A general scene of Marvel Stadium during the match between Essendon and GWS in R9, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

THURSDAY night football is set to be notably absent when the AFL releases the remaining 2024 schedule later this week.

The AFL is close to revealing the dates and timings for games between rounds 16 and 23 and it's not likely to feature any Thursday night matches, despite the timeslot proving to be a raging success in the first half of the year.

>>> CHECK OUT THE FULL 2024 FIXTURE HERE

The League has already scheduled a record 14 Thursday night matches this year, three more than last season, and will build on that number when the new broadcast agreement starts in 2025.

The new $4.5 billion deal, which was signed in September 2022 and kicks in next season, mandates that the first 15 rounds of the season must feature a Thursday night matchup to be broadcast on Channel 7 and 7+ Digital.

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However, it's expected the next block of fixtures will favour a more traditional weekend slate of games, with an additional match on a Saturday afternoon in the absence of Thursday night footy.

The final schedule for round 24 will be confirmed later in the year and it's understood it will also not contain a Thursday night game.

The round 13 match between Adelaide and Richmond on June 6 is now likely to be the final Thursday night game of the year.

The AFL announced the full 24-round fixture in November last year, but only released the dates and timings to round 15 as part of a staggered schedule that enables the League to place more blockbuster games in marquee slots.

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The primetime slots for the remaining matches are therefore expected to heavily favour games with finals implications and reward teams that have made a hot start to the campaign.

The AFL's executive general manager of football Laura Kane told clubs in April that the final weekend of games in round 24 would remain floating beyond the upcoming release and is not expected to be confirmed until later in the year.