Australian rules football is a sport played in over sixty countries around the world.
This list does not include the International Rules Series and tests between Ireland and Australia, which is played in International Rules Football and not Australian Rules Football.
Tournaments and matches may differ from traditional Australian Football in terms of the ground used, the number of players fielded on a team and the number of Australian expatriates permitted to participate. Of these tournaments, the Australian Football International Cup currently has the most strict player eligibility rules and adherence to the Laws of Australian Football.
The following is a list of past and present international tournaments where the sport is or has been played:
| Tournament | Regions / Countries | Years of International Competition | Frequency | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49th Parallel Cup | USA vs Canada | 1999-2015 | Held in the intermediary years between the Australian Football International Cup, currently on hiatus. | |
| Arafura Games (only a demonstration sport) | Asia Pacific | 1999- | Biennial | |
| Asian Australian Football Championships (primarily expat) | Asia Pacific | 2000- | Annual | |
| Atlantic Alliance Cup | North Atlantic | 2001- | Defunct | |
| Australian Football International Cup | Worldwide | 2002- | Triennial | |
| Bali Nines | Oceania | 2002- | Annual | |
| Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament | Worldwide | 1998- | Triennial | |
| Bermuda Australian Rules Football Championships | North Atlantic | 2007 (Postponed indefinitely) | unknown | |
| Central European Australian Football League Championships | Central Europe | 2003–2004 | N/A | |
| Dubai Nines | Middle East | 2007 | unknown | |
| EU Cup | Europe | 2005 – 2007 – 2008 | Annual | |
| European Championships | Europe | 2010- | Triennial | |
| Four Nations Cup | Southeast Asia | 1999- | Annual | |
| Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival | Australasia | 1908 | N/A | |
| Narita Cup | Asia | 1996- | Annual | |
| Northern Cup | England, Scotland | 2003- | Annual | |
| Oktoberfest Cup | Denmark, France, United Kingdom | 1997- | Annual | |
| Trans-Atlantic Cup | United States, Great Britain | 2021- | Currently scheduled for London in August, 2021, and a TBC USA location in 2024. | |
| Tri-Nations Tournament | Germany, Denmark, Sweden | 2006–2007 | Defunct | |
Australian rules football, also called Australian football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the central goal posts, or between a central and outer post.
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who primarily use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is the world's most popular sport.
Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league.
Touch is a variant of rugby league that is conducted under the direction of the Federation of International Touch (FIT). Though it shares similarities and history with rugby league, it is recognised as a sport in its own right due to its differences which have been developed over the sport's lifetime.
International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players.
Touch rugby refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle each other but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball.
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the Rugby League Imperial Board, the International Rugby League Board and latterly the Rugby League International Federation, the IRL is responsible for the Laws of the Game, the development, organisation and governance of rugby leagues internationally, and for the sport's major international tournaments; most notably the Rugby League World Cup.
The Australian Football International Cup is a triennial international tournament in Australian rules football. It is the biggest international tournament in the sport that is open to all nations. More than 26 nations have participated and the competition has expanded into multiple pools and both men and women's divisions. At the time of the last tournament in 2017, the sport had a record 170,744 registered players outside Australia growing at a rate of 25 per cent per annum.
The United States Australian Football League (USAFL) is the governing body for Australian rules football in the United States. It was conceived in 1996 and organized in 1997. It is based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
The Geography of Australian rules football describes the sport of Australian rules football played in more than 60 countries around the world. By 2017 more than 26 nations had contested the Australian Football International Cup, the highest level of worldwide competition.
Women's Australian rules football, is the female-only form of Australian rules football, generally with some modification to the laws of the game.
Soccer, also known as football, is the most played outdoor club sport in Australia, and ranked in the top ten for television audience as of 2015. The national governing body of the sport is Football Australia (FA), which until 2019, organised the A-League Men, A-League Women, and still organises the Australia Cup, as well as the men's and women's national teams. The FA comprises nine state and territory member federations, which oversee the sport within their respective region.
Australian rules football in Ireland began in 1999 when clubs were simultaneously formed in Dublin and Belfast, however awareness of Australian rules football dates back to the 20th century due to similarities with Gaelic football and the country subsequently became a source of players for professional leagues in Australia, particularly the Australian Football League (AFL) and later the AFL Women's (AFLW) through the Irish Experiment which is ongoing. It is governed by AFL Ireland which is a member of AFL Europe.
Australian rules football in Scotland describes the sport of Australian rules football being played and watched in the country of Scotland. It is a minor, relatively unknown sport, currently played at amateur level by five clubs spread across the regions of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife and West Lothian. The Haggis Cup, a major invitational tournament hosted in Scotland, has been run annually since 2004.
Australian rules football in Asia dates back to 1910 but was only sporadically played until the 1980s after which it has boomed. Clubs have begun in most Asian countries and a governing body for the region, AFL Asia was formed in 2008 to coordinate the Asian Championship and promote its affiliated leagues. AFL Asia estimates that there are now more than 10,000 Australian Football players across the continent.
Australian rules football in the Middle East describes the minority sport of Australian rules football as it is watched and played in the Middle East region.
Australian rules football has been played at an organised amateur level in the United States and Canada since around 1990. There have also been clubs formed for occasional play in Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Colombia.
Rugby union is the most popular sport in Fiji ; however, rugby league, netball, and association football are also widely played. Various forms of traditional boat racing and wrestling are also popular.
Sport in Oceania varies from country to country. The most popular playing sport for men in Australia is Australian rules football, while for women is netball. Australian rules football is the most popular sport in terms of spectatorship and television ratings. Rugby union is the most popular sport among New Zealanders, while in Papua New Guinea rugby league is the most popular. While, Cricket is the most popular overall sport in Oceania.
Women's soccer, also known as women's football, is a popular sport in Australia. The sport has a high level of participation in the country both recreational and professional. Football Australia is the national governing body of the sport in Australia, organising the A-League Women, the Australian women's national team, and the nine state governing bodies of the game, among other duties. Women's participation of modern soccer has been recorded since the early 1920s. It has since become one of Australia's most popular women's team sports.
