The AFL Betting page hub is your go‑to destination for everything punters need across the AFL season, with the latest AFL odds, expert AFL betting tips, weekly AFL predictions, match previews, market movers and form insights delivered in true Ladbrokes style. Whether you’re sizing up the weekend’s AFL head‑to‑head odds, chasing value in line betting, building AFL same game multis, or tracking futures markets like the AFL Premiership odds, this page keeps punters ahead of the play. With fresh analysis, stats, betting angles and direct links to all key AFL betting markets, Ladbrokes gives you everything you need to turn footy knowledge into smart wagers all season long.
AFL punters dive into AFL tips and AFL predictions each week to get a read on form, momentum and match‑ups that shape the latest betting markets. With injuries, team selections, travel factors and tactical shifts all influencing outcomes, smart AFL tipping blends hard data with an understanding of how clubs perform under pressure. Ladder trends, scoring efficiency, midfield dominance and defensive stability remain key indicators for long‑range forecasting, while week‑to‑week predictions often hinge on match‑ups, venue history and current momentum swings. As the season builds, punters use these insights to sharpen their AFL Premiership betting plays and stay ahead of market movement in the futures odds.
2026 AFL Season: Preliminary Preview
The 2026 AFL Preliminary Finals deliver the purest weekend of footy on the calendar, with Sydney, Fremantle, Hawthorn and Brisbane all one win away from booking their place in next Saturday’s Grand Final. Ladbrokes markets lean towards Fremantle and Brisbane, but both clashes carry genuine upset potential. The Swans return to the SCG after their stunning dismantling of Brisbane, though the loss of Callum Mills swings momentum back towards a Freo side rediscovering its fast, attacking best behind Luke Jackson’s breakout form. Twenty‑four hours later, Hawthorn and Brisbane collide at the MCG, where the Hawks’ pressure‑heavy style meets a Lions outfit capable of blowing games open early, as shown in their five‑goal burst against Adelaide. With selection intrigue, star power across every line and contrasting styles shaping both contests, we’ve broken down each matchup to deliver our Preliminary Final predictions, value plays and best bets ahead of a massive weekend of September footy.
The Sydney Swans and Fremantle Dockers will fight for a spot in the 2026 AFL Grand Final when the clubs meet at the SCG in Friday night’s preliminary final. The Swans progressed to the penultimate stage of the season without their suspended stars, defeating Brisbane 141-88 in a qualifying final at the SCG a fortnight ago. Errol Gulden (34 disposals, one goal) led the way, while forwards Logan McDonald, Tom Papley and Charlie Curnow combined for 16 majors. However, the victory came at a cost, with skipper Callum Mills suffering an ACL injury. Meanwhile, the Dockers responded to their qualifying final defeat by overcoming Geelong 120-106 at Optus Stadium last Friday night, led by a huge performance from Luke Jackson (25 disposals, two goals, 12 score involvements, 35 hitouts). The last finals meeting between these sides came in 2015, when Fremantle won a qualifying final 69-60. More recently, the Dockers defeated Sydney 111-73 in Round 18.
Hawthorn and Brisbane will try to secure a place in the 2026 AFL Grand Final when they meet in a preliminary final at the MCG on Saturday evening. The Hawks earned their home prelim with an upset 72-40 win over minor premier Fremantle in the qualifying final. Co-captain James Sicily starred with 26 disposals, 12 intercepts and 10 marks while helping contain the Dockers’ high-powered forward line. Meanwhile, the Lions kept their hopes of a historic three-peat alive with a resounding 144-91 victory over the Crows in last Saturday’s semi-final. Zac Bailey impressed just days after signing a major contract extension, finishing with 23 disposals and three goals. Lions coach Chris Fagan is confident All-Australian forward Logan Morris will be available despite finishing the match on the bench with ice on his calf. Brisbane defeated Hawthorn 125-58 at home in Round 22.
The AFL Premiership odds markets continue to shift as the 2026 season unfolds, with punters closely tracking form, injuries and ladder movement to spot early value. Updated AFL Premiership odds 2026 highlight the teams firming as genuine contenders and those drifting after slow starts or key outs. Sharp punters are already weighing up AFL Premiership predictions based on midfield strength, scoring efficiency and defensive stability, all of which play a major role in long‑range forecasting. With futures markets moving weekly, AFL Premiership betting offers plenty of opportunities for punters who stay ahead of momentum swings and jump on value before the market tightens.
AFL odds correct as of 21/09/2026 and subject to change.
2026 AFL Season
The 2026 AFL season is set up as one of the most intriguing in years, running from 5 March to 26 September 2026 and marking the league’s 130th premiership season. It features all 18 clubs across a 23‑match home‑and‑away schedule played over 25 rounds, followed by the debut of the new top‑10 finals system, which introduces Wildcard matches for teams finishing 7th–10th.
Two major rule changes headline the year: the substitute rule is gone, replaced by a five‑player interchange, and the traditional centre bounce has been scrapped, with umpires now throwing the ball up instead.
The season opens with Sydney vs Carlton at the SCG on 5 March, and key dates include Gather Round in April, Anzac Day, the bye rounds across R12–16, and the Grand Final on 26 September 2026.
With Brisbane chasing a three‑peat and a pack of contenders reshaping under the new finals format, the 2026 campaign promises a fresh layer of unpredictability and plenty of storylines from Opening Round through to the last Saturday in September.
The 2026 AFL season is the 130th season of professional Aussie Rules. The same 18 clubs that faced off in the last 14 seasons of AFL do battle again.
The Brisbane Lions are the defending champions having won the 2025 AFL Premiership with 122-75 Grand Final victory last season over Geelong.
The AFL 2026 fixtures get underway on Thursday March 5, 2026, with the Sydney Swans hosting Carlton.
Opening Round of the 2026 AFL drawfeatures a total of four games.
For the third time in Aussie Rules history, the 2026 season does not begin with Round 1. Instead, a four-game ‘Opening Round’ takes place before the official full eight game Round 1 get underway.
Round 1 in 2026 again hosts the traditional Richmond v Carlton showdown at the MCG on Thursday, March 12.
There are 25 regular AFL rounds in the 2026 season.
The 2026 AFL Grand Final is set to takes place at the iconic MCG on Saturday, September 26, at the traditional 2:30pm timeslot.
The AFL stands for the Australian Football League and is the leading professional Australian Rules competition run down under each year.
Featuring 18 teams the league was founded back in 1897 as the Victorian Football League (VFL) when just eight teams from Victoria faced off. Five Australian states are now represented in the current AFL Premiership, which came about in 1990 when the league was officially renamed to make for a more national competition, although Victoria continues to dominate with 10 still in the mix including nine from Melbourne.
The other states with AFL teams are New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia each with two clubs in the competition. The first non-Victorian AFL club was the Sydney Swans that came about when South Melbourne relocated interstate in 1982 and interest in the game grew.
Unlike in the NRL there is no New Zealand AFL club, although New Zealand has been host to offshore AFL games over the years.
There is also a fast-growing AFLW (Women’s AFL competition) that has expanded to 14 teams from 2019 taking place ahead of the AFL season.
Strong defensive profiles correlate with deep September runs
Stable coaching groups outperform clubs undergoing system changes
The current AFL teams are the:
Adelaide Crows (SA)
Brisbane Lions (QLD)
Carlton Blues (VIC)
Collingwood Magpies (VIC)
Essendon Bombers (VIC)
Fremantle Dockers (WA)
Geelong Cats (VIC)
Gold Coast Suns (QLD)
Great Western Sydney Giants (NSW)
Hawthorn Hawks (VIC)
Melbourne Demons (VIC)
North Melbourne Kangaroos (VIC)
Port Adelaide Power (SA)
Richmond Tigers (VIC)
St Kilda Saints (VIC)
Sydney Swans (NSW)
West Coast Eagles (WA)
Western Bulldogs (VIC)
In 2017, The Richmond Tigers celebrated their first Premiership in 37 years. Photo by The Herald Sun
Of these seven are foundation clubs having inaugurated in 1897 with Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda and Sydney the oldest AFL clubs in the competition.
The AFL Premiership in 2024 has expanded to a 25-week regular season with the addition of a four-match Opening Round ahead of the official Round 1 fixtures that runs from March to September each year.
The 25 AFL Rounds lead into the highly anticipated AFL Finals football that pits the top performing teams on the AFL Ladder in a finals series that culminates with the AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Some of the other key AFL games over the season are the Collingwood vs. Essendon ANZAC Day match at the MCG and the Queen’s Birthday fixture between Melbourne and Collingwood.
As well as the Premiership title there are plenty of other coveted AFL awards up for grabs for the teams and players each year including the Brownlow Medal awarded to the fairest and best player in the league – Brownlow Medal betting on offer throughout the season.
Collingwood, Essendon and Carlton all share the record of most VFL / AFL Premiership wins with 16 each following the Magpies’ win in the 2023 AFL Grand Final. Collingwood also boast the most AFL Grand Final appearances with 46.
AFL ODDS
The AFL odds on the seasonal Premiership competition attract massive amounts of interest each year with online sports betting markets available on the Aussie Rules pre-season.
There are now 25 regular or home-and-away AFL Round betting markets open plus Australian Rules odds on the AFL finals and Grand Final to add interest to the AFL fixtures. Punters can also enjoy specialty AFL odds on a range of other markets like the season’s Brownlow Medal Winner.
AFL betting features standard sports odds like head-to-head markets on the weekly games across the AFL draw plus exotic options including the winning margin of a game, first goal kicker and quarter-time score predictions.
All of this plus the generous AFL Premiership odds open across the season where you can back your favourite AFL club to win the end-of-season Grand Final played at the MCG.
AFL odds are updated at the end of each round and as well as the head-to-head markets there are the always popular line betting odds and Ladbrokes exclusive AFL Season Pricing open all season with markets for all 25 rounds open even before the first Premiership game is played.
AFL BET TYPES
See below for some of the most popular AFL bet types.
AFL Head-to-Head Betting
Head-to-head odds are simple and feature a price on both teams facing off in a selected AFL game to win the match. The same price can be offered if the two clubs are deemed an equal chance of winning, but usually there is a favourite at shorter AFL odds. These markets are affected by things like lead-up form across the season, their record at the venue, whether they are playing at home or away and the AFL team selections for the match.
AFL Line Betting
Line betting is the second most popular type of AFL odds on offer for each game. The line is the winning spread of points a team must either win or lose by for that bet to pay out. For example, if West Coast are at +40.5 @ $1.87 that means they must beat their rivals in that game by more than 40.5 points for you to collect on the bet.
AFL Season Pricing
Ladbrokes were the first online sports bookmaker in Australia to offer exclusive AFL season pricing with head-to-head betting markets available for all 25 rounds of the home-and-away season. These markets give supporters an excellent opportunity to back their favourite AFL team across the full season. AFL season pricing is updated each round so checking back on a weekly basis is key. We have these markets available By Rounds or By Team to make it even easier to follow your club.
AFL Premiership Betting
The futures AFL Premiership betting odds list the prices on offer for each of the AFL teams to win the annual Grand Final. The markets are affected by the round-by-round AFL results and usually the teams sitting the highest on the AFL ladder are at the shortest price to win the competition.
AFL Minor Premiership Betting
The AFL Minor Premiership odds are the markets on offer for each Australian Rules football club to win that season’s Minor Premiership and finish the regular 25 round season at the top of the AFL Ladder. Since 1991 the AFL Minor Premiers have been awarded the McClelland Trophy. Interesting to note is that as of 2015 of the 119 VFL/AFL Minor Premiership winners, 64 have continued on to win that season’s Grand Final. A further 41 finished runners-up losing the Grand Final and just 14 didn’t make a Grand Final appearance. Collingwood have won the most VFL/AFL Minor Premierships with 19 in total.
AFL Place Betting
AFL Place betting are futures odds open on the clubs to either Make the Top 4 or Make the Top 8 on the AFL premiership ladder at the end of the home-and-away season. It is essential to finish in the first eight positions on the AFL ladder to make the AFL Finals and prices are on offer for all the AFL teams to finish in these coveted spots. Punters can also find AFL odds on each club to Miss the Top 8.
AFL Season Wins Betting
Betting on AFL Season wins is open even before the start of the annual Premiership and lists prices club-by-club to record either under or over a certain number of wins across the overall 25-week regular season leading up to the finals series.
Brownlow Medal Betting
The AFL’s Brownlow Medal – officially the Charles Brownlow Trophy – is awarded to the fairest and best professional Australian Football League player of the home-and-away season. The decision is made based on the votes cast by field umpires after each game during the AFL fixtures and is a highly coveted award. Brownlow Medal odds list the specific players monetary chances to win the sport’s most prestigious individual award.
What are the AFL Premiership odds for 2026?
Ladbrokes updates AFL Premiership odds 2026 throughout the season as form, injuries and ladder movement shift the futures market. Prices tighten quickly around in‑form contenders, while drifting teams often present value for sharp punters.
How do AFL Premiership odds work?
AFL Premiership odds reflect each team’s chances of winning the flag based on performance, injuries, fixtures and betting activity. Shorter odds indicate strong contenders, while longer prices highlight outsiders or teams needing momentum.
When do AFL Premiership odds change the most?
Odds move sharply during key injury updates, major upsets, fixture swings and late‑season ladder shifts. Futures markets also react strongly to marquee match‑ups and finals‑shaping results.
Where can I find AFL Premiership tips and predictions?
Ladbrokes provides weekly insights, expert analysis, market movers and AFL Premiership predictions to help punters stay ahead of futures market changes.
Can I bet on AFL Premiership futures all season?
Yes — AFL Premiership betting is available year‑round, with markets open before Round 1 and updated after every match across the season.
Do AFL Premiership odds include finals performance?
Futures odds factor in expected finals performance, including home‑ground advantage, squad depth and historical September form.
