Unofficial · AI-generated · not affiliated with the AFL or any club

Fixture explained

The 2027 modelled fixture, “TV slots and 54 rules checked · Softer double-up preference”, walked through in the order a new fixture is usually revealed. Every number here is counted from what this version records. Games are named by their slot band (“Friday night”, “Saturday twilight”); kick-off clocks are modelled and shown smaller.

About this version · Every round · The wall: every club, every round

1. Headline games

The season opens with Thursday night: Adelaide v Brisbane Lions at Adelaide Oval, Thu 18 Mar. 7:00 pm · modelled

How many of the 207 games land in each slot band:

Monday twilight

Thursday night

Friday twilight

Friday night

Saturday day

Saturday twilight

Saturday night

Sunday day

Sunday twilight

Sunday night

2. Round 1

Home side first, in blue; away side in red.

Round 1 · 9 games

Thursday nightAdelaide (home) v Brisbane Lions (away)Adelaide Oval · Thu 18 Mar · 7:00 pm · modelled
Friday nightCarlton (home) v Collingwood (away)M.C.G. · Fri 19 Mar · 7:40 pm · modelled
Saturday dayGreater Western Sydney (home) v Gold Coast (away)Sydney Showground · Sat 20 Mar · 1:15 pm · modelled
Saturday twilightSydney (home) v North Melbourne (away)S.C.G. · Sat 20 Mar · 4:15 pm · modelled
Saturday nightEssendon (home) v Fremantle (away)M.C.G. · Sat 20 Mar · 7:35 pm · modelled
Saturday nightGeelong (home) v Melbourne (away)Kardinia Park · Sat 20 Mar · 7:45 pm · modelled
Sunday dayWest Coast (home) v Port Adelaide (away)Perth Stadium · Sun 21 Mar · 12:15 pm · modelled
Sunday twilightHawthorn (home) v Richmond (away)York Park · Sun 21 Mar · 3:15 pm · modelled
Sunday twilightSt Kilda (home) v Western Bulldogs (away)Docklands · Sun 21 Mar · 3:15 pm · modelled

3. Prime time, club by club

Prime time here means Thursday night and Friday night games.

Most: Adelaide (23 each). Fewest: Hawthorn (2).

Thursday & Friday Night Games

23Adelaide
22–
21–
20–
19–
18–
17–
16–
15Brisbane Lions
14–
13–
12–
11–
10–
9–
8–
7Fremantle, Gold Coast
6Carlton, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Richmond
5Essendon, West Coast
4Collingwood, Geelong, Western Bulldogs
3Greater Western Sydney, North Melbourne, St Kilda, Sydney
2Hawthorn
1–
0–

See every prime-time game

4. Who each club plays twice

Each club meets some opponents a second time. They are grouped by where those opponents finished on the 2026 ladder (the home-and-away ladder): top 6, middle 6, bottom 6. Clubs are listed in ladder order.

Double Match Ups

Ladder	Club	Plays twice (rounds beneath)
1	Fremantle	Sydney · Top 6R8, R21 Adelaide · Top 6R5, R17 Collingwood · Middle 6R4, R16 Carlton · Middle 6R7, R19 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R2, R24 West Coast · Bottom 6R3, R18
2	Sydney	Fremantle · Top 6R8, R21 Brisbane Lions · Top 6R11, R23 Hawthorn · Top 6R3, R16 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R4, R18 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R1, R17 Essendon · Bottom 6R12, R24
3	Brisbane Lions	Sydney · Top 6R11, R23 Hawthorn · Top 6R9, R21 Geelong · Top 6R5, R17 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R7, R19 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R8, R20 West Coast · Bottom 6R12, R24
4	Hawthorn	Sydney · Top 6R3, R16 Brisbane Lions · Top 6R9, R21 Geelong · Top 6R2, R20 St Kilda · Middle 6R5, R17 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R6, R19 Richmond · Bottom 6R1, R24
5	Geelong	Brisbane Lions · Top 6R5, R17 Hawthorn · Top 6R2, R20 Adelaide · Top 6R6, R18 Melbourne · Middle 6R1, R23 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R11, R24 Essendon · Bottom 6R3, R15
6	Adelaide	Fremantle · Top 6R5, R17 Geelong · Top 6R6, R18 Melbourne · Middle 6R9, R21 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R12, R24 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R10, R22 Richmond · Bottom 6R11, R23
7	Melbourne	Geelong · Top 6R1, R23 Adelaide · Top 6R9, R21 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R4, R17 Collingwood · Middle 6R13, R24 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R3, R20 West Coast · Bottom 6R5, R19
8	Western Bulldogs	Adelaide · Top 6R12, R24 Melbourne · Middle 6R4, R17 Collingwood · Middle 6R9, R21 Carlton · Middle 6R11, R23 St Kilda · Middle 6R1, R13 Richmond · Bottom 6R3, R16
9	Collingwood	Fremantle · Top 6R4, R16 Melbourne · Middle 6R13, R24 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R9, R21 Carlton · Middle 6R1, R14 Richmond · Bottom 6R8, R20 Essendon · Bottom 6R6, R18
10	Carlton	Fremantle · Top 6R7, R19 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R11, R23 Collingwood · Middle 6R1, R14 St Kilda · Middle 6R12, R24 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R9, R21 Essendon · Bottom 6R5, R17
11	St Kilda	Hawthorn · Top 6R5, R17 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R1, R13 Carlton · Middle 6R12, R24 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R2, R20 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R3, R16 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R9, R21
12	Greater Western Sydney	Sydney · Top 6R4, R18 Brisbane Lions · Top 6R7, R19 Carlton · Middle 6R9, R21 St Kilda · Middle 6R2, R20 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R1, R15 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R3, R24
13	Gold Coast	Fremantle · Top 6R2, R24 Brisbane Lions · Top 6R8, R20 St Kilda · Middle 6R3, R16 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R1, R15 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R11, R23 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R4, R21
14	North Melbourne	Sydney · Top 6R1, R17 Hawthorn · Top 6R6, R19 St Kilda · Middle 6R9, R21 Greater Western Sydney · Middle 6R3, R24 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R11, R23 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R5, R18
15	Port Adelaide	Geelong · Top 6R11, R24 Adelaide · Top 6R10, R22 Melbourne · Middle 6R3, R20 Gold Coast · Bottom 6R4, R21 North Melbourne · Bottom 6R5, R18 West Coast · Bottom 6R1, R15
16	West Coast	Fremantle · Top 6R3, R18 Brisbane Lions · Top 6R12, R24 Melbourne · Middle 6R5, R19 Port Adelaide · Bottom 6R1, R15 Richmond · Bottom 6R2, R14 Essendon · Bottom 6R8, R21
17	Richmond	Hawthorn · Top 6R1, R24 Adelaide · Top 6R11, R23 Western Bulldogs · Middle 6R3, R16 Collingwood · Middle 6R8, R20 West Coast · Bottom 6R2, R14 Essendon · Bottom 6R10, R22
18	Essendon	Sydney · Top 6R12, R24 Geelong · Top 6R3, R15 Collingwood · Middle 6R6, R18 Carlton · Middle 6R5, R17 West Coast · Bottom 6R8, R21 Richmond · Bottom 6R10, R22

Who each club plays twice

Club	Top 6	Middle 6	Bottom 6
Fremantle	Sydney, Adelaide	Collingwood, Carlton	Gold Coast, West Coast
Sydney	Fremantle, Brisbane Lions, Hawthorn	Greater Western Sydney	North Melbourne, Essendon
Brisbane Lions	Sydney, Hawthorn, Geelong	Greater Western Sydney	Gold Coast, West Coast
Hawthorn	Sydney, Brisbane Lions, Geelong	St Kilda	North Melbourne, Richmond
Geelong	Brisbane Lions, Hawthorn, Adelaide	Melbourne	Port Adelaide, Essendon
Adelaide	Fremantle, Geelong	Melbourne, Western Bulldogs	Port Adelaide, Richmond
Melbourne	Geelong, Adelaide	Western Bulldogs, Collingwood	Port Adelaide, West Coast
Western Bulldogs	Adelaide	Melbourne, Collingwood, Carlton, St Kilda	Richmond
Collingwood	Fremantle	Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, Carlton	Richmond, Essendon
Carlton	Fremantle	Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, St Kilda, Greater Western Sydney	Essendon
St Kilda	Hawthorn	Western Bulldogs, Carlton, Greater Western Sydney	Gold Coast, North Melbourne
Greater Western Sydney	Sydney, Brisbane Lions	Carlton, St Kilda	Gold Coast, North Melbourne
Gold Coast	Fremantle, Brisbane Lions	St Kilda, Greater Western Sydney	North Melbourne, Port Adelaide
North Melbourne	Sydney, Hawthorn	St Kilda, Greater Western Sydney	Gold Coast, Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide	Geelong, Adelaide	Melbourne	Gold Coast, North Melbourne, West Coast
West Coast	Fremantle, Brisbane Lions	Melbourne	Port Adelaide, Richmond, Essendon
Richmond	Hawthorn, Adelaide	Western Bulldogs, Collingwood	West Coast, Essendon
Essendon	Sydney, Geelong	Collingwood, Carlton	West Coast, Richmond

Who plays whom twice, drawn

5. Byes by round

Round 12 · Byes: Geelong, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Richmond
Round 13 · Byes: Essendon, West Coast
Round 14 · Byes: Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs
Round 15 · Byes: Collingwood, Fremantle, North Melbourne, Sydney
Round 16 · Byes: Adelaide, Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Melbourne

6. Breaks between games

Across the season there are 10 games a club plays after a break of five days or fewer. Most: Melbourne (2).

Days break

▲ 5 or fewer days◆ 6 days7+ daysblank: bye or first game

Days since each club's previous game, by round. ▲ marks 5 days or fewer, ◆ marks 6 days.
Round	ADE	BRL	CAR	COL	ESS	FRE	GEE	GCS	GWS	HAW	MEL	NTH	PTA	RIC	STK	SYD	WCE	WBD
1	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game	first game
2	7	10	7	◆6	8	◆6	9	◆6	7	8	8	◆6	◆6	◆6	◆6	8	◆6	◆6
3	7	◆6	◆6	9	◆6	7	▲5	7	7	▲5	7	8	8	8	◆6	◆6	◆6	8
4	8	7	9	▲5	◆6	◆6	7	8	7	8	7	8	◆6	7	8	7	9	7
5	◆6	◆6	7	9	8	7	◆6	7	7	◆6	7	7	8	7	7	8	7	◆6
6	7	7	◆6	8	8	8	◆6	◆6	7	7	◆6	◆6	7	◆6	8	7	◆6	8
7	7	7	8	◆6	◆6	8	9	◆6	◆6	7	8	8	◆6	8	7	◆6	8	7
8	7	7	7	7	7	8	7	8	◆6	7	▲5	7	7	◆6	▲5	8	◆6	7
9	7	7	7	7	7	◆6	7	8	9	◆6	◆6	7	◆6	◆6	9	7	8	◆6
10	7	7	7	7	◆6	8	8	8	7	8	8	7	◆6	7	◆6	◆6	7	8
11	7	7	◆6	7	8	◆6	7	7	7	7	8	7	10	◆6	7	◆6	◆6	▲5
12	7	7	8	7	7	8	bye	7	8	bye	8	◆6	bye	bye	7	8	◆6	◆6
13	7	7	7	9	bye	◆6	13	7	◆6	12	8	◆6	13	16	8	8	bye	10
14	7	7	8	◆6	15	7	7	bye	bye	9	◆6	◆6	◆6	7	bye	◆6	15	bye
15	7	7	◆6	bye	◆6	bye	7	13	14	8	◆6	bye	9	◆6	11	bye	8	14
16	bye	bye	bye	11	◆6	12	7	7	7	7	bye	15	◆6	9	9	15	◆6	7
17	14	14	13	9	7	7	◆6	7	7	◆6	15	9	7	◆6	7	7	7	7
18	7	8	8	7	8	9	◆6	8	◆6	8	7	7	8	7	7	▲5	7	7
19	7	7	7	7	7	7	10	7	8	7	▲5	7	◆6	8	7	◆6	◆6	7
20	7	◆6	7	7	7	7	7	▲5	8	7	7	◆6	◆6	◆6	8	9	◆6	◆6
21	7	8	7	7	7	8	7	7	◆6	◆6	◆6	8	7	8	7	8	9	7
22	7	7	7	7	◆6	◆6	7	9	8	8	10	7	◆6	▲5	◆6	◆6	7	7
23	7	7	◆6	7	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	9	◆6	7	7	7	◆6
24	7	◆6	8	7	7	7	7	◆6	7	7	◆6	7	8	10	7	7	◆6	◆6

Every club’s breaks, round by round

7. Travel

An interstate trip is a game at a venue outside the club’s home state. This version has 162 trips in all, and 38 times a club travels interstate two weeks in a row. Most trips: Greater Western Sydney (14).

Every trip on a timeline

8. Fair or not? The facts side by side

Fairness is hard to define, and a perfectly even fixture is not possible with 18 clubs and 23 games. So there is no overall score here: just the counts, one row per club, for you to weigh.

Club	Twice v top 6	Twice v middle 6	Twice v bottom 6	Prime time	Interstate trips	Trips two in a row	Breaks of ≤5 days
Fremantle	2	2	2	7	10	2	0
Sydney	3	1	2	3	12	4	1
Brisbane Lions	3	1	2	15	11	3	0
Hawthorn	3	1	2	2	10	1	1
Geelong	3	1	2	4	7	2	1
Adelaide	2	2	2	23	10	0	0
Melbourne	2	2	2	6	8	3	2
Western Bulldogs	1	4	1	4	6	1	1
Collingwood	1	3	2	4	6	1	1
Carlton	1	4	1	6	6	1	0
St Kilda	1	3	2	3	7	1	1
Greater Western Sydney	2	2	2	3	14	7	0
Gold Coast	2	2	2	7	13	6	1
North Melbourne	2	2	2	3	9	3	0
Port Adelaide	2	1	3	6	10	2	0
West Coast	2	1	3	5	10	0	0
Richmond	2	2	2	6	6	0	1
Essendon	2	2	2	5	7	1	0

Counts from this version’s recorded games, dates, slot bands and venues. Flag an issue