A NEW era of Victorian state league football will take place in 2026, following the announcement of the first fixtures from the VFL and VFLW competitions. The fixture release – which was announced yesterday – included the first 13 rounds of the VFL, and the opening six rounds of the VFLW.

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Alongside the specific locked in fixtures, matchups for the remaining rounds have also been announced, with the official dates, times and venues to be locked in once the corresponding rounds of the AFL fixture are scheduled later in the year.

The VFL season kicks off on Friday, March 20, with the VFLW starting a lot later on May 16. Unlike the previous seasons, the final three rounds of the home and away season and finals series will crossover with the opening six rounds of the AFLW which enables players for AFLW-aligned clubs to earn some match fitness if not selected in the top flight team.

Tasmania’s path to the AFL and AFLW will take its first huge leap with the Devils facing off in both the men’s and women’s state leagues, while the other major change was St Kilda returning to the VFL as its own top flight-aligned entity for the first time in 2025, while the Saints will continue their alliance with Sandringham Zebras in the VFLW.

AFL Head of State League Competitions, Jennie Loughnan said it was an exciting and “history-making” year that the VFL and VFLW were about to embark on.

“There is great anticipation building ahead of the 2026 season and we are pleased to confirm the home and away fixtures for both the Smithy’s VFL and VFLW.

“It will be a history-making year in both competitions with the introduction of Tasmania Football Club and we are excited to welcome the Devils as they play for premiership points for the first time.

“With 12 players from the Smithy’s VFL being added to AFL lists across the past year, we look forward to seeing more players emerge through the VFL this year, as well as watching futures stars of the game develop their craft.

“The new VFLW season window provides more opportunity for AFLW-listed to feature at state league level, with greater alignment with the NAB AFLW competition.

“Having 17 VFL and VFLW double-headers already scheduled throughout the first block of fixtures allows fans to support both their women’s and men’s teams on the same day. That number will grow further once scheduling for the back part of the season is finalised.

“I thank all clubs for working closely with us to create the 2026 fixtures and appreciate the patience of our fans as we factored in the many considerations that impact our fixtures and scheduling to ensure we land on the best outcome for our competitions and clubs.”

With the inclusion of Tasmania and St Kilda, the VFL will go to a total of 22 teams in the competition, with 21 home and away rounds for each side, including 18 matches. The top 10 sides will qualify for the finals series at the end of the year, which includes two Wildcard Finals on the weekend of August 22-23.

The VFLW season will feature 13 teams with Tasmania’s inclusion, and each side will play 14 matches across 16 rounds. A new finals system will be implemented as well, with the previous four-week system reduced to three.

Commencing on the weekend of September 5-6, the third placed side will take on the sixth placed one, while the fourth placed team faces the fifth. The top two sides on the ladder will advance directly to the preliminary finals, where the minor premier will take on the lower ranked elimination final winner, and the second placed side meeting the higher ranked elimination final winner. Those preliminary final victors will advance to the VFLW Grand Final which this year will be on the same weekend as the VFL Grand Final.