AFL’s big fixture move in $4.5bn TV deal

AFL boss Andrew Dillon declared a “strong desire” for Thursday night football moved the league to act with a massive 23 games scheduled for the fan-favourite timeslot as part of a major shift in the first year of the league’s new $4.5bn TV deal.

After premiers the Brisbane Lions open the season against Geelong at the Gabba on Thursday, March 6, there will be only two weeks in the regular season where matches won’t be played on Thursday night.

The full 2025 fixture will be confirmed on Thursday, but Dillon said there was clear demand from fans, and broadcasters to deliver the glut of matches which will be played in each of the first 16 weeks of the year.

“There has been a strong desire from fans and our broadcast partners for more Thursday night football and we are excited to be able to deliver in spades next season,” Dillon said.

“Fans will be able to take in a total of 23 games of Thursday night football next season, which is more than there has ever been.”

The matches will be spread around the country with games at the MCG and Marvel Stadium, the Gabba, Perth Stadium , Adelaide Oval as well as GMHBA Stadium in Geelong and TIO Stadium in Darwin.

In the run to the finals, Thursday night games will be played on seven of nine weeks, allowing the league to create flexibility for finals contenders across the last two rounds of the season.

There were 14 Thursday night games in 2024, up from 12 in 2023 and nine in 2022.

But given the immense popularity of the timeslot among fans, the AFL will go hard on Thursday nights in 2025 in a signal for the future.

Essendon is set to feature four times on Thursday night across the first 16 weeks of the season, with Carlton, Hawthorn, Geelong, Western Bulldogs and Brisbane Lions playing three each.

In all, 15 of the 18 clubs will play Thursday night football at least once in the first 16 weeks of the season.

The 2025 season is the first of the AFL’s $4.5bn broadcast rights deal – the biggest sports rights deal in Australian history – that runs until 2031.

FULL LIST OF THURSDAY NIGHT AFL GAMES IN 2025

Opening round: Brisbane v Geelong, Gabba, March 6

Round 1: Richmond v Carlton, MCG, March 13

Round 2: Carlton v Hawthorn, March 20

Round 3: Essendon v Port Adelaide, Marvel Stadium, March 27

Round 4: Collingwood v Carlton, MCG, April 3

Round 5: Adelaide v Geelong, Adelaide Oval, April 10

Round 6: Brisbane v Collingwood, Gabba, April 17

Round 7: Melbourne v Richmond, MCG, April 24

Round 8: Essendon v North Melbourne, Marvel Stadium, May 1

Round 9: Fremantle v Collingwood, Optus Stadium, May 8

Round 10: Gold Coast v Hawthorn, TIO Stadium, May 15

Round 11: Geelong v Western Bulldogs, GMHBA Stadium, May 22

Round 12: Brisbane v Essendon, Gabba, May 29

Round 13: Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn, Marvel Stadium, June 5

Round 14: St Kilda v Western Bulldogs, Marvel Stadium, June 12

Round 15: Fremantle v Essendon, Optus Stadium, June 19