The AFL has today announced the fixture for Round Eight of the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. 

Round Eight will have matches played across Western Australia, NSW, Queensland and South Australia.

The first game of the round will see Gold Coast SUNS play host to the Western Bulldogs at Metricon Stadium on Thursday, July 23 at 7:40pm (AEST). 

Metricon Stadium will also host Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions on Sunday July 26 at 6:10pm (local). 

Friday night football returns to GIANTS Stadium in a Grand Final rematch as GWS Giants host reigning Premier Richmond at 7:50pm (AEST) The GABBA will see two Victorian clubs face off as North Melbourne and Carlton do battle at 1:05pm (local) on Saturday, while the SCG hosts Sydney Swans vs Hawthorn at 3:35pm (AEST) on the same day. 

The Adelaide Oval will host Port Adelaide hosting St Kilda on Saturday July 25 at 7:10pm (local), followed by the Adelaide Crows against Essendon on Sunday July 26 at 12:35pm (local). 

Optus Stadium in Perth will host West Coast Eagles vs Collingwood on Sunday July 26 at 1:35pm (local), followed by Monday night football for the second consecutive week as Fremantle host Geelong at 6:10pm (local). 

Hawthorn and Carlton will travel to Western Australia immediately following their respective matches in Round Eight. Both clubs will quarantine for 14 days in Western Australia and will play each other in Round Nine.

AFL General Manager of Clubs and Broadcasting Travis Auld said Round Eight of the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season was constructed with the aim of continuing to optimise viewership, working though the various State Government restrictions in place and providing continuity and flexibility for the next block of games. 

"It is important for us to remain flexible and agile, and I would like to thank the clubs and players, who continue to embrace the unique challenges the season continues to throw up." Mr Auld said. 

"As we set ourselves for the next few weeks, our upcoming block of matches from Round Nine will feature non-traditional timeslots as we look to compress some additional games into the fixture." 

In response to the recently announced Metropolitan Melbourne six-week Stage 3 lockdown by the Victorian Government, the AFL will continue to investigate the best options available for the Victorian clubs, as they continue to play all their matches interstate for the time being. 

Round Eight will consist of one Thursday night, one Friday night, two Saturday afternoon, one Saturday night, two Sunday afternoon, one Sunday evening match and one Monday night match. 

Matches will be broadcast live by the Seven Network, Foxtel and via Kayo and the official AFL Live App thanks to Telstra. 

The AFL would like to acknowledge the support of all industry stakeholders throughout this process as well as Optimal Planning for their assistance in the construction of the fixture. See below fixture for Round Eight of the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.    

Round Eight (includes broadcast network) 
Thursday, Jul 23
Gold Coast SUNS vs. Western Bulldogs Metricon Stadium (FOX), 7:40pm AEST

Friday, Jul 24
GWS GIANTS vs. Richmond Giants Stadium (SEVEN), 7:50pm AEST

Saturday, Jul 25
North Melbourne vs. Carlton The Gabba (FOX), 1:05pm AEST
Sydney Swans vs. Hawthorn SCG (FOX), 3:35pm AEST   
Port Adelaide vs. St Kilda Adelaide Oval (SEVEN), 7:40pm AEST, 7:10pm ACST   

Sunday, Jul 26
Adelaide Crows vs. Essendon Adelaide Oval (FOX), 1:05pm AEST, 12:35pm ACST   
West Coast Eagles vs. Collingwood Optus Stadium (SEVEN), 3:35pm AEST, 1:35pm AWST   
Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions Metricon Stadium (FOX), 6:10pm AEST

Monday, Jul 27
Fremantle vs. Geelong Cats Optus Stadium (FOX), 8:10pm AEST, 6:10pm AWST