The AFL is pleased to announce a record crowd of 390,752 fans attended games in Round 13 of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season – the 10th-highest attended AFL home and away round in history, and the highest attended eight-match round ever, surpassing the record of 367,974 set in Round 22, 1998.
Viewership across the round also hit record numbers, with a total viewership for Round 13 over 7.2 million, at an average reach per match of over 2 million, making it the most watched Toyota AFL Premiership Season round in history, and a significant feat with only eight matches played.
Along with the record number of fans that went through the turnstiles and watched from home, Round 13 delivered thrilling footy, with six matches decided by single figures, the first time this has happened during an AFL home and away round.
4,475,249 fans have now attended the footy so far this season, at an average of 38,533 fans per game, which is ahead of the 2025 per game average of 36,969.
Across Round 13, match attendance figures included:
Collingwood vs Melbourne
Crowd: 88,019
Highest ever Big Freeze (King’s Birthday) attendance
Gold Coast Suns vs Brisbane Lions
Crowd: 21,139
Highest ever QClash attendance at People First Stadium
Sydney Swans vs St Kilda
Crowd: 42,143
Highest ever Sydney home crowd against St Kilda
Hawthorn vs Western Bulldogs
Crowd: 59,556
Highest ever AFL home and away crowd for Hawthorn vs Western Bulldogs
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said:
“It’s been an incredible season to date, and Round 13 delivered some of the best moments, including a number of thrilling finishes in front of huge crowds and for fans tuning in across the country.
“The round culminated in a poignant moment at the ‘G with a sea of blue beanies, recognising the work and life of Neale Daniher and raising much needed funds and awareness for FightMND.
“On behalf of the AFL I want to thank the fans, clubs, players and footballing community who continue to make our game the biggest and best in the country.”
Monday afternoon’s King’s Birthday classic between Collingwood and Melbourne was the most watched King's Birthday match ever, and the most watched Toyota AFL home and away match of 2026. The match reached over three million people with an average audience of over 1.4 million.
Thursday night’s Adelaide vs Geelong match continued the record-breaking pace of Thursday night football viewership, with viewership now averaging approximately 1.2 million people, up 8.5% at the same stage in 2025.
Saturday saw the highest ever rating QClash outside of last year’s Semi Final, as well as the most watched Saturday night game of 2026 between West Coast and Port Adelaide.
Sunday featured the most watched Sunday afternoon match in the Sydney market in 2026, with the Swans securing a 33-point comeback win over St Kilda. Sunday also saw Essendon vs Carlton as the most watched Sunday night match of 2026 outside of Opening Round clash between St Kilda and Collingwood.
Tickets are now on sale for Rounds 14-22, including Kids Footy Month thanks to Coles across Rounds 16-19 with kids 14 and under free to matches across the four rounds.
