Three games in Ballarat as AFL reveals 2026 pre-season fixture

Ballarat has scored three AFL pre-season matches as compensation for missing out on the 2026 season, with the league revealing the fixture for the AAMI Community Series.

Ballarat has emerged as the big winner of the AFL’s pre-season fixture as Mars Stadium hosts three matches in the first taste of 2026 football in February.

With Mars Stadium taken off the AFL fixture next year as it undergoes a redevelopment, Ballarat footy lovers will at least get a taste of the big time when six Victorian sides arrive in the country town.

AFL fixture whiz Josh Bowler said: “We’re especially excited to host three of the nine games in Ballarat, giving local fans the chance to enjoy elite football in their backyard while the redevelopment of Mars Stadium continues.”

The stadium will see Melbourne and Richmond face off on Friday, February 27 at 4.10pm, before St Kilda and Essendon meet a day later at 3.10pm and North Melbourne battles Collingwood on Sunday, again at 3.10pm.

Only two games will be played in Melbourne, with Carlton hosting Geelong at Ikon Park on Wednesday, February 25 at 7.10pm to kick off the AAMI Community Series.

The Western Bulldogs host Hawthorn at Whitten Oval on Friday night, February 27.

The two Sydney sides, the Giants and Swans, will meet at Henson Park on Thursday, February 26, and the Queensland teams will play at Brighton Homes Area that night, when the Lions host the Suns.

Adelaide will travel to face Fremantle at Rushton Park in Mandurah, just south of Perth on Saturday, February 28.

And West Coast will host Port Adelaide to finish the round at Mineral Resources Park on Sunday, March 1.

Teams will play the Community Series matches with eight players on the bench and no interchange cap.

The AFL schedules just one round of pre-season matches, and clubs traditionally organise another scratch match against opposition at a time of their own choosing.