League’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand peaked at 21.2% in February 2026 and was lowest at 0.86% in June 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, AFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand peaked at 4.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 0.13% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand peaked at 16.9% in January 2026 and was lowest at 0.28% in May 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NBA’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand peaked at 41.1% in November 2025 and was lowest at 1.8% in August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NRL rose from 5th to 1st among sports leagues in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, A-League rose from 4th to 3rd among sports leagues in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, AFL rose from 6th to 4th among sports leagues in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NFL fell from 3rd to 5th among sports leagues in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NBA fell from 1st to 6th among sports leagues in New Zealand.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [NRL vs Premier League: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/nrl-vs-premier-league): 76.1% against 11.5% Share of Search.
- [NRL vs A-League: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/a-league-vs-nrl): 76.1% against 5.7% Share of Search.
- [NRL vs AFL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/afl-vs-nrl): 76.1% against 2.9% Share of Search.
- [NRL vs NFL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/nfl-vs-nrl): 76.1% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [Premier League vs A-League: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/a-league-vs-premier-league): 11.5% against 5.7% Share of Search.
- [Premier League vs AFL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/afl-vs-premier-league): 11.5% against 2.9% Share of Search.
- [Premier League vs NFL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/nfl-vs-premier-league): 11.5% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [A-League vs AFL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/a-league-vs-afl): 5.7% against 2.9% Share of Search.
- [A-League vs NFL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/a-league-vs-nfl): 5.7% against 2.1% Share of Search.
- [AFL vs NFL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/afl-vs-nfl): 2.9% against 2.1% Share of Search.

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

- In August 2026, Premier League overtook NBA to rank 2nd among sports leagues in New Zealand, at 11.5%.
- In August 2026, A-League overtook NBA to rank 3rd among sports leagues in New Zealand, at 5.7%.
- In August 2026, NFL overtook NBA to rank 5th among sports leagues in New Zealand, at 2.1%.
- In August 2026, NRL lost estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 85.2% to 76.1%.
- In August 2026, NBA lost estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 5.1% to 1.8%.
- In August 2026, AFL lost estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 4.2% to 2.9%.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | NRL | 76.1% | 2.9M | +59.6% | NRL |
| 2 | Premier League | 11.5% | 433K | +578.7% | Premier League |
| 3 | A-League | 5.7% | 214K | +465.3% | A-League |
| 4 | AFL | 2.9% | 108K | +23.5% | AFL |
| 5 | NFL | 2.1% | 77.9K | +413.4% | NFL |
| 6 | NBA | 1.8% | 68.9K | -36.4% | NBA |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | NBA | 731K | 28.2% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Premier League | 642K | 24.8% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | NFL | 435K | 16.8% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | A-League | 394K | 15.2% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | NRL | 374K | 14.4% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | AFL | 13.3K | 0.52% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | NBA | 1.2M | 41.1% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Premier League | 710K | 24% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | A-League | 480K | 16.2% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | NFL | 441K | 14.9% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | NRL | 103K | 3.5% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | AFL | 8K | 0.27% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | NBA | 1M | 33.1% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Premier League | 956K | 30.8% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | A-League | 620K | 20% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | NFL | 444K | 14.3% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | NRL | 54.9K | 1.8% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | AFL | 4K | 0.13% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | NBA | 1M | 33.1% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Premier League | 872K | 27.8% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | A-League | 626K | 19.9% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | NFL | 531K | 16.9% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | NRL | 68.4K | 2.2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | AFL | 4.9K | 0.16% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Premier League | 914K | 34% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | NBA | 818K | 30.4% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | A-League | 570K | 21.2% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | NRL | 287K | 10.7% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | NFL | 91.3K | 3.4% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | AFL | 8.5K | 0.32% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | NRL | 1.3M | 34% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | NBA | 1M | 26.2% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Premier League | 911K | 23% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | A-League | 575K | 14.5% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | AFL | 71.8K | 1.8% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | NFL | 24.4K | 0.61% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | NRL | 2M | 38.4% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | NBA | 1.5M | 27.7% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Premier League | 1M | 19.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | A-League | 630K | 11.9% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | AFL | 107K | 2% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | NFL | 48K | 0.91% | 6 |
| May 2026 | NRL | 2.1M | 33.8% | 1 |
| May 2026 | NBA | 2M | 32.6% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Premier League | 1.3M | 20.9% | 3 |
| May 2026 | A-League | 667K | 10.8% | 4 |
| May 2026 | AFL | 105K | 1.7% | 5 |
| May 2026 | NFL | 17.2K | 0.28% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | NRL | 1.7M | 56.7% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | NBA | 1.2M | 38.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | AFL | 72.3K | 2.4% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Premier League | 40.3K | 1.3% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | A-League | 26K | 0.86% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | NFL | 17.1K | 0.57% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | NRL | 1.8M | 85.2% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | NBA | 108K | 5.1% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | AFL | 87.8K | 4.2% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Premier League | 63.8K | 3% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | A-League | 37.8K | 1.8% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | NFL | 15.2K | 0.72% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | NRL | 2.9M | 76.1% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Premier League | 433K | 11.5% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | A-League | 214K | 5.7% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | AFL | 108K | 2.9% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | NFL | 77.9K | 2.1% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | NBA | 68.9K | 1.8% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | A-League | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | AFL | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | NBA | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | NFL | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | NRL | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Premier League | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **A-League**: Measured on the search terms “a league”, “a league champions”, “a league draw”, “a league fixtures”, “a league flashscore”, “a league football”, “a league ladder”, “a league livescore”, “a league men”, “a league mens”, “a league near me”, “a league new zealand”, “a league nz”, “a league online”, “a league result”, “a league scores”, “a league tab”, “a league women”, “aleague”, “aleague draw”, “aleague fixtures”, “aleague ladder”, “aleague scores”, “aleagues com au”, “aussie a league”, “fantasy a league”, “mens a league”, “premier a league”, “serie a league”, “the a league” and “uefa champions a league”, summed into one figure.
- **AFL**: Measured on the search terms “afl”, “afl collingwood”, “afl com au”, “afl draw”, “afl fixture”, “afl grand”, “afl ladder”, “afl live”, “afl live scores”, “afl match”, “afl near me”, “afl new zealand”, “afl nz”, “afl online”, “afl results”, “afl results today”, “afl scores”, “afl teams” and “afl w”, summed into one figure.
- **NBA**: Measured on the search terms “nba”, “nba com”, “nba draft”, “nba draw”, “nba finals”, “nba fixtures”, “nba games”, “nba games today”, “nba ladder”, “nba near me”, “nba news”, “nba nz”, “nba online”, “nba players”, “nba playoffs”, “nba result”, “nba result today”, “nba scores”, “nba standings”, “nba stats”, “nba today” and “nba trades”, summed into one figure.
- **NFL**: Measured on the search terms “cowboys nfl”, “espn nfl draft”, “nfl”, “nfl com”, “nfl denver broncos”, “nfl draft”, “nfl draw”, “nfl fantasy”, “nfl fixtures”, “nfl games”, “nfl games today”, “nfl jerseys”, “nfl ladder”, “nfl live”, “nfl near me”, “nfl nz”, “nfl online”, “nfl players”, “nfl preseason”, “nfl pro bowl”, “nfl scores”, “nfl super bowl”, “nfl teams”, “nfl tickets”, “nfl today”, “nfl vikings” and “r nfl”, summed into one figure.
- **NRL**: Measured on the search terms “dolphin nrl”, “nrl”, “nrl com”, “nrl draw”, “nrl finals”, “nrl fixtures”, “nrl gf”, “nrl gf tickets”, “nrl ladder”, “nrl matches”, “nrl matches tonight”, “nrl near me”, “nrl nz”, “nrl online”, “nrl results”, “nrl scores”, “nrl standings”, “nrl teams list”, “nrl tickets”, “nrl tonight” and “nrl w”, summed into one figure.
- **Premier League**: Measured on the search terms “british premier league”, “fa premier league results”, “fa premier league table”, “fantasy premier league”, “premier league”, “premier league draw”, “premier league fixtures”, “premier league game”, “premier league ladder”, “premier league near me”, “premier league new zealand”, “premier league nz”, “premier league online”, “premier league players”, “premier league results”, “premier league scores”, “premier league standings”, “premierleague”, “premierleague com”, “premierleague fixtures”, “premierleague ladder”, “premierleague nz”, “premierleague scores”, “premierleague table” and “sky sports premier league”, summed into one figure.

- [A-League](/demand/nz/brands/a-league)
- [AFL](/demand/nz/brands/afl)
- [NBA](/demand/nz/brands/nba)
- [NFL](/demand/nz/brands/nfl)
- [NRL](/demand/nz/brands/nrl)
- [Premier League](/demand/nz/brands/premier-league)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among sports leagues in New Zealand?

In August 2026, NRL was the most searched among sports leagues in New Zealand, with an estimated 2.9M branded searches and 76.1% estimated Share of Search within this set.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Sports leagues in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sports-leagues

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sports-leagues. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.