Overview
- The AFL published the full 2026 AFLW fixture on Thursday, consolidating the season into a 12‑round home‑and‑away format and reshaping round one with a split start.
- St Kilda v Carlton will play the first official game at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, August 9 as part of an AFL double‑header, and the bulk of round one begins the following week with Hawthorn v Melbourne at Ikon Park.
- At least four men's‑women's double‑headers are locked in across the crossover rounds and three women‑only double‑headers are scheduled in rounds 4, 7 and 10 to increase joint attendances and club exposure.
- Several clubs have changed home grounds for 2026, including Adelaide moving to Thomas Farms Oval, Fremantle to Cockburn ARC Oval, and Hawthorn to the Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley, while North Sydney Oval will not host home‑and‑away matches.
- The 18‑team league still plays only 12 rounds so each club will not meet five other teams this season, and Adelaide and Sydney will open against each other under new coaches Ryan Davis and Colin O'Riordan with O'Riordan the first Irish coach in AFL/AFLW history.