2008 Australian Football International Cup

2008 Australian Football International Cup
2008 AFL International Cup
Tournament details
Host countryAustralia
Dates27 August – 5 September 2008
Teams16
Final positions
Champions Papua New Guinea (1st title)
Runners-up New Zealand
Third place South Africa
Fourth place Ireland
Papua New Guinea after a lap of honour
The victorious Papua New Guinea Mosquitos celebrate winning the cup for the first time

The 2008 Australian Football International Cup was the third time the Australian Football International Cup, an international Australian rules football competition, has been contested.

It was scheduled for 2008 (as part of the 150th year celebrations of Australian Football), with 16 nations competing.

The tournament was hosted by both Melbourne and Warrnambool in Victoria, Australia between 27 August and 6 September, with a single match additionally played in Geelong.[1]

Like previous tournaments, the competition was open to men's teams with strict nationality eligibility rules.

The Grand Final was played between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea were victorious by 8 points with a goal kicked after the siren. Like the Grand Final in previous years, the match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as a curtain raiser to the 2008 AFL Second qualifying Final which attracted a crowd of 76,703 spectators. However unlike previous tournaments, the final was not televised.