Premier Flag League announced for 2026

As Flag Football continues its rapid growth globally, AFA is committed to ensuring Australia continues to discover and develop world-class Flag Football athletes capable of competing on the international stage.

The Premier Flag League is designed as a shared competitive platform, enabling the best Flag Football athletes to compete directly alongside and against Australian squad members, while contributing to the identification and development of future national team talent.

Speaking on the announcement of the Premier Flag League, Wade Kelly, AFA CEO, highlighted the milestone.

"The growth of Flag Football globally is phenomenal and we want to be a major part of that growth. With the LA28 Olympics on the horizon this is another key milestone in the development of elite flag football in Australia.

"With the Olympic men’s and women’s both qualified for the 2026 World Cup and squads centralising at the world class USANA Rabbitohs Centre, this Premier Flag League will not only ensure they have elite competition week to to week but also give players and coaches outside the centralised squad to put their case forward.

With 6 teams in the Men's and Women's competitions I’m particularly excited to see the ‘young guns’ teams in each competition in action. There’s no doubt long term the Premier Flag League has huge upside. Fast, action packed and both women’s and men’s it is an absolute hit for existing and new fans of American Football across the generations."

As part of AFA’s partnership with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Australian squads competing in the league will utilise world-class high performance facilities as their centralised training base.

With preparations underway for the IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf later this year, and a long-term focus on qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics, the Premier Flag League will play a critical role in providing athletes with a professional, high-performance competition environment.

Additionally the establishment of the Premier Flag League supports AFA’s broader mission to grow participation, opportunity, and support for American Football across Australia.

The inaugural season of American Football Australia’s Premier Flag League begins in April 2026, with talent identification and coach recruitment already underway.

For more information on player recruitment, coaching roles, or commercial opportunities, please contact American Football Australia at info@americanfootball.org.au.

KEY INFORMATION - Premier Flag League 2026

Match Dates:

Saturday Nights

Round 1: April 11

Final Round: July 04

Location:

USANA Rabbitohs Centre