The 2026 SANFL season (officially known as the SANFL Hostplus League for sponsorship reasons) was the 147th season of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), the highest-level men's Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The season commenced on 27 March and concluded on 20 September.
won the premiership for the 32nd time, defeating by 14 points in the Grand Final. It was the club's second premiership of the decade and brought them within four titles of the record held by .
Background The 2026 season marked the 147th season of the competition and the fourth since the competition's return to a full 18-game home-and-away season following the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition continued to consist of ten clubs, including the reserves teams of Adelaide and Port Adelaide. The top five teams at the conclusion of the home-and-away season qualified for the finals series, which culminated in the grand final at Adelaide Oval.
entered the season as reigning premiers, having defeated Glenelg by 31 points in the 2025 grand final to deny the Bays the opportunity to become the first SANFL club to record three consecutive premierships since the 1950's. Four clubs entered the 2026 season with new senior coaches. West Adelaide appointed former Norwood premiership coach Nathan Bassett, while North Adelaide, Glenelg and Port Adelaide also appointed new senior coaches. Port Adelaide appointed Jacob Surjan to lead its SANFL side.
Clubs Venues and leadership Club Coach Captain(s) Home ground(s) Capacity (R) Matthew Wright Kieran StrachanN/AN/A Paul Thomas Kyle Presbury X Convenience Oval 18,000 Matthew Clarke Liam McBean Stratarama Stadium 14,000 Josh Francou Alex Spina Revo Fitness Oval 15,000 Jade Sheedy Jacob Kennerley Coopers Stadium 9,700 (R) Jacob Surjan Jez McLennan Alberton Oval 8,000 Jarrad Wright (until round 9)Jack Maher (from round 10) Oscar Clavarino Magain Stadium 10,000 Martin Mattner Tom Lewis Thomas Farms Oval 7,000 Nathan Bassett Sam Frost Richmond Oval 9,000 Sam Jacobs Riley KnightJames Rowe(co-captains) Maughan Thiem Kia Oval 11,000 (R) = reserves team of an Australian Football League (AFL) club
Home-and-away season Source: 2026 Season Results at SANFL.com.au Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Ladder
(R) = Reserves for AFL Seniors
Finals series Week one – Qualifying and elimination finals
Week two – Semi-finals
Week three – Preliminary final
Week four – Grand Final
Awards Magarey Medal Nik Rokahr – 38 votes () Ken Farmer Medal Lachlan Hosie – 62 goals () R.O Shearman Medal Nik Rokahr – 111 votes () Stanley H. Lewis Trophy
Reserves Premiers
Under 18s Premiers
Under 16s Premiers
Representative matches SANFL vs VFL For the third successive season, an interstate representative match was arranged against the Victorian Football League (VFL). As was the case with the 2025 fixture, the match was timed to coincide with the AFL's Gather Round fixtures in Adelaide. The match was held as part of a double-header with the equivalent women's interstate match.
South Australian team
WAFL vs SANFL For the eighth successive season, an interstate representative match was fixtured between the SANFL and West Australian Football League (WAFL), with the two teams playing for the Haydn Bunton Junior Cup.
South Australian team
See also 2026 SANFL Women's League season
Notes
References
External links SANFL official website 2026 SANFL season results and attendances at AustralianFootball.com 2026 SANFL Fixture