A general scene of the crowd during Gather Round, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

THE AFL has broken its all-time crowd record for a home-and-away season, with more than 7.7 million people attending games so far in 2026.

The crowd at the West Coast v Hawthorn game on Sunday night took the total season attendance to 7,772,015, edging ahead of the previous record of 7,756,268.

It is the third year in a row that the AFL has exceeded 7.5 million attendees for the regular season.

The average crowd of 37,545 across 207 games is also a new record, while 40 matches attracted a crowd of more than 50,000, another record.

A general scene of the crowd at the MCG during the 2026 Anzac Day game. Picture: AFL Photos

It comes as the MCG prepares for two blockbuster Wildcard finals this weekend, with the two all-Victorian clashes expected to attract huge numbers.

"The record attendance achieved during the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season is a testament to the passion of our fans, the strength of our clubs and the continued growth of Australian football across the country," AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said.

"Week after week, hundreds of thousands of supporters attended matches, creating incredible atmospheres and reinforcing the important role our game plays in communities right across Australia. 

"This season's attendance record, alongside continued growth in participation, membership and viewership, demonstrates the strong connection Australians have with our game. On the eve of Finals and as the AFLW season continues, we can’t wait to see these numbers continue to grow.  

"On behalf of the AFL, I thank every fan who attended a match during the season, as well as the players, coaches, umpires, volunteers and club staff whose contributions help make our game so special."

A general scene at the Gabba during the 2026 AFL season. Picture: AFL Photos

Crowd records were set in three states this year; Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.

Fremantle's strong season contributed to WA crowds reaching 1,117,760, a record for that state, while the Dockers broke the all-time record for the most consecutive home matches (nine) attended by more than 50,000 fans in the same season.

Almost one million fans (996,463) attended games in SA, a new record, while attendances in Queensland exceeded 500,000 for the first time.

The opening two rounds of the AFLW season have also been well attended, with both sitting in the top six most attended in the competition's history.