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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Joe Hinchliffe

Some say Australia’s sporting axis has shifted. Does one city really reign supreme?

Broncos fans cheer during the teams return to Suncorp stadium in Brisbane, Monday, October 6, 2025. (AAP Image/Jono Searle) NO ARCHIVING
Broncos fans cheer on their returning teams at Brisbane’s Suncorp stadium after the men’s and women’s teams won their respective NRL grand finals. Photograph: Jono Searle/AAP

When the lord mayor of Brisbane took to social media in early September to crown his city “Australia’s sporting capital”, one could be forgiven for passing it off as the usual bluster of a local politician.

Sure, the lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, was referencing a global public relations firm’s world ranking of sports cities which listed Brisbane at 20 – eight places above its nearest local rival, Sydney.

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