AFL Grand Final: Start Time, How to Watch & Odds

Adam Cusworth: Oct 6, 2026

AFL Grand Final tips, best bets, predictions and preview.

The AFL Grand Final is the biggest day on the Australian sporting calendar, a 100,000-strong MCG crowd, a national audience pushing seven million viewers, and a single match that decides the Toyota AFL Premiership. This is your one-stop AFL Grand Final hub: the date, the venue, the format, current Premiership and Norm Smith Medal odds, betting markets, plus a recent Grand Final winners record book.

Our full read on the game, head-to-head record and the betting angle is in the AFL Grand Final preview.

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🏆 Brisbane are the 2026 premiers. They beat Fremantle 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) at the MCG for a third straight flag, and Fremantle’s Shai Bolton won the Norm Smith Medal. Grand Final results →

Who Is in the 2026 AFL Grand Final?

Brisbane won it, beating Fremantle 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) after trailing by 17 points inside the last five minutes. The full review is in our Grand Final results. How the two sides got there:

Fremantle against Brisbane, and the two storylines could not be further apart. Fremantle have never won a premiership and are in only their second Grand Final, their first since 2013, when Hawthorn beat them by 15. Brisbane are in their fourth consecutive Grand Final and are chasing a third straight flag after 2024 and 2025.

Both took the long road. Fremantle finished minor premiers, lost their qualifying final at home to Hawthorn, then won a semi-final against Geelong and came from 28 points down in the last quarter at the SCG. Brisbane lost their qualifying final to Sydney by 53, beat Adelaide in a semi-final, then survived a 12-goal final term against Hawthorn. Neither side that earned a home preliminary final is in the decider.

Grand Finalist	Road to the MCG	The story
Fremantle (1st)	Minor premiers. Lost QF to Hawthorn, beat Geelong in the semi, beat Sydney by 12 in the preliminary final	No premiership in the club’s history. Second Grand Final, first since 2013
Brisbane (3rd)	Lost QF to Sydney by 53, beat Adelaide in the semi, beat Hawthorn by 9 in the preliminary final	Fourth straight Grand Final, chasing a third straight premiership

Brisbane have won three of the five meetings since 2023, but Fremantle won the most recent by 25 at the Gabba in round 12 this season. The full record is on our Fremantle v Brisbane head-to-head page. Follow the full draw on the AFL finals bracket, and Norm Smith Medal betting is open now both sides are known.

AFL Grand Final Date

The 2026 AFL Grand Final was played on Saturday 26 September 2026 at the MCG, with a traditional 2:30pm AEST bounce. The home-and-away season finished at Round 24 on 23 August, and Brisbane won the premiership by seven points.

The 2026 series is the first to run five weeks rather than four. The new Wildcard Round replaced the pre-finals bye and expanded the finals from eight teams to ten, so the Grand Final now caps five weeks of September football rather than four.

What Time Does the AFL Grand Final Start?

The 2026 AFL Grand Final bounced at 2:30pm AEST on Saturday 26 September 2026 at the MCG. Because it was played before daylight saving began on 4 October, every eastern state was still on standard time, so the eastern seaboard all watched at the same clock time. Western Australia got the earliest start of any state at lunchtime, and New Zealand the latest.

State or territory	Time zone	Bounce
Queensland	AEST	2:30pm
New South Wales	AEST	2:30pm
Victoria	AEST	2:30pm
ACT	AEST	2:30pm
Tasmania	AEST	2:30pm
South Australia	ACST	2:00pm
Northern Territory	ACST	2:00pm
Western Australia	AWST	12:30pm
New Zealand	NZST	4:30pm

Gates at the MCG open several hours before the bounce and the pre-match entertainment runs through the early afternoon, so the broadcast build-up starts well before the listed start time. The 2:30pm slot has been locked in by the AFL rather than moved to a night game, despite periodic pressure to shift it.

AFL Grand Final Venue: The MCG

The AFL Grand Final is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Victoria. The MCG has been the traditional home of the Grand Final since 1902, has a capacity of 100,024, and is one of the largest sporting venues in the world.

The Grand Final has been played at the MCG every year from 1902 onwards with one exception: the 2020 Grand Final was played at the Gabba in Brisbane due to COVID-19 restrictions. Since 2021 the match has returned to the MCG and the AFL’s contract with the Melbourne Cricket Club guarantees the MCG hosts the Grand Final through to 2057.

AFL Finals Format (Brief)

Ten teams qualify for the five-week 2026 series. In the Wildcard Round, 7th hosts 10th and 8th hosts 9th, with both losers eliminated and the two winners taking the 7 and 8 seeds by their original ladder position. From there it is the familiar bracket: the top 4 play Qualifying Finals with a double chance, the 5 to 8 seeds play Elimination Finals, then Semi Finals, Preliminary Finals and the Grand Final at the MCG.

For the full McIntyre System breakdown, bracket diagram and how each week feeds into the next, see our how do AFL finals work explainer.

AFL Grand Final Odds & Premiership Futures

The Premiership market is the headline AFL futures play, opening before the season and shifting through the rounds as form lines develop. The favourite at any given time is usually a top-four side with a complete spine and a system that has held up against quality opposition.

For live AFL Premiership Odds across all 18 clubs, visit our AFL Premiership Odds page. For the Grand Final’s best-on-ground market, our Norm Smith Medal tips, odds & predictions tracks the favourites.

Build your predicted finals bracket with the free AFL Ladder Predictor: lock in round-by-round results and see how the top 8 shapes up.

Betting Markets for the AFL Grand Final

Australian bookmakers price 100+ markets on Grand Final day. The most popular:

Match Winner (Head-to-Head): Pick which team lifts the cup. The simplest Grand Final market.
Line Betting (Handicap): Points handicap on the result. Better value when there is a clear favourite.
Norm Smith Medal: Best on ground. Midfielders and key forwards from the winning side dominate the historical winners list. See our Norm Smith Medal tips.
First Goalscorer & Anytime Goalscorer: Predict the opening goalkicker, or back a player to score at any point.
Winning Margin: Margin band markets (1–19, 20–39, 40+) for longer odds than straight head-to-head.
Total Match Points (Over/Under): Grand Finals tend to be tight, defensive affairs but variance is real. Read the matchup carefully.
Same Game Multi: Combine match winner, margin, goalscorer and player props from the Grand Final into one bet. See our Same Game Multi guide.
Player Disposals: Over/under disposal lines for star midfielders. Grand Final disposal totals are often lower than regular-season averages because of pressure and tempo.

Best Bookmakers for AFL Grand Final Betting

Our top-rated AFL bookmakers for the Grand Final cover competitive odds, deep market lists (including Norm Smith and player specials), strong same-game-multi builders, and reliable apps that hold up under matchday traffic. For the full comparison and reviews, see our best AFL betting sites in Australia guide, or the newest betting sites in Australia for fresh signup offers.

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AFL Grand Final Winners: Recent Years

Recent AFL Grand Final winners and runners-up:

Year	Premier	Runner-Up	Score	Margin
2026	Brisbane Lions	Fremantle	96–89	7
2025	Brisbane Lions	Geelong	122–75	47
2024	Brisbane Lions	Sydney Swans	120–60	60
2023	Collingwood	Brisbane Lions	90–86	4
2022	Geelong	Sydney Swans	133–52	81
2021	Melbourne	Western Bulldogs	140–66	74
2020	Richmond	Geelong	81–50	31
2019	Richmond	GWS Giants	114–25	89
2018	West Coast Eagles	Collingwood	79–74	5
2017	Richmond	Adelaide Crows	108–60	48
2016	Western Bulldogs	Sydney Swans	89–67	22
2015	Hawthorn	West Coast Eagles	107–61	46
2014	Hawthorn	Sydney Swans	137–74	63
2013	Hawthorn	Fremantle	89–74	15
2012	Sydney Swans	Hawthorn	91–81	10
2011	Geelong	Collingwood	116–75	41
2010	Collingwood	St Kilda	108–52	56 (replay; original drawn 68–68)

Note: 2025 Premier shown without scoreline pending verified entry. Most-tied AFL/VFL premierships overall: Essendon and Carlton (16 each).

Grand Final Day: Traditions & What to Expect

AFL Grand Final day has its own rhythm and a set of traditions that have built up over a century at the MCG:

Grand Final Eve public holiday: Since 2015, the Friday before the Grand Final has been a Victorian public holiday. The AFL Grand Final Parade winds through the Melbourne CBD that morning with both finalists’ players.
Pre-game entertainment: Major international or Australian acts perform pre-bounce. The list of past performers includes Killers, Robbie Williams, Ed Sheeran and Mike Brady’s traditional rendition of “Up There Cazaly”.
Auskick on the MCG: Junior AFL Auskick players take the MCG at half-time for one of the day’s most beloved traditions.
National anthem: Sung pre-bounce, traditionally by an Australian recording artist.
Coin toss: Captains call the toss for first use of the Punt Road end vs the City end.
Premiership Cup presentation: The cup is handed over on stage at the centre of the MCG by the AFL Commission Chair, with players running a victory lap to the cheer squad end.
Norm Smith Medal: The medal for best afield is presented to the player of the match. Past Norm Smith winners and current odds are tracked through the finals series.
Bounce time: Traditionally 2:30pm AEST. The match runs four 20-minute quarters (plus stoppage time), wrapping around 5:00pm AEST.

How to Watch the AFL Grand Final

The AFL Grand Final is shown nationally on free-to-air Channel Seven and streamed free on 7plus across phones, tablets and smart TVs, with Foxtel and Kayo Sports carrying it for subscribers. Seven and the AFL confirmed the free 7plus stream for 2026, so the match can be watched at no cost on either a television or a device. Radio coverage is on ABC Grandstand and SEN. Some Australian bookmakers also offer live streams to funded account holders who have placed a bet on the match.

AFL Grand Final FAQs

When is the 2026 AFL Grand Final?

The 2026 AFL Grand Final was played on Saturday 26 September 2026 at the MCG, bouncing at 2:30pm AEST. Brisbane beat Fremantle 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89).

Where is the AFL Grand Final played?

The MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) in Melbourne. The MCG has hosted the Grand Final every year since 1902 with one exception, the 2020 Grand Final was played at the Gabba in Brisbane due to COVID-19. The MCG’s contract to host the Grand Final runs through to 2057.

How many teams make the AFL finals?

Ten from 2026 onwards. The top six qualify directly and 7th to 10th play off in the Wildcard Round for the last two places, making it a five-week series. For the full breakdown, see our how do AFL finals work explainer.

Who won the most recent AFL Grand Final?

Brisbane Lions, who beat Fremantle 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) in the 2026 Grand Final for a seven-point win after trailing by 17 inside the last five minutes. It was their third premiership in a row, after beating Sydney in 2024 and Geelong in 2025.

What is the Norm Smith Medal?

The Norm Smith Medal is awarded to the player judged best afield in the AFL Grand Final. It is named after legendary Melbourne coach Norm Smith. For tips, odds and a full list of past winners, see our Norm Smith Medal tips page.

Is Grand Final Eve a public holiday?

Yes, in Victoria. The Friday before the AFL Grand Final has been a Victorian public holiday since 2015 and includes the AFL Grand Final Parade through the Melbourne CBD with both finalists’ players.

Where can I bet on the AFL Grand Final?

All major Australian bookmakers price the Grand Final deeply: match winner, line, Norm Smith Medal, goalscorer markets, margin bands, totals and same-game-multi builders. Compare bookmakers on our best AFL betting sites in Australia guide.