AFL is back! The 2026 Australian Football League kicks off on March 5 with a blockbuster clash – Sydney Swans vs Carlton – so prepare for another season of big marks, bigger rivalries and sausage rolls. Footy fans looking to watch AFL 2026 for free can check our full streaming guide below.
You can watch AFL 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN – potentially for FREE.
AFL 2026 live streams: TV schedule, dates
The 2026 Australian Football League season runs from March 5 to September 26. Full fixture times below. Swans vs Carlton opener K.O. time: 8:30 a.m. GMT / 3:30 a.m. ET.
• FREE STREAMS — 7Plus (Australia) / TG4 Player (Ireland)
• U.S. — Watch AFL / Fox Soccer Plus via YouTube TV (free trial)
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
The Brisbane Lions, who captured back-to-back flags, are now the hunted. As rare as premiership hat-tricks are – Hawthorn became only the sixth team to pull off the feat from 2013 to 2015 – we can’t see anyone stopping Chris Fagan’s men.
Hot on their heels, the Geelong Cats boast a stacked squad this season, while the Sydney Swans are tipped to surge. Dean Cox’s men ended the last campaign strongly, but it was too little too late to undo the damage of their disastrous start.
Down the ladder? The West Coast Eagles face a long winter, but keep an eye on wildcard teams like St Kilda and Adelaide Crows.
The top 10 in the standings will get a shot at the flag this season, with 7th set to host 10th and 8th set to entertain 9th in the new wildcard finals, as the top six take a bye.
Our full guide AFL TV and streaming is below – including how to watch AFL 2026 live streams from anywhere.
How to watch AFL 2026 for free
Several AFL games are free-to-air each week in Australia, courtesy of 7Plus. However, the free AFL coverage varies from region to region.
Select games are also shown on TG4 Player in Ireland, albeit in the Irish language.
Away from home? You may not be able to watch the action like you normally would due to regional restrictions. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution — you can use a VPN to watch AFL 2026 for free. We’ll show you how below.
How to watch AFL from abroad
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the Aussie rules action on your usual subscription?
You can still watch AFL live streams thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they’re back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It’s the best on the market:
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you want to watch the free AFL coverage on 7Plus, choose ‘Australia’ from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to 7Plus, sign in, and watch the AFL live.
How to watch AFL 2026 live streams in the U.S.
In the U.S., up to three AFL games are shown on Fox Soccer Plus each week.
If you’ve already cut the cord and don’t have a cable package, you can get the channel through an OTT cable TV alternative.
YouTube TV carries Fox Soccer Plus via its NFL RedZone with Sports Plus add-on. A subscription costs $82.99/month as standard, but for a limited time you can get $15 off each of your first five months. NFL RedZone with Sports Plus costs an additional $10.99/month.
Alternatively, you can sign up to Watch AFL for $20/week, $39/month or $182/year to gain live streaming access to every single game.
If you have a subscription but you’re outside the U.S. right now, a VPN like NordVPN will help you tap into your regular coverage.
How to watch AFL 2026 live streams in Canada
In Canada, up to three Australian Rules Football games are shown on TSN each week. TSN+ grants access to everything TSN has to offer for $8/month or $80/year.
Alternatively, a Watch AFL subscription costs AU$24/week, AU$44/month or AU$229/year and lets you stream every game of the season live.
If you live in Canada but aren’t at home right now, you can still watch AFL live streams by using a quality VPN like NordVPN to unlock your usual service.
How to watch AFL 2026 live streams in the U.K.
TNT Sports has the rights to AFL in the U.K., and shows every game live.
You can get TNT by subscribing to the Discovery Plus Premium plan for £30.99/month. Subscriptions for TNT Sports start at £18/month through Virgin Media or £25/month on Sky TV.
Alternatively, a Watch AFL subscription costs £16/week, £29/month or £143/year and also lets you stream every game live.
If you’re not in the U.K. right now but already subscribe to TNT Sports, Discovery Plus or Watch AFL, try using NordVPN to watch Aussie Rules as if you were back at home.
How to watch AFL 2026 live streams in Australia
In Australia, multiple AFL games are shown on free-to-air Channel 7 and 7Mate each week, with live streaming available via 7Plus.
The only catch is that different games are shown in different regions.
However, by letting you connect to servers in different parts of the country, a good VPN will give you access to all of 7Plus’ free coverage. We recommend NordVPN.
Comprehensive AFL coverage, meanwhile, is available on Fox Sports via Foxtel.
Don’t have Foxtel and don’t want to subscribe? Every game is also being shown on Kayo Sports, with its affordable, commitment-free plans starting from just AU$30/month, and hosting plenty of NBA, NHL, NFL, cricket, NHL, rugby, F1 and more.
Anybody who hasn’t used the service before can choose between a 7-day FREE trial and 1 month for AU$1.
AFL 2026 Fixtures & Times – Opening Round
Thursday, 5 March 2026
7:30 PM AEST – Sydney Swans vs Carlton @ SCG
Friday, 6 March 2026
8:05 PM AEST – Gold Coast Suns vs Geelong Cats @ People First Stadium
Saturday, 7 March 2026
4:15 PM AEST – GWS Giants vs Hawthorn @ ENGIE Stadium
7:35 PM AEST – Brisbane Lions vs Western Bulldogs @ The Gabba
Sunday, 8 March 2026
7:20 PM AEST – St Kilda vs Collingwood @ MCG
Thursday, 12 March 2026
7:30 PM AEST – Carlton vs Richmond @ MCG
Friday, 13 March 2026
7:40 PM AEST – Essendon vs Hawthorn @ MCG
Saturday, 14 March 2026
1:15 PM AEST – Western Bulldogs vs GWS Giants @ Marvel Stadium
4:15 PM AEST – Geelong Cats vs Fremantle @ GMHBA Stadium
7:10 PM AEST – Sydney Swans vs Brisbane Lions @ SCG
7:35 PM AEST – Collingwood vs Adelaide Crows @ MCG
Sunday, 15 March 2026
1:10 PM AEST – North Melbourne vs Port Adelaide @ Marvel Stadium
3:15 PM AEST – Melbourne vs St Kilda @ MCG
6:10 PM AEST – Gold Coast Suns vs West Coast Eagles @ People First Stadium
Who are the 2026 AFL players to watch?
Individually, it’s the Year of Daicos. Nick Daicos is the Brownlow front-runner after turning the MCG into his playground, while Marcus Bontempelli and hungry young guns like Tanner Bruhn are ready to crash the party.
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