AFL vs NRL:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?

Name: AFL vs NRL: Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In August 2026, NRL had more branded searches than AFL among sports leagues in New Zealand. NRL was estimated to have 2.9M branded searches compared to AFL’s 108K, and held a 76.1% Share of Search versus AFL’s 2.9%.

Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand in August 2026Which is more popular in search, AFL or NRL?

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Which is more popular in search, AFL or NRL?

Compare the professional sports leagues New Zealand fans watch and follow. 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.

AFL and NRL among sports leagues in New Zealand, by month

Month	NRL	Premier League	A-League	AFL	NFL	NBA
Oct 2025	14.4%	24.8%	15.2%	0.52%	16.8%	28.2%
Nov 2025	3.5%	24%	16.2%	0.27%	14.9%	41.1%
Dec 2025	1.8%	30.8%	20%	0.13%	14.3%	33.1%
Jan 2026	2.2%	27.8%	19.9%	0.16%	16.9%	33.1%
Feb 2026	10.7%	34%	21.2%	0.32%	3.4%	30.4%
Mar 2026	34%	23%	14.5%	1.8%	0.61%	26.2%
Apr 2026	38.4%	19.1%	11.9%	2%	0.91%	27.7%
May 2026	33.8%	20.9%	10.8%	1.7%	0.28%	32.6%
Jun 2026	56.7%	1.3%	0.86%	2.4%	0.57%	38.2%
Jul 2026	85.2%	3%	1.8%	4.2%	0.72%	5.1%
Aug 2026	76.1%	11.5%	5.7%	2.9%	2.1%	1.8%
Sep 2026	—	—	—	—	—	—

How has the AFL and NRL comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

NRL was ahead of AFL in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
Across the 11 months ending August 2026, AFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand moved from 0.52% to 2.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 13.3K to 108K.
Across the 11 months ending August 2026, NRL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues in New Zealand moved from 14.4% to 76.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 374K to 2.9M.

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

4 changes

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

How each brand is measured

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