The AFL is pleased to announce the dates and times for Rounds 16 to 22 of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
The Sydney Swans, Geelong, Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Adelaide Crows, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs will feature heavily in primetime Thursday and Friday night timeslots across the second half of the season.
The Sydney Swans will play two Thursday night and two Friday night matches, along with Geelong, who have three Thursday night matches and one Friday night.
The Brisbane Lions and Collingwood will feature twice on Thursday nights and once on Friday night, while the Adelaide Crows, Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs will each play once on a Thursday night and twice on a Friday night.
Hawthorn will find themselves under Friday night lights twice, hosting the GWS GIANTS at the MCG in Round 16 before travelling to the Gabba in Round 22 to take on the Lions.
Thursday night football will feature an array of blockbuster matches, beginning with the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans in Round 16 at the Gabba. Round 17 kicks off with a Thursday night clash at GMHBA Stadium between 2025 Grand Finalists Geelong and the Lions, before current top-two sides, Fremantle and the Sydney Swans line up in a primetime Thursday night fixture at Optus Stadium in Round 18.
The back end of the fixture also sees North Melbourne return to primetime football. The Kangaroos will play Collingwood at Marvel Stadium in Round 18, with the match set to be North Melbourne’s first Friday night fixture in Melbourne since 2019.
The Kangaroos will also face the Western Bulldogs on a Thursday night in Round 22.
Friday night double-headers will feature twice in Rounds 17 and 20, aimed at managing breaks between matches for clubs while maximising primetime audiences and crowd outcomes for local fanbases.
The Sydney Swans will host the Western Bulldogs at the SCG on a Friday night in Round 17, while the West Coast Eagles will face the Adelaide Crows at Optus Stadium in the first of the double-headers.
Round 20 will see Friday night footy at the MCG between Melbourne and Geelong, as well as the Western Derby between Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium.
Other non-Victorian rivalries are set for Saturday fixtures, including a Round 16 Showdown between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows under the lights at Adelaide Oval and a Round 20 twilight Sydney Derby between the GWS GIANTS and Sydney Swans at ENGIE Stadium.
In line with the release of the back end of the fixture, the AFL is excited to confirm that Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles will return for Rounds 16 to 19, bigger and better in 2026.
At a time where cost-of-living pressures are being felt by families in particular, Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles gives families an affordable, fun day out together.
Timing perfectly with the July school holidays, a host of kids' activations and entertainment will be available at matches around the country.
Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles reflects the AFL’s commitment to growing the next generation of fans and supporting families to create lifelong memories by attending a game.
General public tickets for Rounds 16 to 19 are on sale from Wednesday, 3 June.
AFL Head of Strategy and Scheduling Josh Bowler said:
“So far across the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season more than 2.8 million fans have attended the footy, and we’ve seen memorable moments, record attendances and strong ratings.
“When finalising the second half of the fixture, it’s our priority to deliver the best primetime football to our fans right across the country as we build momentum ahead of the finals series.
“It’s exciting to have Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles returning and lining up with school holidays nationally, allowing families to enjoy a day at the footy.”
The 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season is the third highest attended season after Round 9 with a total season attendance of 3,146,367 (match average: 38,844).
Only three seasons (2024, 2025, 2026) have delivered more than 3.1 million attendees after Round 9.
Season attendance year-to-date is up 24,000 on the same time of the 2025 season.