Full time
Western Bulldogs
96–93
CollingwoodMCG · Friday 28 August
AFL Ladder 2026
Four premiership points for a win and two for a draw; teams level on points are split by percentage. The top six go straight to the finals and seventh to tenth play the Wildcard Round. The ladder predictor plays out the rest.
2026 season complete
Brisbane Lions won the 2026 premiership, beating Fremantle 96–89 in the Grand Final on Saturday 26 September. The 2027 fixture has not been published yet. The AFL usually releases the next season’s fixture in October or November. This page switches to 2027 on its own as soon as it is out; until then it shows the 2026 season in full. Tasmania join the AFL in 2028, so 2027 is again an 18-club season.
| Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Fremantle | 23 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 2286 | 1666 | 137.2 | 76 | wonwonlostwonlost |
| 2 |  Sydney Swans | 23 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2543 | 1869 | 136.1 | 72 | wonwonwonwonwon |
| 3 |  Brisbane Lions | 23 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 2499 | 2054 | 121.7 | 64 | wonlostwonwonwon |
| 4 |  Hawthorn | 23 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 2260 | 1881 | 120.1 | 64 | wonwonlostdrewwon |
| 5 |  Geelong Cats | 23 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 2355 | 1925 | 122.3 | 60 | wonwonwonwonwon |
| 6 |  Adelaide Crows | 23 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 2169 | 1849 | 117.3 | 60 | lostwonwonlostwon |
| 7 |  Melbourne | 23 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 2301 | 2099 | 109.6 | 60 | lostwonwonwonlost |
| 8 | Western Bulldogs | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 1901 | 1992 | 95.4 | 54 | wonlostlostdrewwon |
| 9 | Collingwood | 23 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 2021 | 1974 | 102.4 | 52 | wonlostwondrewlost |
| 10 |  Carlton | 23 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 2007 | 1978 | 101.5 | 50 | wonwonwondrewwon |
| 11 |  St Kilda | 23 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 2030 | 1974 | 102.8 | 40 | wonlostlostwonlost |
| 12 |  GWS GIANTS | 23 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 2073 | 2095 | 98.9 | 40 | lostwonlostwonlost |
| 13 |  Gold Coast SUNS | 23 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 2011 | 2128 | 94.5 | 36 | lostlostwonlostwon |
| 14 |  North Melbourne | 23 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 1932 | 2175 | 88.8 | 36 | lostlostwonlostlost |
| 15 |  Port Adelaide | 23 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 1804 | 2048 | 88.1 | 28 | lostlostlostlostwon |
| 16 |  West Coast Eagles | 23 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 1615 | 2333 | 69.2 | 16 | lostlostlostlostlost |
| 17 |  Richmond | 23 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 1483 | 2373 | 62.5 | 12 | lostwonlostlostlost |
| 18 |  Essendon | 23 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 1601 | 2478 | 64.6 | 8 | lostlostlostlostlost |
FinalsWildcard RoundForm, oldest to latest: won drew lost
AFL Finals 2026
Wildcard Round
CollingwoodFull time
Melbourne
55–74
CarltonMCG · Saturday 29 August
Qualifying & Elimination Finals
Full time
Fremantle
40–72
HawthornOptus Stadium · Thursday 3 September
Full time
Geelong Cats
107–74
CarltonMCG · Friday 4 September
Full time
Sydney Swans
141–88
Brisbane LionsSCG · Saturday 5 September
Full time
Adelaide Crows
90–68
Western BulldogsAdelaide Oval · Saturday 5 September
Semi-finals
Full time
Fremantle
120–106
Geelong CatsOptus Stadium · Friday 11 September
Full time
Brisbane Lions
144–91
Adelaide CrowsGabba · Saturday 12 September
Preliminary Finals
Full time
Sydney Swans
71–83
FremantleSCG · Friday 18 September
Full time
Hawthorn
122–131
Brisbane LionsMCG · Saturday 19 September
Grand Final
Full time
Fremantle
89–96
Brisbane LionsMCG · Saturday 26 September
About the AFL ladder
The AFL ladder on this page ranks the 18 clubs on premiership points, four for a win and two for a draw, and breaks ties on percentage: points scored divided by points conceded, multiplied by 100. Each row shows games played, wins, losses, draws, points for and against, percentage, points and the last five results.
Since 2026 ten clubs reach the finals. The ladder marks the top six, who go straight into the finals series, and seventh to tenth, who play the Wildcard Round. The finals results sit underneath the ladder, week by week, from the Wildcard Round to the Grand Final.
How to use the AFL ladder
- The ladder is counted from the results on the AFL fixture, so the two always agree.
- Green rows are the top six; the lighter band below is seventh to tenth, the Wildcard Round places.
- To see how the ladder could have finished differently, open the AFL ladder predictor.
AFL ladder FAQ
How is percentage calculated in the AFL?
Points for divided by points against, multiplied by 100. A team that scored 2,286 and conceded 1,666, as Fremantle did in 2026, has a percentage of 137.2. Anything above 100 means the club has scored more than it conceded.
What happens if AFL teams finish level on points and percentage?
Percentage is the tiebreaker on the AFL ladder, and it is worked out to several decimal places, so a dead heat on both is practically unheard of. That is why the margin of every win matters in the last rounds.
Who finished top of the 2026 AFL ladder?
Fremantle, the minor premiers, with 19 wins, four losses, 76 points and a percentage of 137.2. Sydney were second on 72 points and Brisbane third on 64, ahead of Hawthorn on percentage.
From the blog
- AFL Home Ground Advantage Is Mostly the Trip, and It Has ShrunkAFL home teams won 57.7 percent of games from 1997 to 2026: 60.6 against interstate visitors, 51.2 in Victorian games at the MCG and Marvel. Every season.
- How Many Wins It Takes to Make the AFL Finals, Eight or TenTwelve wins made the AFL top eight 69 percent of the time in 22-game seasons, and 12.5 never missed. The line every year since 1994, and what tenth needs now.
- The Brownlow Medallist's Club Rarely Wins the FlagOnly 6 of the 41 Brownlow medallists since 1990 played for that year's premiers. Where their clubs finished, why midfielders win, and Nick Daicos's 47.