Brand Map Australia: Does the AFL or NRL reign supreme Down Under?

In Australia, sporting loyalty isn't just about the jersey you wear on game day. From backyard kick-arounds to blockbuster finals, the sports we follow shape our weekends, friendships and sense of identity.

But zoom in by state, and a clearer picture emerges: Australia isn’t one nation under one sport.

Our Brand Map survey of over 3,000 Australians across NSW & ACT, QLD, and VIC confirms that state pride still rules the field – but for younger demographics especially, global sports are writing rules of their own.

AFL or NRL? It still depends where you live.

Whether you’re pulling on a scarf for the footy or gearing up for Origin night, state identity remains a powerful force in Aussie sports culture. When we asked Australians which sports league they most prefer to watch, attend or follow, the results echoed familiar lines – namely, the cultural divide long nicknamed the "Barassi Line".

In Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia, AFL dominates as the preferred sports league. Nearly 39% of Victorians and South Australians chose AFL as their preferred top sport, along with 29% of West Australians.

• In contrast, New South Wales and, ACT and Queensland are NRL heartlands. Around 23% of people in NSW & ACT and 24% in Queensland named Rugby League as their preferred league.

The AFL has historically outspent the NRL on advertising – especially in out-of-home placements across Victoria – while the NRL has concentrated efforts in New South Wales and Queensland. Both codes also play the long game, investing in cross-border brand deals (like the Sydney Swans x Ray White NSW/ACT partnership) to expand and strengthen their influence.

In Victoria, brands aligned with AFL tap into deep community pride. In NSW, ACT and QLD, backing NRL connects you to local hearts and minds. The takeaway for brands here is that regional nuance isn’t a detail. It’s a lever.

Regional nuance in action

Tailoring your messaging and sponsorships to the dominant codes per state, not per country, is a no-brainer when it comes to securing preference in the Australian market. But of course, that’s not the whole story.

It’s not just about where you live. It’s about who you are.

To enmesh your brand in the culture of a community, segmenting by state may not be enough. When you layer in elements like gender for sharper targeting, that’s where brand tracking gets powerful. For example:

• In Victoria, AFL is embraced across both genders.
• In Queensland, it’s different. Gender drives a noticeable split, with men significantly more likely to prefer Rugby League compared to the state average.

When it comes to noticeable splits, our research across age demographics shows something deeper happening beneath the surface too.

Contrast these two campaigns run for AFL fans by Toyota and Carlton run across VIC, NSW and WA. Toyota's family friendly campaigns link the brand with family-friendly values and local pride, tugging at the heartstrings of suburban and regional Australians by tapping into the power of community.

Carlton’s irreverent annual campaign uses match day ads, goofy pub tie-ins, weekly reveals and more by allowing community footy clubs across VIC, NSW and WA to draft an ex-AFL legend as their new teammate for real matches.

While state pride and tradition pull crowds, global sports are gaining ground.

• In Victoria, age plays a big role. The 55+ crowd are the key drivers of the AFL’s dominance. Meanwhile, younger Victorians (18–34) are significantly less likely to back AFL compared to the State average, showing stronger interest in UFC.
• In New South Wales, 55+ Australians are still the most loyal to Rugby League. But younger Sydneysiders are branching out, leaning into UFC, NBA, and MLB.
• Queensland, as usual, is the outlier. In the sunshine state, NRL is popular across all age groups.

NRL’s tribal roots in working-class Sydney and Brisbane suburbs built a loyalty that still holds strong in dominant older demographics – and that loyalty translates to the brands they staunchly support. Watch any game, and the first thing you’ll see is big-brand saturation.

The good news? That’s not the full picture. If you’re a small, niche or new challenger brand, you don’t need to crouch, touch, pause and engage with the big dogs and their bigger budgets to get a foothold. The real opportunity for you lies with younger Australians, who aren’t yet locked in. They’re more open and curious about new sports and formats. If your goal is to plug into youth culture, aligning with this curiosity and crafting narratives that resonate across traditional code boundaries might just be your best in.

Said differently: Challenger brands and startups might find it easier to own the Australian experience of moments in UFC, NBA, global or niche sports – especially if they’re more in their comfort zone on social media than legacy brands. It’s not about competing for slivers of attention in over-marketed AFL or NRL environments. It’s about finding the gap and making a line break when the opportunity reveals itself.

So, how do you spot those opportunities before it’s too late?

Leveraging a brand tracking software to double-click on regional passions isn't just interesting. It's essential for smart marketing.

Sport in Australia isn’t just sport. It’s belonging. It’s identity. It’s emotion, resonance and recognition stitched into every chant, cheer, and scoreboard upset. Marketing to sports fans without acknowledging the Barassi Line (and the nuance within) doesn’t just risk being tone-deaf – it risks wasting your spend in the wrong place. That’s where real-time brand tracking tools like ours come in handy: they show both the qualitative and quantitive data, to give you an unbiased read on whether your marketing is resonating with your target demographics.

Tracksuit has state-wide brand tracking available in QLD, NSW & ACT and VIC. Want to kick off a conversation around state-wide tracking? Get in touch with us here.