Sunday night football will become a feature of the AFL fixture in 2027, with a match in the timeslot in each of the first 13 rounds for the first time, and overlapping Sunday games that hurt viewer satisfaction this year will be scrapped.
The AFL has released a 2027 fixture that gives fans the chance to end their weekends watching three AFL matches back-to-back. In all but rounds one and six, the first game each Sunday will start at 12.30pm, leading into a 3.15pm match and then a night game, defined as starting after 6pm.
Next year's fixture increases the number of Sunday night matches in the first 13 rounds from eight in 2026, with four to be played at Marvel Stadium and one at the MCG. Where possible, the league has anchored the Sunday night games to public holidays in the states where they are played, with two of the biggest matches reserved for Easter Sunday and the night before the King's Birthday public holiday.
The changes mean nine matches will be broadcast each round across four nights, from Thursday to Sunday. Western Bulldogs and St Kilda will meet at Marvel Stadium on Easter Sunday in round two, while Essendon and Carlton will again play on King's Birthday eve, a match locked into the fixture since 2023. Each of the previous four matches in that timeslot attracted crowds of more than 70,000 to the MCG.
In round one, the Sunday night fixture will be West Coast hosting Gold Coast in Perth in the afternoon local time, beamed back to the eastern states on a Sunday evening. During Gather Round, Port Adelaide will host the Western Bulldogs as Zak Butters returns to Adelaide Oval in the red, white and blue.
Six of the eight Sunday night matches in the opening 13 rounds in 2026 were played outside Victoria, but the removal of Opening Round means nine matches will occur in each round during most of the early rounds. The AFL's first attempt to regularly lock Sunday nights into the fixture stalled after a mid-winter 2014 night match between Carlton and Collingwood attracted just 40,939 fans. The league has since built the number of Sunday night games gradually since 2025, with careful programming to keep attendances reflecting viewer enthusiasm.
The addition of the Tasmania Devils in 2028 could lead to each team playing 24 matches per home-and-away season, up from 23.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Sunday viewers will get a full block of three matches back-to-back instead of overlapping games, a direct response to complaints about viewer satisfaction this year.
- Victorian venues, including Marvel Stadium and the MCG, will host more of the new night games, a shift from 2026 when most Sunday night matches were played outside Victoria.
- The fixture is still growing: the Tasmania Devils' arrival in 2028 could push the season to 24 matches per team, up from 23.
Background
The AFL has been cautious about Sunday night football since a six-match trial in 2014 collapsed after a mid-winter Carlton-Collingwood game at the MCG drew a crowd of just 40,939. The backlash made the league wary of the timeslot, particularly in Victoria. Since 2025, it has gradually increased the number of Sunday night games with carefully chosen matchups to protect attendances. The removal of Opening Round from the 2027 season also means most early rounds will feature nine games instead of eight, giving the league more room to schedule the new timeslot.
What to Watch
- Whether crowds at the new Victorian Sunday night games hold up, given the league's caution since the 2014 experiment.
- How the three-match Sunday block rates with broadcast audiences and whether it changes viewing habits.
- The league's response if the 2028 entry of the Tasmania Devils leads to a 24-round home-and-away season.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.
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- SupportedSunday night football will feature in each of the first 13 rounds of the 2027 AFL fixture for the first time.WA Today - Latest News: “Sunday night football will become a feature of the AFL fixture in 2027, with a match to be played in the timeslot in each of the first 13 rounds for the first time.”
- Partly supportedThe AFL will scrap overlapping matches.WA Today - Latest News: “The overlapping of Sunday matches that impacted viewer satisfaction at times this year will be removed”
- SupportedFans will be able to watch three AFL matches back-to-back on Sundays.WA Today - Latest News: “giving fans the chance to end their weekends watching three AFL matches back-to-back-to-back.”
- SupportedThe Western Bulldogs and St Kilda will play at Marvel Stadium on Easter Sunday in round two.WA Today - Latest News: “the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda will clash at Marvel Stadium on Easter Sunday in round two”
- Partly supportedOverlapping Sunday games hurt viewer satisfaction this year and will be removed.WA Today - Latest News: “The overlapping of Sunday matches that impacted viewer satisfaction at times this year will be removed”
- SupportedExcept in rounds one and six, the first Sunday match will start at 12.30pm, followed by a 3.15pm match and a night game starting after 6pm.WA Today - Latest News: “In all but rounds one and six, the first game each Sunday will start at 12.30pm, leading into a 3.15pm match and then finishing with a night game, which is defined as starting after 6pm.”
- SupportedThe first 13 rounds of 2027 will have more Sunday night matches than the eight in the first 13 rounds of 2026; four will be at Marvel Stadium and one at the MCG.WA Today - Latest News: “Next year’s fixture marks an increase from eight Sunday night matches in the first 13 rounds in 2026, with four of the matches to be played at Marvel Stadium and one at the MCG.”
- Partly supportedWhere possible, the league has anchored Sunday night games to public holidays in the states where they are played.WA Today - Latest News: “When possible, the AFL has attempted to anchor the Sunday night fixtures to public holidays in the states where they are played”
- SupportedNine matches will be broadcast each round across four nights, from Thursday to Sunday.WA Today - Latest News: “The extension of Sunday night football means nine matches will be broadcast each round on four nights of the week from Thursday to Sunday.”
- SupportedEssendon and Carlton will again play on King’s Birthday eve, a fixture slot locked in since 2023, and each of the previous four matches in that slot drew more than 70,000 to the MCG.WA Today - Latest News: “Essendon and Carlton will again meet on King’s Birthday eve in a match that has been locked into the fixture since 2023. Each of the four previous matches in that timeslot have attracted crowds of more than 70,000 to the MCG.”
- SupportedWest Coast will host Gold Coast in Perth in round one, in the afternoon local time, with the match shown to eastern states viewers on Sunday evening.WA Today - Latest News: “In round one, the Sunday night clash will occur when West Coast host Gold Coast in Perth in the afternoon local time, a game that will be beamed back into the eastern states on a Sunday evening.”
- SupportedAdding the Tasmania Devils in 2028 could lead to each team playing 24 home-and-away matches per season, up from 23.WA Today - Latest News: “The addition to the competition of the Tasmania Devils in 2028 could lead to each team playing 24 matches each home-and-away season, up from 23.”