AFL Finals Series 2025: Schedule Confirmed, Tickets On Sale This Week
Melbourne, Australia – August 29, 2024 – The AFL Finals Series is set to kick off this Thursday, September 4th, following the pre-finals bye, culminating in the grand Final on Saturday, September 27th at 2:30pm AEST at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The full schedule and ticket on-sale information have been confirmed following the conclusion of the regular season.
This year’s finals series features a traditional top-eight format, with the top four teams earning the advantage of a ’double chance’ – meaning they are eligible to host a Preliminary Final even if they lose their Qualifying Final. Here’s a breakdown of the schedule:
WEEK 1 – QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS – SEPTEMBER 5-7
Second Qualifying Final: Geelong (2nd) vs. Brisbane Lions (3rd) – Saturday, September 6th, 7:40pm at the MCG.
First Elimination Final: GWS Giants (5th) vs. a team to be determined from Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs, or Gold Coast Suns (8th) – Time TBC at ENGIE Stadium.
Second Elimination Final: Fremantle (6th) vs. a team to be determined from Hawthorn or Gold Coast Suns (7th) – time TBC at Optus Stadium.
WEEK 2 – SEMI FINALS - SEPTEMBER 12-13
First Semi Final: Loser of the First Qualifying Final (either Adelaide Crows or Collingwood) vs. Winner of the First Elimination Final (GWS Giants, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs, or Gold Coast Suns) – Date and time TBC at either Adelaide Oval or the MCG.
Second Semi Final: Loser of the second Qualifying Final (either Geelong or Brisbane Lions) vs. Winner of the Second Elimination Final (Fremantle, Hawthorn, or Gold Coast Suns) – Date and time TBC at either the MCG or the gabba.
WEEK 3 – PRELIMINARY FINALS – SEPTEMBER 19-20
First Preliminary Final: Winner of the First Qualifying Final (either Adelaide Crows or Collingwood) vs. winner of the Second Semi Final (Geelong, Brisbane Lions, Fremantle, Hawthorn, or Gold Coast Suns) – Date and time TBC at either Adelaide Oval or the MCG.
Second Preliminary Final: Winner of the Second Qualifying Final (either Geelong or Brisbane Lions) vs. Winner of the First Semi Final (Adelaide Crows, Collingwood, GWS giants, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs, or Gold Coast Suns) – Date and time TBC at either the MCG or the Gabba.
AFL GRAND FINAL 2025
winner of the First Preliminary Final vs.Winner of the Second Preliminary Final – Saturday, September 27th, 2:30pm AEST at the MCG.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Week 1 Finals will go on sale starting Friday, August 29th, following confirmation of the final fixture details. As stated by a Geelong Football Club article, “The Week 1 Toyota AFL Finals fixture and ticket on-sale information will be confirmed on Wednesday night (27 August) following the conclusion of the final game of the home and away season – Gold Coast SUNS v Essendon.”
HOW THE AFL FINALS SYSTEM WORKS
The AFL Finals system is a bracket-style tournament. The top four teams recieve a double chance, meaning they can afford to lose a Qualifying Final and still progress through the series.
Here’s a simplified breakdown:
Qualifying Finals: Winners advance directly to the Preliminary Finals.
Elimination Finals: winners advance to the semi Finals.
Semi Finals: Winners advance to the Preliminary Finals. Preliminary Finals: Winners advance to the Grand Final.
* Grand Final: Determines the AFL Premiership winner.
The system is designed to reward consistent performance throughout the home and away season while still allowing for upsets and dramatic narratives in the finals series. The home ground advantage awarded to the higher-ranked teams is a critically important factor, notably in the later stages of the competition.
