The AFL is pleased to announce the dates and times for Rounds 16 to 22 of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
The Sydney Swans, Geelong, Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Adelaide Crows, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs will feature heavily in primetime Thursday and Friday night timeslots across the second half of the season.
The Sydney Swans will play two Thursday night and two Friday night matches, along with Geelong, who have three Thursday night matches and one Friday night.
>> SCROLL DOWN OR CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL R16-22 FIXTURE
The Brisbane Lions and Collingwood will feature twice on Thursday nights and once on Friday night, while the Adelaide Crows, Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs will each play once on a Thursday night and twice on a Friday night.
Hawthorn will find themselves under Friday night lights twice, hosting the GWS GIANTS at the MCG in Round 16 before travelling to the Gabba in Round 22 to take on the Lions.
Thursday night football will feature an array of blockbuster matches, beginning with the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans in Round 16 at the Gabba. Round 17 kicks off with a Thursday night clash at GMHBA Stadium between 2025 Grand Finalists Geelong and the Lions, before current top-two sides, Fremantle and the Sydney Swans line up in a primetime Thursday night fixture at Optus Stadium in Round 18.
The back end of the fixture also sees North Melbourne return to primetime football. The Kangaroos will play Collingwood at Marvel Stadium in Round 18, with the match set to be North Melbourne’s first Friday night fixture in Melbourne since 2019.
The Kangaroos will also face the Western Bulldogs on a Thursday night in Round 22.
Friday night double-headers will feature twice in Rounds 17 and 20, aimed at managing breaks between matches for clubs while maximising primetime audiences and crowd outcomes for local fanbases.
The Sydney Swans will host the Western Bulldogs at the SCG on a Friday night in Round 17, while the West Coast Eagles will face the Adelaide Crows at Optus Stadium in the first of the double-headers.
Round 20 will see Friday night footy at the MCG between Melbourne and Geelong, as well as the Western Derby between Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles at Optus Stadium.
Other non-Victorian rivalries are set for Saturday fixtures, including a Round 16 Showdown between Port Adelaide and the Adelaide Crows under the lights at Adelaide Oval and a Round 20 twilight Sydney Derby between the GWS GIANTS and Sydney Swans at ENGIE Stadium.
In line with the release of the back end of the fixture, the AFL is excited to confirm that Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles will return for Rounds 16 to 19, bigger and better in 2026.
At a time where cost-of-living pressures are being felt by families in particular, Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles gives families an affordable, fun day out together.
Timing perfectly with the July school holidays, a host of kids' activations and entertainment will be available at matches around the country.
Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles reflects the AFL’s commitment to growing the next generation of fans and supporting families to create lifelong memories by attending a game.
General public tickets for Rounds 16 to 19 are on sale from Wednesday, 3 June.
AFL Head of Strategy and Scheduling Josh Bowler said:
“So far across the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season more than 2.8 million fans have attended the footy, and we’ve seen memorable moments, record attendances and strong ratings.
“When finalising the second half of the fixture, it’s our priority to deliver the best primetime football to our fans right across the country as we build momentum ahead of the finals series.
“It’s exciting to have Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles returning and lining up with school holidays nationally, allowing families to enjoy a day at the footy.”
The 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season is the third highest attended season after Round 9 with a total season attendance of 3,146,367 (match average: 38,844).
Only three seasons (2024, 2025, 2026) have delivered more than 3.1 million attendees after Round 9.
Season attendance year-to-date is up 24,000 on the same time of the 2025 season.
2026 TOYOTA AFL PREMIERSHIP SEASON FIXTURE, R16-22
(all times AEST)
Round 16
Thursday Jun 25
Brisbane v Sydney, Gabba, 7.30pm
Friday Jun 26
Hawthorn v Greater Western Sydney, MCG, 7.40pm
Saturday Jun 27
Carlton v West Coast, Marvel Stadium, 1.15pm
Collingwood v Richmond, MCG, 4.15pm
Port Adelaide v Adelaide, Adelaide Oval, 7.35pm
Sunday Jun 28
North Melbourne v Essendon, Marvel Stadium, 3.15pm
Fremantle v Gold Coast, Optus Stadium, 5.10pm
Byes: Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs
Round 17
Thursday Jul 2
Geelong v Brisbane, GMHBA Stadium, 7.30pm
Friday Jul 3
Sydney v Western Bulldogs, SCG, 7.40pm
West Coast v Adelaide, Optus Stadium, 8.10pm
Saturday Jul 4
Hawthorn v Melbourne, UTAS Stadium, 1.15pm
Greater Western Sydney v Fremantle, Corroboree Group Oval Manuka, 1.35pm
Gold Coast v Collingwood, People First Stadium, 4.15pm
Richmond v Carlton, MCG, 7.35pm
Sunday Jul 5
Essendon v St Kilda, Marvel Stadium, 3.15pm
Port Adelaide v North Melbourne, Adelaide Oval, 4.40pm
Round 18
Thursday Jul 9
Fremantle v Sydney, Optus Stadium, 8.10pm
Friday Jul 10
Collingwood v North Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, 7.40pm
Saturday Jul 11
St Kilda v Port Adelaide, Marvel Stadium, 1.15pm
Greater Western Sydney v Geelong, Engie Stadium, 4.15pm
Carlton v Hawthorn, MCG, 7.35pm
Adelaide v Gold Coast, Adelaide Oval, 8.10pm
Sunday Jul 12
Western Bulldogs v West Coast, Marvel Stadium, 1.10pm
Melbourne v Richmond, MCG, 3.15pm
Brisbane v Essendon, Gabba, 4.40pm
Round 19
Thursday Jul 16
Geelong v St Kilda, GMHBA Stadium, 7.30pm
Friday Jul 17
Sydney v Adelaide, SCG, 7.40pm
Saturday Jul 18
Port Adelaide v Fremantle, Adelaide Oval, 1.15pm
North Melbourne v Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, 4.15pm
Collingwood v Carlton, MCG, 7.35pm
West Coast v Brisbane, Optus Stadium, 8.10pm
Sunday Jul 19
Richmond v Hawthorn, MCG, 1.10pm
Gold Coast v Western Bulldogs, People First Stadium, 3.15pm
Essendon v Greater Western Sydney, Marvel Stadium, 4.40pm
Round 20
Thursday Jul 23
Adelaide v Collingwood, Adelaide Oval, 7.30pm
Friday Jul 24
Melbourne v Geelong, MCG, 7.40pm
Fremantle v West Coast, Optus Stadium, 8.10pm
Saturday Jul 25
Carlton v Gold Coast, Marvel Stadium, 1.05pm
Hawthorn v Essendon, MCG, 4.15pm
Greater Western Sydney v Sydney, Engie Stadium, 4.35pm
Western Bulldogs v Richmond, Marvel Stadium, 7.40pm
Sunday Jul 26
Brisbane v Port Adelaide, Gabba, 1.10pm
North Melbourne v St Kilda, Marvel Stadium, 3.15pm
Round 21
Thursday Jul 30
Collingwood v Geelong, MCG, 7.30pm
Friday Jul 31
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs, Optus Stadium, 8.10pm
Saturday Aug 1
St Kilda v Sydney, Marvel Stadium, 1.05pm
Hawthorn v North Melbourne, UTAS Stadium, 1.35pm
Port Adelaide v Greater Western Sydney, Adelaide Oval, 6.35pm
Carlton v Brisbane, Marvel Stadium, 7.40pm
Sunday Aug 2
Richmond v West Coast, MCG, 1.10pm
Gold Coast v Melbourne, People First Stadium, 3.15pm
Essendon v Adelaide, Marvel Stadium, 4.40pm
Round 22
Thursday Aug 6
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, 7.30pm
Friday Aug 7
Brisbane v Hawthorn, Gabba, 7.40pm
Saturday Aug 8
Melbourne v Fremantle, MCG, 1.15pm
Sydney v Port Adelaide, SCG, 4.15pm
Geelong v Essendon, GMHBA Stadium, 4.35pm
Adelaide v Richmond, Adelaide Oval, 7.35pm
Sunday Aug 9
Greater Western Sydney v Gold Coast, Corroboree Group Oval Manuka, 1.10pm
West Coast v Collingwood, Optus Stadium, 4.10pm
St Kilda v Carlton, Marvel Stadium, 7.20pm
