The AFL has today announced the highest home-and-away attendance in VFL/AFL history, with 7,772,015 fans attending matches during the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.  

The record reflects the continued strength and growth of Australian football across the country and marks the third consecutive season in which home-and-away attendance has exceeded 7.5 million. 

Attendance records were achieved across several states throughout the season, highlighting the strong connection communities continue to have with the game.  

Fremantle broke the record for most consecutive home matches (nine) attended by more than 50,000 fans, contributing to Western Australian crowds exceeding their previous record of 1,078,490, set in 2018 to 1,117,760 in 2026. 

South Australia set a new benchmark with more than 996,463 fans attending Adelaide and Port Adelaide matches in 2026, breaking the previous record set in 2025 (985,174).  

Queensland also set a record with attendance at Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast SUNS home matches surpassing 500,000 attendees for the first time. 

The season also equalled the record for the most home-and-away crowds above 50,000, with 40 matches reaching that mark, while the average crowd of more than 37,545 was the highest in VFL/AFL home-and-away history.  

Among the other season highlights, round 13 delivered the highest average attendance of 48,844 for any home-and-away round for both the year, and in history, while Gather Round attracted a record crowd of 270,018 fans across nine matches in South Australia.  

The 2026 season was also only the fifth home-and-away campaign in VFL/AFL history in which every round featured at least one crowd of 42,000 or more and is also only one of three seasons to feature two crowds of over 90,000 – Round 7 Essendon vs Collingwood at the MCG (92,231) and Round 11 Collingwood vs West Coast Eagles at the MCG (90,028). 

The AFL record and history breaking attendance comes off the back of a strong start to the NAB AFLW Season, with the first two rounds both ranking within the six highest attended AFLW home and away rounds of all time. 

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said: 

"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. 

"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 record participation numbers, club 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." 

The 2026 Toyota AFL Finals Series gets underway this weekend with the Wildcard Finals matches as Western Bulldogs play Collingwood on Friday night at the MCG, before Melbourne take on Carlton at the MCG on Saturday night. 

For tickets and more information visit afl.com