AFL confirms remaining fixtures for 2026 season

The AFL has officially released its final fixtures for the 2026 season.

Confirming the schedule for each fixture in Round 23 and Round 24, the AFL has cut Thursday night from Round 23, opening up for the AFLW's match between Hawthorn and Melbourne.

Fremantle hosts Adelaide on Friday night in Round 23, while St Kilda v Gold Coast and Collingwood v Brisbane headline Thursday and Friday night in Round 24.

See the Round 23 and Round 24 schedule below:

Two Saturday MCG games set for Round 23

By Tom Morris

The MCG is set to host two AFL men's games on the same day for the fourth time in VFL/AFL history.

Channel 7 and SEN understands a double-header has been locked in for Saturday August 15, the penultimate weekend of the season in Round 23.

Though the exact timings are still to be determined, at this stage Essendon v Sydney and Richmond v St Kilda are slated to be the two matches on the same day at the MCG.

One will be in the early afternoon, and the other at night. But the clubs in question are yet to be confirmed.

Hawthorn v Collingwood is the other match being considered for one of the two Saturday fixtures.

The move follows the AFL's decision to leave Thursday August 13 free of men's football. Instead, Melbourne v Hawthorn will play an AFLW fixture on that evening. giving the women's competition a night of clear air.

It means the league has to squish nine games into three days, including three at the MCG. Fremantle will host Adelaide in Perth on Friday August 14.

The other Round 23 games are:
Brisbane v Gold Coast
GWS v West Coast
North Melbourne v Geelong
Western Bulldogs v Carlton
Port Adelaide v Melbourne

While the league has scheduled double-headers at Marvel Stadium this year, they haven't done so at the MCG since Round 16 in 2021.

Covid meant that Melbourne faced GWS in game one, while Fremantle's clash against Carlton was moved from Perth and staged at night.

Previously, the only other men's double headers at the MCG was back in 1986. One took place in Round 5, and the other in Round 19.

The AFL will release the full Round 23 and Round 24 fixtures on Wednesday.