THE AFL has locked in Carlton for a significant number of marquee fixtures to kick off the 2026 season.
The Blues will embrace taking centre stage for the AFL season opener (v Sydney), Good Friday Super Clash (Round 4 v North Melbourne) and the opening game of Gather Round (Round 5 v Adelaide).
In addition to this, the Blues will again host the Round 1 Thursday night MCG blockbuster against Richmond, which remains an annual feature of the AFL calendar, attracting an average attendance of nearly 84,000 fans across the last three years alone.
In a further primetime Navy Blue showcase, a Thursday night Carlton-Collingwood clash during school holidays is set for Round 6, which will take place in front of a passionate Carlton home crowd.
This rounds out a marquee run of six Carlton games to start the season that will see the AFL leverage the Blues for five Thursday and Friday time slots.
A Round 3 home game against Melbourne on a Sunday afternoon is one of three home games at the MCG to start the year.
Broadcast partners Channel Seven will feature every one of the Club’s first six games on free-to-air, while FOX Footy will show every match live throughout the home-and-away season.
Carlton will host St Kilda in a Saturday night showdown in Round 8, before doing the same against the Western Bulldogs two weeks later as part of Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
Back-to-back MCG games in the middle of the season will again see the Blues boost the primetime slots - first hosting Geelong on a Friday night (Round 12), before taking on arch rival Essendon in the annual King’s Birthday Eve fixture.
Soon after, the Navy Blue faithful can prepare to lift their side for the final nine games of the season, with the Club not leaving Victoria for the remainder of the year after it travels to face GWS in Round 15.
In a boost for Bluebaggers around the country, they will get to see their side in action with trips to Sydney (twice), Adelaide (twice), Perth and Brisbane – totalling six interstate games, the same number as last year.
PRINT CARLTON'S 2026 FIXTURE NOW!
Carlton will face six finalists from last season during its first 15 games, with double-up games in 2026 to come against Richmond, Collingwood, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs, Brisbane and Fremantle.
As per recent years, the AFL has maintained the floating fixture from Round 16 onwards, with dates and times to be confirmed during the middle part of the season.
Carlton CEO Graham Wright outlined the clear takeaway from the AFL’s 2026 fixture.
“It’s clear the passion of Carlton people, combined with the loyalty and support for our club, has led to opportunities to be part of some of the biggest home-and-away games in the competition,” Wright said.
“Alongside the exciting opportunity to feature in several marquee fixtures to start the year, we're pleased that our Victorian members will have the chance to attend five home games in the opening 10 weeks - an increase from three during the same period last season.
“To also remain in Victoria for the final nine weeks of the season is significant as we launch into the business end of the season with our Carlton crowd in full voice.
“The fact we have a supporter base that extends nationwide will see us travel to four different states, providing as many Carton people as possible with the chance to see their club in action and we look forward to connecting with you all.
“The support from our Carlton family throughout this off-season has been incredible, especially as we take steps to refresh and reset ahead of 2026. There’s a real sense of excitement about what lies ahead, and we look forward to sharing that journey with our entire Carlton community."
