The AFL is changing significantly once again - just for something new.
In 2026, a Wildcard Round will be introduced that will technically see 10 teams playing finals.
Is it a change that will improve the competition or is it just a money grab?
AllSportsPeople explains how Wildcard Round is going to work next season.
MORE: AFL officially makes massive finals fixture shake-up
AFL Wildcard Round - How does it work?
At the end of the AFL home-and-away season, teams placed 7th to 10th will be a part of AFL Wildcard Round.
Scheduled for the weekend which was most recently the pre-finals bye, 7th will host 10th and 8th welcomes 9th in two knockout finals.
The highest-ranked winner of the knockout matches will assume 7th position, while the lowest-ranked winner will be ranked 8th.
From this position onwards, the AFL finals series continues as it previously has with 5th vs. 8th and 6th vs. 7th in elimination finals, while 1st vs. 4th and 2nd vs. 3rd play off in qualifying finals.
If the Wildcard Round happened in 2025, Gold Coast (7th) would have welcomed Sydney (10th) and Hawthorn (8th) would have hosted the Western Bulldogs (9th).