2026 AFL Finals: Wildcard, 10-Team System & Latest News
Here’s a breakdown of the key information from the article about the new AFL finals system:
* New Wildcard Round: The AFL is introducing a wildcard round for the 2026 season, expanding the finals series to include the top 10 teams.
* How it Works:
* Teams finishing 7th-10th will play in a wildcard round.
* The highest-ranked wildcard winner gets 7th place,the lowest gets 8th.
* Teams finishing 5th and 6th receive a bye.
* Impact on Finals Path:
* A team finishing 7th will need to win five finals to win the premiership.
* A team finishing 4th will need to win at least three finals.
* Rationale:
* to provide more teams and players with the opportunity to compete in finals.
* To evolve the competition structure and continue growth (alongside initiatives like gather Round and AFL Origin).
* the decision was influenced by a 2025 season where only nine teams were realistically in contention late in the year.
* Home Finals: All teams finishing in the top eight will host a home final.
* VFL Precedent: The VFL has used a similar wildcard system as 2023 with 21 teams. Wildcard winners haven’t had much success in subsequent finals.
* Increased Finals Participation: Over half of the AFL teams will now qualify for the finals.