AFL grand final 2026: ultimate guide to the flag decider between Fremantle and Brisbane

Fremantle and Brisbane will meet in the 2026 AFL grand final with both teams on the brink of their own piece of Australian football history.

The Dockers are on the hunt for the club’s first premiership since their inaugural season in 1995, in just their second grand final. For the Lions, the history book is thicker and the context weightier. The reigning premiers will take to the grand final field for the fourth consecutive season, with the last two flags in the rearview and a three-peat on the horizon.

The teams last met in round 12 at the Gabba, when Justin Longmuir’s men had an answer for everything Brisbane threw at them, holding off a late surge to win by 25 points and cement themselves as premiership contenders.

Fremantle came the long way round to the grand final after Hawthorn ended their unbeaten streak at home in the first qualifying final. But they proved their credentials as strong finishers with late comebacks to win the semi-final against Geelong and the preliminary over Sydney.

Brisbane were also forced to take the semi-final path where they comfortably brushed off Adelaide before taking it to the wire with Hawthorn in one of the best preliminary finals ever played.

When the two teams line up for the 2026 decider, it will be the first time Brisbane and Fremantle have ever met in a final.

The first ball-up is at 2.30pm AEST on Saturday 26 September. The match is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where there is a capacity of 100,024. (The 2025 grand final between Brisbane and Geelong drew an attendance of 100,022.)

The final siren should sound by about 5.30pm AEST, depending on how long each quarter runs with stoppages. The half-time break is slightly longer than during the home-and-away season to allow for the grand final sprint as well as the AusKick demonstrations.

The 2026 AFL grand final will be broadcast live on Channel Seven and 7Plus, and can be streamed live on the 7Plus app. After the final siren, a grand final replay will be available to stream on Kayo. AFL fans outside Australia can watch the grand final through the Watch AFL website and app.

Guardian Australia will be live blogging the day, from the pre-game entertainment to the goal-by-goal action and reaction from the winners and losers after the siren. Jonathan Horn and Jack Snape will be at the MCG to deliver the match report and analysis.

Gone are the days of grand final replays. If scores are level at full-time, there will be a short break before the teams change ends and play two three-minute halves of extra-time. There is no half-time break except for another swap of ends and teams are allowed 10 additional interchanges for the two halves.

If the scores remain level, the teams will play another two three-minute halves. This will continue until there is a winner.

The parade in Melbourne starts at 10.30am AEST on Friday 25 September, which is a public holiday in Victoria. While the grand final teams are usually the main attraction, they may be upstaged this year by The Wiggles, at least for younger fans. The Wiggles are performing in Melbourne Park at 9.30am before joining the parade as is travels out of the precinct towards Birrarung Marr then back to Yarra Park and the MCG.

Not too hot, not too cold, just right. The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a cloudy Saturday with a low chance of a shower in Melbourne, reaching a top of 22C as the football gets under way at the MCG.

Australian music royalty Kylie Minogue is headlining the pre-game program – her first AFL grand final appearance. She will take to the MCG after an opening set from Melbourne’s G Flip, which is expected to start between 1pm and 1.30pm.

September staple Mike Brady will serenade the motorcade of retiring players with Up Their Cazaly before Australian singer-songwriter Michael Paynter steps up to sing the national anthem.