THE AFL finals series will have a massive shake-up in 2026, with the introduction of a 'Wildcard Finals Round' instead of a pre-finals bye.
In a move announced by the League on Monday, the top six on the ladder at the end of the home and away season will move straight through to finals, while the teams finishing seventh to 10th will play off for the last two spots in September.
Seventh will play 10th, while eighth will play ninth on a weekend that will form an extra week in the finals series.
The teams that finish in the top six will all have a week off ahead the first full week of finals, when the top eight will play off in the normal finals system.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said the introduction of the wildcard round would be a huge boost for fans and clubs.
"Our fans love finals games, so we think it provides opportunities and hope for our fans," Dillon said on Monday morning.
"I've got plenty of good feedback from the clubs overnight.
"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 comes after one of the tightest fights for a finals berth in recent history, with Western Bulldogs (14-9) boasting the best season for a team in ninth in AFL history.
If the wildcard round was in place this year, seventh-placed Gold Coast would have hosted Sydney (10th), and Hawthorn (eighth) would have played the Western Bulldogs (ninth).
The play-in finals concept was introduced by the NBA in 2020 and has since been adopted by the NBL.
"I don't think it rewards mediocrity," Dillon said.
"It makes that gap between sixth and seventh something clubs will strive for.
"You'll have a big difference between first and second with the home final. Third and fourth, you get the double chance. Fifth and sixth you get the week off and seventh and eighth you host a home wildcard final."
The change marks a departure from the top-eight finals system which was first implemented in 2000, and adds an extra week of high-stakes footy to the AFL calendar.
