As the 2025 home-and-away season nears its completion, attention turns to the all-important finals series.
With just two wins separating first spot from eighth, it really does look like anyone's premiership to win at this point.
So, who will stand up when it matters most?
Here's all the key dates ahead of this year's AFL finals:
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AFL Finals schedule, dates
2025 AFL Finals dates
| Week | Dates |
| Finals week one | Sept. 4-6 |
| Semi Finals | Sept. 12-13 |
| Preliminary Finals | Sept. 19-20 |
| Grand Final | Sept. 27 |
AFL Finals fixture 2025
Week one
| Fixture | Date | Time (AEST) | Venue | |
| Qualifying Final 2 | 2nd vs. 3rd | Thu Sep 5 | TBC | TBC |
| Elimination Final 2 | 6th vs. 7th | Fri Sep 6 | TBC | TBC |
| Qualifying Final 1 | 1st vs. 4th | Sat Sep 7 | TBC | TBC |
| Elimination Final 1 | 5th vs. 8th | Sat Sep 7 | TBC | TBC |
Semi Finals
| Fixture | Date | Time (AEST) | Venue | |
| Semi Final 1 | QF1 loser vs. EF1 winner | Sat. Sep 13 | TBC | TBC |
| Semi Final 2 | QF2 loser vs. EF2 winner | Fri. Sep 12 | TBC | TBC |
Preliminary Finals
| Fixture | Date | Time (AEST) | Venue | |
| Preliminary Final 1 | QF1 winner vs. SF2 winner | Fri. Sep 19 | TBC | TBC |
| Preliminary Final 2 | QF2 winner vs. SF1 winner | Sat. Sep 20 | TBC | TBC |
Grand Final
| Match | Fixture | Date | Time (AEST) | Venue |
| Grand Final | PF1 winner vs. PF2 winner | Sat. Sep 27 | 2.30pm | MCG |
AFL Finals system
Since 2000, the AFL has used the same structure for the finals season, with the top eight further broken down into two groups of four.
In this system, those higher-placed teams are given a "double chance" should they lose in the first week of the finals.