List of VFL/AFL players with international backgrounds

This is a list of Australian Football League players who have multicultural ancestry (which includes players born overseas or who had one parent born overseas).[1]

In 2020, about 15 per cent of AFL players were born overseas or had one parent born overseas. This was up from 13 per cent in 2019, according to AFL data.[2] In 2015 season there were 121 multicultural players, more than half had one parent from Anglophone countries, mainly the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand.[3]

Current players born outside of Australia

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Birthplace Player Debut Current club Ref.
  Kenya Leek Aleer 2022 Greater Western Sydney
  Kenya Aliir Aliir 2014 Port Adelaide
  Egypt Mac Andrew 2022 Gold Coast [4]
  Egypt James Borlase 2023 Adelaide [5]
  South Sudan Mabior Chol 2016 Hawthorn
  United Kingdom Aidan Corr 2013 North Melbourne
  United States Mason Cox 2015 Collingwood [6][7]
  South Africa Neil Erasmus 2022 Fremantle [8]
  Ethiopia Changkuoth Jiath 2018 Hawthorn
  South Africa Jason Johannisen 2012 Western Bulldogs
  Ireland Darragh Joyce 2018 Brisbane Lions
  Ireland Mark Keane 2019 Adelaide
  South Sudan Buku Khamis 2019 Western Bulldogs
  Ireland James Madden 2021 Brisbane Lions
  Belarus Oleg Markov 2016 Collingwood
  New Zealand Rowan Marshall 2017 St Kilda
  Canada Andrew McGrath 2017 Essendon
  Ireland Conor McKenna 2015 Brisbane Lions
  Ireland Conor Nash 2017 Hawthorn
  Papua New Guinea Bruce Reville 2024 Brisbane Lions [9]
  Ghana Brandon Walker 2021 Fremantle
  England Josh Worrell 2021 Adelaide

Albania

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Austria

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Barbados

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Brazil

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Canada

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Chile

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China

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Name Origins Career
Connor Downie Chinese mother 2021–2022
Ernie Foo Chinese parents[18] 1914
Lin Jong Taiwanese mother; Timorese-Chinese father[13] 2012–2021
Wally Koochew Chinese father and Norwegian mother[19][20] 1908
Dannie Seow Born in Singapore; Chinese father[21][22] 1986-1987; 1989-1990
George Tansing Chinese father[22][23][24] 1908
Jack Wunhym Chinese father[25] 1927–29

Cook Islands

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Croatia

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Cyprus

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Czech Republic

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Denmark

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East Timor

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Egypt

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Ethiopia

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Estonia

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Fiji

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France

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Germany

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Ghana

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Greece

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see: Greek Team of the Century[51]

Hong Kong

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Hungary

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India

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Ireland

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Name Origins Career
Colm Begley Born in Ireland[60] 2006–2009
Shadeau Brain Irish heritage 2024–
Dermott Brereton Irish parents[31] 1982–1992, 1994–1995
Callum Brown Grew up in Ireland[61] 2021–
Ciarán Byrne Born in Ireland[7] 2014–2018
Brian Donnelly Born in Ireland 2009–2010[62]
Matt Duffy Born in Ireland[61] 2025–[63]
Paul Earley Born in Ireland[60] 1984
Karl Gallagher Born in Ireland[64] 2024–
Cian Hanley Welsh mother, Irish father[7] 2015–2018
Pearce Hanley Irish, born in England, United Kingdom; Welsh mother, Irish father[13][7] 2008–2020
Darragh Joyce Born in Ireland[7] 2017–
Mark Keane Born in Ireland[7] 2019–2021, 2023–
Tadhg Kennelly Born in Ireland[60] 2001–2008, 2010–2011
James Madden Born in Ireland 2021–
James Magner Irish parents[13] 2012–13
Jock McHale Irish parents 1903–1920
Niall McKeever[13] Born in Ireland[60] 2010–2013
Conor McKenna Born in Ireland[7] 2014–2020, 2023–
Dermot McNicholl Born in Ireland[60] 1990
Rob Monahan Born in Ireland[61] 2024–
Caolan Mooney Born in Ireland[13] 2012–2014
Oisín Mullin Born in Ireland[61] 2023–
Conor Nash Born in Ireland[7] 2017–
Liam O'Connell Born in Ireland[61] 2024–
Mark O'Connor Born in Ireland[7] 2017–
Brett O'Hanlon [65] 2012–2014
Jamie O'Reilly Born in Ireland[13] 2010–2011
Colin O'Riordan Born in Ireland[7] 2017–2022
Setanta Ó hAilpín Irish father, Fijian mother[13] 2005–2013
Michael Quinn Born in Ireland 2009–2010
Ciarán Sheehan Born in Ireland[7] 2014–2017
Brian Stynes Born in Ireland[60] 1992
Jim Stynes Born in Ireland 1987–1998[44]
Zach Tuohy Born in Ireland[13][7] 2011–
Tommy Walsh Born in Ireland[13] 2012–2014
Sean Wight Born in Scotland to Irish parents[60] 1984–1995

Israel

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Italy

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Jamaica

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Japan

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Kenya

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Latvia

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Lebanon

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Lithuania

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Malaysia

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Malta

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Myanmar

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Netherlands

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New Zealand

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Nigeria

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Macedonia

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Norway

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Papua New Guinea

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Peru

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Philippines

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Poland

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Russia

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Samoa

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Seychelles

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Serbia

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Slovenia

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South Africa

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South Korea

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Spain

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Sri Lanka

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Sudan/South Sudan

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Sweden

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Switzerland

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Taiwan

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Thailand

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Tonga

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Turkey

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Tuvalu

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Uganda

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  • Emmanuel Irra (Born in Uganda)[7]

Ukraine

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United Kingdom

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England

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Northern Ireland

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Scotland

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Wales

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United States

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Zimbabwe

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See also

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References

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