How to play Australian rules football
Scope: An introduction using the 2026 Laws of Australian Football, with AFL men’s competition differences identified.
Australian rules football is played on an oval. Teams move an oval ball by kicking or handballing and try to finish with a shot at goal. In the AFL men’s competition, each team has 18 players on the field and five interchange players in a match squad of 23 in 2026.
Following the play
In the 2026 AFL competition, an umpire throws the ball up in the centre to begin a quarter and after a goal. Players contest possession and can move in any direction: there is no general offside rule.
A handball means holding the ball in one hand and striking it with the other fist. Throwing is illegal. A player carrying the ball must bounce it or touch it on the ground at least once every 15 metres.
What is a mark?
A player can claim a mark by catching a kick that travels at least 15 metres before being touched by another player or the ground. A mark lets that player take a protected kick, or choose to play on.
Tackles and free kicks
A legal tackle must be between the shoulders and knees and must not be dangerous. Holding-the-ball decisions depend on prior opportunity, legal disposal and the circumstances of the tackle. Being tackled without releasing the ball is not automatically a free kick in every situation.
Reading the score
Each end has two central goal posts and two outer behind posts. A legal goal is worth six points; a behind is worth one. A score of 10.8 means ten goals and eight behinds: 68 points in total.
Boundary decisions also vary. A throw-in is one restart, but out-on-the-full and other infringements can give a free kick. Check the detailed rules and your competition’s variations.
Sources and review
Reviewed on against Laws of Australian Football 2026, Laws 5, 12–18; also the AFL announcement on the 2026 five-player interchange bench. This is an introduction; the full rules and the regulations for your competition take precedence.