AFL 2026: Opening Round fixture times, dates, matchups, Carlton and Swans kick off in thursday lights.

The 2026 AFL season will begin on March 6 with Opening Round set to make a return, meaning the season will once begin again northern states, the AFL announced on Tuesday.

The AFL has confirmed the 2026 Opening Round fixture, locking in all dates, venues, and times from March 5 to Round 15.

The season kicks off at the SCG on March 5, with the Sydney Swans hosting Carlton in the first match of the year. The expanded Opening Round will feature five games, including for the first time a Melbourne clash, as St Kilda takes on Collingwood at the MCG on March 8.

Back-to-back premiers Brisbane will unfurl their flag at the Gabba on March 7, facing the Western Bulldogs, while other marquee games round out a blockbuster start to the season.

The traditional Round One opener between Carlton and Richmond follows a week later on March 12 at the MCG, continuing one of the AFL’s most enduring rivalries.

The announcement comes after the AFL revealed the fixtures for Gather Round, set to be in Round 5 in South Australia once again.

AFL 2026 Club by Club Fixtures: Every Team Schedule.

Adelaide Crows Fixtures — Brisbane Lions Fixtures —

Carlton Blues Fixtures —  Collingwood Magpies Fixtures —

Essendon Bombers Fixtures — Fremantle Dockers Fixtures —

Geelong Cats Fixtures —  Gold Coast Suns Fixtures —

GWS Giants Fixtures —  Hawthorn Hawks Fixtures —

Melbourne Demons Fixtures —  North Melbourne Kangaroos Fixtures — Port Adelaide Power Fixtures —

Richmond Tigers Fixtures  —  St Kilda Saints Fixtures  — Sydney Swans Fixtures —

West Coast Eagles Fixtures — Western Bulldogs Fixtures —