Aussie life in Shanghai: footy, cricket and mates

Short answer: Shanghai's Australian crowd is smaller than London's or Singapore's, but it's organised. Between the chamber, the footy club, the cricket league and a few well-attended drinks nights, you can find your people within a month.

The short version

AustCham Shanghai runs more than 80 events a year for a network of over 200 members and partners, and many are open to non-members [1].
Anzac Day and seasonal "Aussie Drinks" nights are the easiest way in; tickets in 2026 were RMB 60 for members and RMB 120 for non-members [2][3].
The Shanghai Tigers, founded in 2002, are the city's Australian rules football club [4].
Shanghai hosted AFL premiership matches at Jiangwan Stadium from 2017 to 2019 [5][6].
The Shanghai Cricket Club runs a two-division league and an annual match against the Hong Kong Cricket Club [7].

Who the Aussies in Shanghai are

You'll meet people on corporate postings, teachers and academics, students, entrepreneurs, and Chinese-Australians who have come back for work or family. That last group sometimes deals with questions about nationality and documents that other Aussies never think about, so if that's you, talk to the consulate early.

A lot of social life runs through business networks, sport and schools rather than pubs with a kangaroo on the sign.

The chamber: not just for suits

AustCham Shanghai describes itself as a hub for the Australia-China business relationship, running more than 80 events a year [1]. Plenty are serious: breakfast briefings with Australia's Ambassador to China, industry forums and lunches with visiting delegations [1]. But the chamber also runs the social glue of the community.

Event	What it looked like in 2026	Price
Spring Aussie Drinks	Friday 27 March, 6:30–9:30pm, at a steakhouse in the IFC Mall, Lujiazui, with Aussie-inspired drinks and a lucky draw [3]	RMB 60 members, RMB 120 non-members, drink included [3]
Anzac Day Drinks	Friday 24 April, 6:30–9:30pm, on Wukang Road in Xuhui, with the New Zealand Business Roundtable in China and Kea New Zealand [2]	RMB 60 members, RMB 120 non-members, one drink included [2]
Industry forums and briefings	Regular, mostly weekday breakfasts and lunches [1]	Varies

The Anzac evening was pitched as open to everyone and as a night to honour Australian and New Zealand service members [2]. If you only go to one event in your first year, make it that one. Check the chamber's events calendar for dates, because they shift each year.

Footy in Shanghai

The Shanghai Tigers

The Tigers were founded in 2002 by Australians and play in the AFL Asia competition [4]. AFL Asia lists them as a full member club, and their base is the Australian expat community, with support from the wider Shanghai crowd [4]. The playing list has long been mostly Australian expats, with some British, American and South African players thrown in [6]. You don't need to have played at a high level. Clubs like this survive on whoever turns up to training, and there's always room for an umpire, a runner or someone to organise the end-of-season dinner. Contact them through the club's site or the AFL Asia page before you pack your boots.

When the AFL came to town

On 14 May 2017 Port Adelaide played Gold Coast at Jiangwan Stadium, the first AFL premiership match in Shanghai [5]. Port came back each year to 2019, and the 2018 game drew 10,689 people, a record for AFL in China [6]. In 2019 St Kilda took on Port at the same ground, with AustCham members offered ticket discounts and Nick Riewoldt and Gavin Wanganeen talking footy with fans at a pub in Puxi beforehand [8]. The run of Shanghai premiership games covered 2017 to 2019 [6], and they're still a point of pride for the locals who went.

Watching the games

Broadcast rights in China have changed hands over the years [6], and Australian streaming services often won't play from a Chinese connection. Ask in the club or our group where the Grand Final is being shown. Expect a breakfast crowd, because Melbourne afternoon games land in the late morning or around lunchtime in Shanghai depending on daylight saving.

Cricket

The Shanghai Cricket Club runs a two-division league for member clubs and associate teams. The league was founded in 2004 by four clubs: Bashers CC, Hot Dogs CC, Maharajas CC and Pudong CC [7]. The club also hosts sixes tournaments, welcomes touring sides and plays an annual match against the Hong Kong Cricket Club [7]. Expect a properly international dressing room. Ask the club about the season dates and grounds when you arrive.

A taste of home

Australian food is around if you know where to look, and pricey when you find it. Import supermarkets and grocery apps carry Australian beef, cheese, wine and the occasional jar of Vegemite. Most Aussies pack a few staples in their luggage after every trip home, and swap tips on who has Tim Tams this month.

The better news: Shanghai's own food scene is one of the best in Asia. Xiaolongbao, shengjian bao, hairy crab season in autumn and a brunch culture that would hold its own in Fitzroy. Say yes to the work lunch.

Staying connected with home

Sort your messaging before you land. China blocks thousands of foreign websites, and social media is listed as blocked [9]. Agree with family which apps you'll use; many end up on WeChat.
Keep the consulate's details handy. The Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai provides consular, passport and notarial services and links to local hospitals and Lifeline Shanghai for support [10].
Know what the consulate can't do. It can't give legal advice, intervene in court cases, get you out of prison or pay fines [10].
Stay on the electoral roll. You can vote from Shanghai if you plan ahead.
Mind the time zone. Shanghai is two or three hours behind the east coast, depending on daylight saving, which makes calls home easier than from Europe.

A bit of Mandarin goes a long way

You can get by in central Shanghai with English, a translation app and a lot of pointing. But the Aussies who settle in best tend to learn enough Mandarin to order, give a taxi driver directions and have a joke with the building guard. Universities, language schools and private tutors all run classes for foreigners, and many employers will chip in if you ask. Even six months of weekly lessons changes how the city treats you, and how you feel about it. It also opens the door to Chinese friends, which is where Shanghai stops feeling like a posting and starts feeling like home.

Making it stick

The Aussies who thrive here usually say yes to one regular thing in the first month: footy training, a cricket team, a Mandarin class or the chamber's drinks. It turns a posting into a life.

Start with Cooee China, our Facebook group for Australians in China (join here). Post where you've landed and someone will tell you where the Grand Final breakfast is.

Aussie life in Shanghai: where to find footy, cricket and your people