AFL sync Fixture Calendar

About the AFL

The Australian Football League (AFL) is Australia's premier professional Australian rules football competition. Founded as the Victorian Football League in 1897, it became the AFL in 1990 as clubs expanded beyond Victoria into South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and the Northern Territory. Today the competition fields 18 clubs and is consistently ranked among the most-attended domestic sports leagues in the world, drawing average crowds exceeding 30,000 per match.

The 2026 AFL home-and-away season consists of 23 rounds, with each club playing 22 matches — 11 at home and 11 away, adjusted for byes and scheduling constraints. The season opens in March and runs through August, culminating in a four-week finals series that ends with the AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the last Saturday of September.

Games are played primarily on weekends, with Friday night and Saturday fixtures commanding the largest television audiences. The AFL also schedules marquee Thursday night games and special event rounds — including ANZAC Day, the Queen's Birthday round, and Gather Round — throughout the season. Because broadcast and venue agreements frequently cause fixture times to shift, keeping a synced calendar is the most reliable way to stay on top of when and where your team is playing.

The 2026 AFL Season

Gather Round

The 2026 season opens with Gather Round — a condensed weekend where all nine round-one matches are played at a single host city. Gather Round has become one of the AFL calendar's signature events since its introduction, generating significant local economic activity and giving fans a chance to attend multiple matches across one weekend. All 18 clubs play their opening game within a 72-hour window.

Marquee Fixtures

Several fixtures are fixed points in the AFL calendar regardless of the draw. The ANZAC Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon at the MCG has been played on 25 April every year since 1995 and regularly draws crowds of 90,000. The Queen's Birthday weekend features a Melbourne showpiece match, traditionally involving Carlton or Melbourne. State of Origin and Dreamtime at the 'G are additional marquee fixtures that carry significance beyond the ladder standings.

How the Finals Work

After round 23, the top eight teams on the ladder qualify for the finals series. The system used is a modified page-McIntyre format. In week one, the top two teams play each other (Qualifying Final 1) and teams three and four play each other (Qualifying Final 2) — both winners progress directly to Preliminary Finals. Teams five through eight play Elimination Finals, where the losers are immediately eliminated. Week two features Semi-Finals between the QF losers and the EF winners. Week three has Preliminary Finals (the final four), and the season ends with the Grand Final between the two remaining clubs.

Why Fixture Times Change

The AFL releases a complete fixture before the season begins, but revises match times and venues throughout the year. Changes are driven by broadcast scheduling negotiations (the AFL has rights deals across Seven Network, Fox Footy, and streaming platforms), venue double-headers, team performance affecting late-season match placement, and stadium availability for concerts and other events. Fans who add fixtures manually to their calendars frequently find that a game has moved — which is why Sport to Calendar's update feature exists: return to this page at any point to refresh your events with the current published times.

The 18 AFL Clubs

The AFL's 18 clubs are spread across six states and the ACT. Here is a quick reference to all clubs, their home states, and their primary venues for the 2026 season.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ICS file and how do I use it?

An ICS file (iCalendar format) is a universal calendar file supported by virtually every calendar application — Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Samsung Calendar, Thunderbird, and more. After downloading the file from Sport to Calendar, open your calendar app, find the import option, and select the file. Each AFL fixture appears as a fully formed calendar event with the match name, venue, and kick-off time, exactly as if you had created it manually.

Do I need to create an account?

No account is required to download an ICS file. Simply select your teams and click Download ICS File — no registration, no email address, and no payment information needed. If you want to add fixtures directly to Google Calendar without manually importing a file, you can optionally sign in with Google. This uses Google's secure OAuth flow; Sport to Calendar never stores your password or personal data beyond what is necessary to write the calendar events.

Are the fixture times accurate?

Fixture data reflects the officially published AFL schedule. Times are shown in your local timezone based on your device's settings. The AFL regularly adjusts fixture times throughout the season — especially for rounds 15 and beyond, when broadcast agreements and ladder positions influence scheduling. We recommend revisiting this page and updating your calendar events at least once a month during the season, or whenever you hear that a fixture has been revised.

How do I update my calendar when fixtures change?

If you used the Google Calendar integration, return to this page, make sure you are signed in, select the same teams, and click Update Existing Events. This refreshes the time and venue for every event you previously added without creating duplicates. If you imported an ICS file, delete the existing AFL events from your calendar, then download and import a fresh ICS file. Most calendar apps make it easy to delete a batch of events by selecting all events from a specific calendar.

Can I select fixtures for just my favourite club?

Yes. Tick one or more teams from the grid above — the ICS file or Google Calendar events will only include matches involving your selected clubs. A single-club supporter can select their team and receive a concise file with only 22 or 23 entries covering the home-and-away season. You can also select multiple clubs, which is useful for households where different family members follow different teams.

How does the AFL finals series work?

After 23 home-and-away rounds, the top eight teams on the ladder qualify for the finals. Week one has two Qualifying Finals (teams 1v2 and 3v4) and two Elimination Finals (5v8 and 6v7). QF winners progress directly to Preliminary Finals; QF losers drop to Semi-Finals, where they face the EF winners. Preliminary Final winners meet in the AFL Grand Final at the MCG on the last Saturday of September. Sport to Calendar includes all finals fixtures as they are confirmed, so your calendar stays complete right through to the decider.

What are the main AFL venues?

The AFL's primary venues are the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG, capacity ~100,000) and Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Adelaide Oval in South Australia, Optus Stadium in Perth, the Gabba in Brisbane, GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, and Manuka Oval in Canberra. Matches are distributed across these venues according to each club's home ground arrangements and broadcast agreements. Some clubs also use secondary venues — for example, Hawthorn plays select home games in Tasmania at UTAS Stadium.

Is Sport to Calendar free?

Yes, completely free. There are no subscriptions, no premium tiers, and no hidden charges. Both the ICS download and the Google Calendar integration are available to all users at no cost. The service is supported by advertising.