Essendon and Richmond will play a second Dreamtime match in both 2027 and 2028, taking their rivalry to Optus Stadium in Perth as the clubs capitalise on the success of the game at the MCG.
The clubs will alternate hosting a home match in Western Australia, with Essendon to be the "home" team in 2027 and Richmond in 2028. They will also maintain the traditional Dreamtime at the MCG, which was first played there in 2005.
The Dreamtime match was a success when the two teams played at Optus Stadium in 2021 during the COVID pandemic, with 55,656 fans attending. The spectacle was memorable as the local community embraced the match, which acknowledges the contribution of First Nations people to Australian rules and honours Australia's Indigenous culture.
The MCG match will be played during Sir Doug Nicholls Round, while the Perth match is expected to be played during NAIDOC week.
The Age confirmed the fixture had been locked in for the next two seasons, with an official announcement likely on Wednesday. The annual dripfeed of the fixture continues, with Gather Round and round one already made public.
The Tigers are scheduled to face Carlton on Saturday afternoon at the MCG in round one, rather than in their traditional Thursday night timeslot, while Essendon will take on Melbourne, rather than Hawthorn, in the season-opening round. They had hoped to make a first-up clash with the Hawks an annual event.
Essendon and Richmond were disappointing in 2026, finishing last and second last respectively, but both have added high-end talent to their lists in recent seasons.
New Bombers coach Mark McVeigh played in the first Dreamtime at the MCG match, in which the Tigers prevailed by 26 points.
Optus Stadium has been chasing additional AFL fixtures, with the league holding a State of Origin match between Victoria and Western Australia at the venue in February last season. North Melbourne have also sold two home matches to Western Australia, with one played at Optus Stadium each season.