With Tasmania Devils set to be the 19th AFL team in 2028, attention is turning to which new franchise will be the 20th in competition.
A 19-side competition will make for awkward fixturing with at least one club needing a bye in every round, meaning a 20-team league is likely inevitable.
It appears the front-runners to be the 20th franchise are a third team in Western Australia or a Darwin-based side in the Northern Territory.
While a third team in South Australia is also possible, Canberra is considered to unlikely as GWS continue to work on building their profile in the nation's capital.
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A new WA team, considered the current favourite, could be hosted in boom suburbs outside of Perth, including Joondalup in the north or Bunbury in the south-west, with both areas hosting AFL games in recent times.
Western Australia Football Commission chairman Michael Roberts was 'positive' about a third club in the state but wanted to make sure it didn't rely on AFL handouts to survive.
"We need to make sure the clubs here in WA aren’t like some of the clubs in Victoria who are putting their hands out or struggling for members," Roberts told CODE Sports, as reported by Fox Sports.
"We need to understand what is viable, and I think there’s still a lot of work to do to see if a third club would be supported here in WA."
A new possible franchise based in Darwin could be called Territory Lightning, and play in the Northern Territory state colours of black, white and orange.
It has been floated that the Northern Territory team would play its early season-games during Darwin's wet season in Alice Springs, before playing the rest of the season at purpose-built stadium in the state's capital.
Potential AFL 20th team franchises
- Third Western Australian club (Joondalup or Bunbury suggested)
- Territory Lightning (Darwin/Alice Springs)
- Third South Australian club
- Canberra