Is there still a medical substitute in the AFL?
Rule- Australia
- AFL
- AFL Premiership
- Laws of the Game
- 2026
- Fans
No. The substitute was removed for the 2026 season. Clubs now name 23 players on the team sheet: 18 starters and five interchange players, plus three emergencies. Nobody can be brought on as an extra player once the game starts.
Injured players are instead covered by the interchange rules. A player who leaves for a stretcher, an extended medical assessment, a detailed off-field head injury assessment or the blood rule can be replaced without using up the 75-interchange cap, even after the cap has been reached.
Sources: AFL.com.au, "Changes to Laws of the Game and AFL Regulations" (https://www.afl.com.au/news/1435386/league-scraps-sup-rule-and-centre-bounce-in-major-shake-up); AFL Regulations (11 February 2026), Regulations 12.2 and 12.8(c).
Added 24 Oct 2026