The AFL's release of the 2026 season fixture has brought many crystal balls and confused looks.
But some peculiarities have definitely drawn some raised eyebrows, which really makes the AFL fan question those who put the schedule together.
From long-awaited battles, to a lengthy break between games, here are some of the biggest quirks in the 2026 AFL fixture...
Cats-Tigers battle forced to wait....... until Round 24
The clash between Geelong and Richmond is almost out of sight, out of mind.
Supporters and fans would conduct a never-ending scroll to the bottom of their club's 2026 fixture to notice when the Cats and Tigers will clash.
The AFL has scheduled the match between the two Victorian sides in Round 24, the last weekend of the home and away season.
It is an unusual quirk, given that both sides will experience double-ups against six teams before they face one another.
Hawthorn's monster break
The holidays have come early for the brown and gold, with a unique piece of fixturing seeing Hawthorn has an 18-day break between its Round 2 and 4 matches.
The Hawks' participation in Opening Round against GWS will see the club receive an extra week off.
Placed in Round 3 following contests against the Giants, Essendon and Sydney, with the latter played on Thursday, March 19, Sam Mitchell's men won't be seen on an AFL field until Monday, April 6.
An Easter Monday blockbuster will be the next time we get to see Hawthorn, ending its near three-week layoff.
Saints, Blues remain homebound
St Kilda is licking its lips with the 2026 fixture after it revealed that it won't leave Victoria after Round 13.
After the Saints' June 7 clash against Sydney at the SCG, the remaining 10 games of the season will be played predominantly at Marvel Stadium, while lone stints at the MCG and GMHBA Stadium are also among the schedule.
Carlton will also be putting their passports (figuratively) away after their trip to ENGIE Stadium to face GWS in Round 15, with the club set to remain in Victoria for the remainder of the season.
The Blues will do all their travelling across the country before the beginning of July, as their last nine contest will vary from Marvel Stadium and the MCG.
They will still play interstate sides such as Fremantle, Brisbane, Gold Coast and West Coast, but all will be in front of home crowds.
The reigning premiers shafted from primetime again
It is hard to imagine that Brisbane has been left out of the many primetime slots in the 2026 schedule, albeit saluting the past two premierships consecutively.
In the first 16 weeks of the season, the Lions will be seen three times across Thursday and Friday nights.
In comparison, Adelaide has seven clashes across the primetime nights. The Suns have four games on Friday, while Sydney has five spread over both evenings.
Only GWS and West Coast have fewer than the Lions from a non-Victorian club's point of view, while Melbourne, North Melbourne, Essendon and St Kilda have two each.
The AFL games record will been broken... but when?
There'll be much intrigue around when Collingwood great Scott Pendlebury breaks the all-time AFL games record, topping North Melbourne legend Brent Harvey's 432 matches.
Pendlebury currently sits on 425, and after recommitting to a 21st season, the impossible has quickly become feasible.
The champion Pie needs seven to tie Harvey's record, with eight placing him alone at the top of the table.
Collingwood plays Essendon on Anzac Day in Round 7, while in the following weeks they face Hawthorn (Friday night at the MCG), Geelong (Saturday night at the MCG) and Sydney (Friday night at the SCG).
If Pendlebury doesn't miss a beat to open the 2026 season, he could bring up the milestone in front of a packed MCG.
However, the Pies could think of waiting until Round 11 against West Coast at the MCG, which will be played Saturday twilight, should he be rested or injured early into the season.
