The 2026 Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) seasons have finished in a blaze of glory for the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Roosters.

But as the premiers celebrate, three new teams are working to reshape Australia’s two biggest football codes.

In the next 18 months, three clubs will launch: the Perth Bears (NRL and NRLW) in 2027 and the Papua New Guinea Chiefs (NRL) in 2028. The Tasmania Devils will join the AFL/AFLW in 2028.

I’ve researched league expansion and the challenge of establishing new teams in Australian and New Zealand sports. Here are the astronomical challenges, and opportunities, these upstart clubs face.

Three clubs, three completely different landscapes

Professional sports are typically stable: expansion is infrequent and the decision to add new teams is not taken lightly.

The Bears, Devils and Chiefs are emerging thanks to the involvement of the Australian state and federal governments.

Tasmania is a traditional Australian football-loving state that lobbied for decades for its own license before finally getting the green light in 2023.

However, it lacked a contemporary stadium and critical mass to underpin a viable business model. The Tasmanian government’s solution was to underwrite the club: tipping in a reported A$12 million per year and paying the bulk of the new $1 billion-plus stadium.

The Perth Bears are also a strategic........

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