The AFL Legends Game is back in 2026, featuring some of the biggest names in football.
The marquee contest brings together some familiar faces and stars of the AFL to help raise money and awareness for prostate cancer.
Former players from the entire competition will don either the Big V or the All Stars red guernsey at Marvel Stadium, and these are some names to keep an eye out for.
Gary Ablett Jnr (Victoria)
Arguably the best player in football's history will play for Victoria.
Ablett played 357 games for Geelong and Gold Coast, following on from his superstar father, Gary.
He was recently inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame after claiming two premiership medals, two Brownlow Medals, five Leigh Matthew MVP trophies, eight All-Australian blazers, three AFLCA player of the year awards, six best and fairests (two at Geelong; four at Gold Coast).
The man known as "the little master" was simply a marvel to watch.
Dustin Martin (Victoria)
The Tigers' great helped deliver a drought-breaking premiership in 2017, and reigns supreme, standing alone as the player awarded the most Norm Smith Medals on Grand Final day, with three.
Martin played 302 games for Richmond, claiming the three flags as well as the 2017 Brownlow Medal, Leigh Matthews MVP trophy, four All-Australian blazers, three Gary Ayres awards (best finals player) and two Tigers best and fairests.
He was drafted with Pick 3 in 2009, and turned down incredible offers from rivals to remain in the yellow and black, which paid dividends.
Lance Franklin (All Stars)
The goal-kicking champion has largely spent his time post-football away from the game, but has made returns to local leagues and will don the All Stars guernsey.
Franklin kicked 1066 to finish as the fifth all-time leading goalkicker in the history of the game. He played 354 games for Hawthorn and Sydney, and was a two-time premiership player in the brown and gold.
The left-footer was an eight-time All-Australian, four-time Coleman Medallist and a Peter Crimmins Medallist. He was also a 13-time leading goal-kicker across both clubs.
Nick Riewoldt (All Stars)
A former Pick 1, Riewoldt was the face of St Kilda for the better part of two decades.
The athletic centre-half forward played 336 games for the Saints, kicking 718 goals. He captained the club for 10 seasons and won the Trevor Barker Award six times.
Riewoldt was also a five-time All-Australian, won the 2002 Rising Star and was recently inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Andrew McLeod (All Stars)
The smooth-moving Crow was a joy to watch on the football field, and has participated in the Legends Game before.
McLeod is a two-time Adelaide premiership player, and was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground in both grand final victories.
He was the 2001 Leigh Matthews MVP trophy winner, a five-time All-Australian and a three-time Malcolm Blight Medallist amid a smattering of other individual awards.
McLeod is also in the Australian Football Hall of Fame and was named in the Indigenous Team of the Century.
Dane Swan (Victoria)
The enigmatic Pie is beloved by the football community given his on-field dominance but also his laid-back nature.
Swan, at the peak of his powers, was arguably the best midfielder in the competition, culminating in the 2011 Brownlow Medal.
Around that illustrious award, he won a premiership, the Leigh Matthews Trophy, the AFLCA Player of the Year, five All-Australian blazers and two Anzac Day Medals.
In addition to those feats, he claimed three Copeland Trophies and finished on the podium another four times.
Swan was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
Cyril Rioli (All Stars)
He's back again.
Cyril was a shooting star in the AFL, shining so bright throughout his 189 games for Hawthorn.
Rioli claimed a premiership in his first season at the Hawks, and added three more pieces of silverware by the end of 2015, including a Norm Smith Medal.
Cyril was a walking highlight reel, and everything he touched turned to gold.
He was also a three-time All-Australian.
Shane Crawford (All Stars)
The iconic Hawk is most remembered for the 'that's what I'm talking about' remark after securing an elusive flag in his last ever AFL match.
Crawford played 305 games in the brown and gold, and was a Brownlow Medallist and Leigh Matthews Trophy recipient in 1999.
The hard-running midfielder also captained the club for six years.
Crawford also claimed four All-Australian blazers and four Peter Crimmins Medals.
He quickly turned into a media sensation, and completed a fundraising 780km run in 2010 to raise awareness for breast cancer.
The 2026 edition of the Legends Game will be held on Thursday, August 27 at Marvel Stadium, and will be broadcast on Channel Seven and SevenPlus.
The marquee clash returned in 2025 in front of more than 34,000 fans after a six-year hiatus, and marked the 30th anniversary of the passing of one of the game's greats from prostate cancer - E.J. Whitten - a true legend of Australian football, whom the game was played in honour of for decades.
The contest was first introduced to football in 1996 in honour of Whitten, shortly after his passing.
You still have time to secure your tickets if you want to attend the Marvel event. Funds raised through the Four'N Twenty Legends Game help support patient care and vital prostate cancer research collaborations at the Australian Prostate Centre.
Get your tickets to the 2026 Four'N Twenty Legends Game HERE.
