The real truth about the AFL Fixture

The 2026 AFL Fixture has dropped and, barely 24 hours from its release the footy-loving public has been given more than enough to dissect so we don't even think about drifting off to the upcoming Ashes, basketball, soccer or even the AFLW finals.

The most important document in the footy world - infact the world in general - has been analysed to within an inch of its life.

Every hot take fired, every conspiracy floated, every commercial caveat dissected. And that's just in your group chat.

So it's my turn.

What follows is a set of cold, hard truths about the sacred AFL fixture - the method behind the madness, the logic buried under the layers of chaos, and the reality check every footy fan needs before mapping out their weekends from March to September.

Strap in. The truth might sting, but it'll get you through the season.

 

1. The AFL Fixture will NEVER be 'fair'

Let's be honest: you're more likely to see a train line to Melbourne Airport before you'll ever see a genuinely fair AFL fixture.

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The AFL fixture is, without exaggeration, one of the most compromised schedules in world sport. The league's head of fixturing, Josh Bowler, arguably has the most thankless job in the competition. And yes, that includes the MRO and Greg Swann.

Compiling the fixture means having to juggle club demands, marquee match-ups, venue contracts, and sub-clauses buried deep inside other clauses, in a competition where 10 clubs share one state's rationalised grounds (Geelong aside) under a stadium duopoly. Then there are the broadcasters - the real powerbrokers - who pay more than they can realistically afford to ensure the game is on TV every night of the week.

A quick look at the greatest website in the world, AFL Tables, tells the story.

The last time the VFL/AFL ran a pure home-and-away competition, where every club played at its actual home ground, was 1964 - the year before Richmond bunked in with Melbourne at the MCG, St Kilda moved to Moorabbin, and North Melbourne spent a season at Coburg. Even then, it was only an 18-round season with 12 teams, and not everyone played each other twice.

Put simply: it's never been fair, and it never will be.

2. 'Opening Round' and the bye rounds SUCK 

Firstly, just call Opening Round “Round One” and be done with it - even if a few teams have the bye and the marquee games are in NSW and Queensland.

Secondly, no one at AFL House seems brave enough to give the entire competition a week off. For obvious reasons: money and attention. So we're stuck with random byes, and with Tasmania joining in 2028 to bring us to 19 teams, we'll all just have to be NSYNC with the bye bye bye.

That said, the bye has produced one of the great online skits of all time: Port Adelaide vs The Bye (2011). Still legendary. Maybe we're overdue for a reboot?

3. Bad games don't discriminate by timeslot 

Of course, we all want every Thursday and Friday night game to be a blockbuster as we settle in for a big weekend of footy. Yet again - in what's becoming something of an obsession at League HQ - the AFL is backing Carlton to be the prime-time darlings.

The Blues have five Thursday or Friday night games in their first six appearances, and two more Friday nights before they face Geelong in round 12.

Given my previous life spruiking betting odds, I'd be taking the solid $1.80 about this backfiring, based purely on Carlton's recent prime-time track record.

“You win some, you lose more” has never had more relevance than when Carlton runs out under the bright lights.

But this isn't just a cheap shot at the Blues.

Footy is unpredictable. Good teams often do their best work off-Broadway, building form in the radical timeslots of Saturday afternoon or Sunday twilight. Before you know it, they're suddenly ready for the “big stage” when it actually matters.

So while we'd all love every Thursday and Friday night game to deliver, the reality is some will be duds. And that's fine. The better games don't always need to be in prime-time, and with a total of 26 (that's right, 26!) different start times pencilled in for the first two-thirds of the year, who knows when a good game will pop up.

4. Being shunned from prime-time is OK

Don't take it as an insult. Take it as an opportunity.

You get to play in the far more sociable slots - Saturday afternoons, Sunday afternoons and the odd twilight game. Think of the barbecues, pub sessions, and family trips you can plan around those games. 

Think of watching your team in actual daylight with a beautiful red Sherrin.

There's also the added bonus of avoiding extra booking fees for “big” games despite already paying for a membership, and dodging the red-carpet crowds who are only there to be seen. 

For the true believers, being an off-Broadway team is a badge of honour.

And if your club cops a trip to Geelong, embrace it. A genuine away day down the highway is an experience - especially considering taxpayers have been funding Kardinia Park's renovations across about 10 state and federal elections.

You might as well enjoy the facilities you helped pay for.

Plus, who honestly wants to go to the footy on a Thursday night with work the next day? Footy goes back to being something for the weekend. You work to earn a living, but on weekends comes the time… 

Bomber fans, take it from a Richmond supporter: most of my Tiger mates actually love the schedule we get now.

5. The good reason the Lions didn't get a lot of prime-time games

Although no one at HQ will ever admit it, the Brisbane Lions' absence from Thursday and Friday night fixtures has a very simple explanation: the Brisbane Broncos.

With the Broncos reigning premiers and the undisputed kings of Rugbah Leeg, anyone who follows the NRL knows they practically own Friday nights. Next year, with their profile even bigger and their early-season form likely to be strong, the Broncos will dominate Queensland's sporting landscape. If the Lions were scheduled head-to-head, they'd risk - infact, they know they'd be - getting lost in the noise.

Despite all the supposed code wars, the Lions and Broncos actually co-exist neatly in Brisbane. Both are winning, both are relevant, and Queenslanders sure love a winner. Spreading them across the weekend isn't a slight - it's simply smart programming.

Tickets will be scarce at both Suncorp and the Gabba, and avoiding clashes means the casual, glory-hunting Queensland sports fan can get their fix of both without choosing sides.

Of course, this harmony only lasts as long as both teams keep winning. Lose form, and suddenly the schedule stops looking so strategic.

6. The floating fixture is a farce 

I hate the floating section of the fixture. Always have, always will.

But, I also understand why it exists. With all the commercial interests at play (see point one), some compromise is unavoidable.

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It's good that Rounds 0–15 are locked in, but the Round 16–24 “floating” period is consistently annoying and needlessly speculative. Still, there are a couple of simple fixes that would make it far easier for fans, clubs, and broadcasters alike.

First: When the AFL releases the fixture, they should clearly state the exact date the remaining timeslots will be announced. Something like: “The schedule for Rounds 16–24 will be released on May 8.” That alone gives everyone a reference point.

Second: Any game played at a destination venue - Canberra, Darwin, Launceston, Alice Springs, Cairns, Ballarat, Hobart - should never be part of the floating fixture. These games exist specifically to attract travelling fans and drive tourism. Locking in dates and times from day one is just common sense.

For example: Hawthorn's Launceston games in Rounds 17 (v Melbourne) and 21 (v North Melbourne). If they were simply listed as Sunday afternoon fixtures from the outset, everyone could plan accordingly.

Instead, these matches get lumped into the floating period, which helps no one.

And every year, without fail, some pundit will argue for more floating fixtures, and claim that “two weeks' notice is plenty.”

Ignore them. They're paid to attend games, don't have families to consider, and generally live inside the footy bubble. They'll probably cite the NFL as an example - conveniently forgetting that the NFL has multiple games overlapping every Sunday afternoon, and fans seem perfectly fine with it.

It's a take that reeks of being out of touch with real life. You'll hear it again next year.

My advice? Tune it out.

So, what do you think of the fixture? Drop us a comment below the article or on social media and let us know!