Which rules does this guide cover, and what changed for 2026?

This guide covers the AFL Premiership men's competition in the 2026 season. It uses the official Laws of Australian Football 2026 (final version dated 13 February 2026) and the AFL Regulations (11 February 2026), both published by the AFL at https://www.afl.com.au/about-afl/laws-of-the-game and https://resources.afl.com.au.

Headline changes for 2026 are the removal of the centre bounce (centre restarts are now ball-ups), the removal of the substitute (clubs now name 23 players with five on the interchange bench), and several changes aimed at cutting dead time, including a tighter stand rule and shrugging in the tackle counting as prior opportunity.

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) and "Seven rule changes" (https://www.afl.com.au/news/1447460/seven-rules-changes-afl-to-crack-down-on-dead-time-in-games-in-2026).