AFL unveils 2027 fixture with expanded prime-time windows and weekly Sunday nights

The AFL’s 2027 fixture has been built with television windows front of mind: Sydney has the most Thursday and Friday night exposure in the first 16 rounds, the league has added a Sunday-night match in each of the first 13 rounds, and the 2026 Grand Final rematch between Fremantle and Brisbane has been given a marquee Round 8 slot.

The schedule, released Thursday by AFL.com.au, shows Sydney leading all clubs with nine Thursday-or-Friday appearances across Rounds 1-16. Brisbane and Fremantle are next with eight each, while Adelaide and Hawthorn have seven. At the other end of the scale, St Kilda has no Thursday or Friday games in the first 16 rounds.

For viewers, the most noticeable change is the expansion of broadcast-heavy timeslots. The AFL said each of the first 13 rounds will include a Sunday-night game, with those matches starting after 6 p.m. on the east coast to reduce overlap with Sunday afternoon fixtures. Friday-night doubleheaders also return in 2027, further concentrating high-profile windows at the end of the workweek under the league’s current broadcast setup, in which at least three matches per round are shown live on Seven and 7plus and all nine are live on Foxtel and Kayo.

Two matches underline the shape of the fixture. Round 1 opens with a standalone game when Sydney hosts Geelong at the SCG on Wednesday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. AEDT. Later in the early-season schedule, Fremantle’s Grand Final rematch against Brisbane is set to close Round 8 at Optus Stadium in a 7:20 p.m. east-coast primetime slot.

The broader calendar had already been set by the AFL in September. Round 1 will run from March 17-21, returning to a traditional nine-game opening round after the league shifted the season start to mid-March because the MCG is hosting the 150th anniversary Test match between Australia and England from March 11-15, 2027. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said at the time: “We’re really pleased to be able to provide fans and clubs with this clarity well ahead of the 2027 season. To accommodate the historic 150th anniversary test match at the MCG next March, we have been working through alternative options to deliver the start of the AFL season. After important feedback from fans and stakeholders and consultation with clubs and broadcasters, Round 1 will see the return of a traditional nine-game round played across the country.”

The home-and-away season will run for 24 rounds and end on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2027, with the Grand Final scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 2, 2027. But only the first 16 rounds are fully locked in. Rounds 17-24 will operate as a floating fixture, with match times and dates to be finalized later in the season.