Australian Football
Interchange bench and player rotations
How AFL interchanges work in 2026: the five-player bench, the 75-interchange cap, the interchange gate and what happens when the cap is exceeded.
Team sheet and interchange bench
For the 2026 AFL Premiership Season clubs name 23 players: 18 start on the field and five are Interchange Players. The previous substitute role was removed, so all five bench players are ordinary interchange options.
How an interchange is made
An interchange occurs when one player leaves the Playing Surface through the Interchange Gates and the replacement player enters. The replacement must wait until the player being replaced has left through the Club Interchange Gate.
The 75-interchange cap
The AFL Interchange Cap is 75 for a match. An interchange counts when the replacement player enters, while changes at quarter time, half time and three-quarter time do not count. Some medical or forced exits are treated separately by the Regulations.
What happens if the cap is exceeded
Once the cap is reached, extra interchanges are generally not allowed except for listed medical or forced cases. Exceeding the cap results in a free kick and a 50 metre penalty to the opposition, and the entering player is ordered off. These details are AFL competition regulations and may differ in other Australian football competitions.