Western Australian footy fans face a cold start to the 2026 AFL season, with no games scheduled in the state for the first two weeks. The AFL's Opening Round, focusing on NSW and Queensland, has been retained, and both West Coast and Fremantle will be on the road for Round 1.
The absence of games in Perth is due to the women's Asian Cup taking over Optus Stadium. The 60,000-seat venue will host the tournament opener on March 1 and a semi-final on March 17. Tournament regulations require exclusive use of the stadium from at least 10 days before the first match until two days after the last.
The AFL had an option to host a game in WA via North Melbourne's deal to play in Bunbury, but decided to wait until Round 2, when two games are scheduled at Optus Stadium. West Coast are likely to host the Kangaroos, while Fremantle appear set to face Melbourne, according to 7NEWS Perth's Ryan Daniels.
North Melbourne will return to Perth later in the year for the Bunbury game and another in Perth. The NRL draw is also heavily affected, with Penrith, Parramatta, Canterbury, and South Sydney homeless for the opening three rounds due to Asian Cup use of Accor, CommBank, and Cbus Super Stadiums.
The A-League's Perth Glory will be on the road for a month from late February before returning to HBF Park on March 22. Victoria declined to bid on hosting matches at the MCG or Marvel Stadium, with the AFL and Ed Sheeran concerts taking priority.
