What is Wildcard Round?

Announced in November of 2025, Wildcard Finals Round has taken the place of the old pre-finals bye, which had been in place in the AFL since 2016.

The change means the final eight has been extended to a final 10, meaning more teams will take part in September action.

How does it work?

At the end of the home and away season, the top six teams on the ladder will get a week off, while the teams that finish seventh to 10th will play each other.

Seventh will play 10th, while eighth will play ninth. The winners of the two Wildcard games will progress, while it will be season over for the losers.

The two Wildcard winners will essentially turn the top six into a top eight, and the top eight will then play off in the finals system that had been in place since 2000 (1 v 4, 2 v 3, 5 v 8, 6 v 7).

What about the rankings system after the Wildcard games?

One small aspect of the revamped finals structure is a throwback to last century, with who plays who in the elimination finals after the Wildcard games to be determined by a rankings system not seen in the AFL since 1999.

Under the new system, fifth will play the lowest-ranked Wildcard winner and sixth will play the highest-ranked Wildcard winner. It means fifth's and sixth's opponents will be determined by the outcome of both Wildcard games, not just one.

The AFL has not yet confirmed which of the Wildcard games will be played first, but starting with the 8th v 9th game would add another layer of drama to the new concept. The winner of that match would not know if they are the highest- or lowest-ranked winner until the result of the 7th v 10th game is known.

It is the first time the AFL will use a rankings system since the McIntyre final eight system was in place between 1994 and 1999, while the second McIntyre final six system - which was used in 1992 and 1993 - also used a rankings system.

The McIntyre system was scrapped in 2000 after criticism it did not appropriately reward teams that finished in the top four.

Why did the AFL introduce Wildcard Round?

This has been a topic of much debate since it was introduced.

The change has added two extra finals to each season, increasing it from nine finals to 11, which will undoubtedly boost the AFL's ticket sales and broadcast figures.

"Our fans love finals games, so we think it provides opportunities and hope for our fans," AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said last year. "Our fans love finals and they love games of consequence. We know those games are the best-attended and most-watched on television."

The move has also increased the number of games of consequence late in the home and away season, with teams still alive in the finals race for longer than they were under the old top eight system.

Carlton has been the perfect example of this in 2026; after a 1-8 start to the season, it would have been all but impossible for the Blues to make the final eight, meaning their season would have effectively been over before the halfway point. But with two extra finals spots available this year, they have gone on a remarkable run and managed to secure their spot in finals.

But the feedback so far hasn't been all positive. Geelong coach Chris Scott has been among the critics, saying earlier this year: "I just tend to think they just made it up. Just threw in another couple of finals for no good reason except cash, probably".

What have been the flow-on effects?

The AFL introduced the pre-finals bye in 2016 to disincentivise clubs from resting players en masse in the final round of the home and away season. But the introduction of the Wildcard finals means teams that finish 7-10th will not have a week off to rest players before finals.

Earlier this month, the AFL reminded clubs that making a significant number of team changes for games in round 24 would be scrutinised by the League.

But the reminder did not go down well with some coaches, with Luke Beveridge and Steven King among those to question the AFL's memo.

Is Wildcard Round officially part of finals?

Yes - Dillon confirmed last year that Wildcard games will be count towards official tallies of finals games.

What other finals systems have we seen in the VFL/AFL?

There have been 12 different finals systems over 139 years of the VFL/AFL, featuring four, five, six, eight and now 10 teams.

The former final eight system was one of the most used, running from 2000 to 2025, while the McIntyre final five system ran from 1972 to 1990

2026–present: Final 10 system (including Wildcard Round)
2000–2025: Final eight system
1994–1999: McIntyre final eight system
1992–1993: Second McIntyre final six system
1991: First McIntyre final six system
1972–1990: McIntyre final five system
1931–1971: Page–McIntyre top four system
1924: Round-robin top four system with challenge
1908–1923, 1925–1930: Second amended Argus top four system
1902–1907: First amended Argus top four system
1901: First Argus top four system
1898–1900: Round robin top eight
1897: Round robin top four