The final round of the 2025 AFL season has arrived, with all nine remaining contenders unsure where they’ll finish on the ladder.

An incredible Friday night double-header saw Collingwood virtually clinch a top-four spot while Gold Coast will need to win the final game of the season to make the eight.

Assuming the Suns can beat lowly Essendon, Sunday’s clash between the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle is an early elimination final… but the loser will be alive until Wednesday night.

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Scroll down to see the current state of play for the 2025 AFL finals and where all nine contenders can potentially finish based on results thus far, plus the live ladder.

All times AEST.

The Suns’ upset loss to Port Adelaide spoiled their top-four hopes. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

CURRENT AFL LADDER (after Friday night)

1. Adelaide Crows (17-5, 141%)*

2. Geelong (16-6, 140.7%)*

3. Collingwood (16-7, 122.4%)

4. Brisbane Lions (15-6-1, 114.3%)*

5. Hawthorn (15-7, 122.7%)*

6. GWS Giants (15-7, 115.5%)*

7. Fremantle (15-7, 108.6%)*

8. Western Bulldogs (14-8, 140.3%)*

9. Gold Coast Suns (14-8, 120.1%)*

* = game in hand

PREDICTED WEEK 1 OF FINALS

First Qualifying Final (1st hosts 4th): Adelaide Crows vs Collingwood at Adelaide Oval

First Elimination Final (5th hosts 8th): GWS Giants vs Hawthorn at ENGIE Stadium

Second Elimination Final (6th hosts 7th): Western Bulldogs vs Gold Coast Suns at the MCG

Second Qualifying Final (2nd hosts 3rd): Geelong vs Brisbane Lions at the MCG

PREDICTED FINAL LADDER

1. Adelaide Crows (18-5)

2. Geelong (17-6)

3. Brisbane Lions (16-6-1)

4. Collingwood (16-7)

5. GWS Giants (16-7)

6. Western Bulldogs (15-8)

7. Gold Coast Suns (15-8)

8. Hawthorn (15-8)

9. Fremantle (15-8)

10. Sydney Swans (12-11)

11. Carlton (9-14)

12. St Kilda (9-14)

13. Port Adelaide (8-15)

14. Melbourne (7-16)

15. Essendon (6-17)

16. North Melbourne (5-17-1)

17. Richmond (5-18)

18. West Coast Eagles (1-22)

Lynch & Brown’s Top 5 Marks of 2025 | 02:07

FIXTURE AND HOW ROUND 24 WILL PLAY OUT, CHRONOLOGICALLY

Thursday night: Carlton def Essendon by 34 pts

This match had no impact on the finals race.

Friday night: Collingwood def Melbourne by 6 pts

The Magpies kept their top-four hopes alive by coming back to beat the Demons, and the Suns’ loss an hour later locked them into the double chance. They’ll finish third if the Hawks beat Brisbane by less than two goals, and otherwise fourth.

Friday night: Port Adelaide def Gold Coast Suns by 4 pts

The Power farewelled Ken Hinkley and Travis Boak in style, as the Suns threw away their top-four hopes with a shock loss. It means the Suns must still beat Essendon next Wednesday night to play finals.

Saturday afternoon: North Melbourne vs Adelaide Crows, 1:20pm at Marvel Stadium

A win will give Adelaide their first minor premiership since 2017, while with a major upset they would likely drop into second.

Saturday twilight: Richmond vs Geelong, 4:15pm at the MCG

If the Crows somehow lose earlier in the day, the Cats will be playing for the minor premiership. Otherwise they will just be looking to seal second spot and a home qualifying final.

Saturday night: West Coast Eagles vs Sydney Swans, 7:35pm at Optus Stadium

This match does not impact the finals race. The Swans are gonna be good next year, though. The Eagles aren’t.

Sunday early: GWS Giants vs St Kilda, 12:20pm at ENGIE Stadium

The Giants’ upset win over Gold Coast in Round 23 virtually guaranteed them a finals place, and Friday night’s results mean they’re virtually locked into 5th with a win, unless they win by 100+ points to sneak into the top four. With a victory, the Saints would continue their impressive streak of winning 10 games every season this decade.

Sunday afternoon: Western Bulldogs vs Fremantle, 3:15pm at Marvel Stadium

This is the big one. The winner makes the eight, and would host an actual elimination final, while the loser will finish ninth… unless the Suns lose to Essendon on Wednesday night.

Sunday night: Brisbane Lions vs Hawthorn, 7:20pm at the Gabba

Wins for both sides in Round 23 mean this game isn’t quite as high-stakes as it could’ve been. They’ll both play finals, but instead they’re fighting for the double chance. The winner will make the top four the loser is likely heading into the 6th vs 7th elimination final.

Wednesday night: Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon, 7:20pm at People First Stadium

No, a Wednesday night game on the Gold Coast doesn’t mean we’re back in Covid times. It means what should’ve been the third match of the season is instead the last, and will determine whether the Suns play finals (if they lost to Port Adelaide). They can finish as high as 6th (if the Hawks and Giants lose) or as low as 8th.

‘The pressure is on them too!’: Longmuir | 01:38

TEAM-BY-TEAM FINALS SCENARIOS

1. ADELAIDE CROWS (17-5, 141%)

To play: North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, Saturday 1:20pm

Win: Finish 1st

Lose: Finish 2nd if Geelong wins and is above them on percentage (extremely likely), otherwise finish 1st

Analysis: Five years ago, Matthew Nicks’ Crows won the wooden spoon, finishing one spot below North Melbourne. Now a win over those Kangaroos, who are still languishing in the bottom four, will hand Adelaide the minor premiership and complete the largest ladder rise in V/AFL history from 15th to 1st. They’re locked into the top two regardless.

Fox Footy’s prediction: Win and finish 1st, host Collingwood in a qualifying final

2. GEELONG (16-6, 140.7%)

To play: Richmond at the MCG, Saturday 4:15pm

Win: Finish 1st if Adelaide loses and is below Cats on percentage (extremely likely), otherwise finish 2nd

Lose: Finish 3rd if Brisbane def Hawthorn, otherwise finish 2nd

Analysis: After avoiding the banana peel known as the Swans, the Cats just need to beat lowly Richmond to clinch a home qualifying final. (They also need to send a bouquet of flowers to the AFL fixturing department for giving them the Tigers twice this year.) Because of their percentage, they can only be caught by Brisbane if they cop a shock loss next Saturday – flipping the location of a Cats-Lions qualifying final. If the Lions lose, the Cats could ‘host’ Hawthorn or Collingwood instead.

Fox Footy’s prediction: Win and finish 2nd, host Brisbane in a qualifying final

‘This is horrific timing’ – Howe subbed | 00:42

3. COLLINGWOOD (16-7, 122.4%)

Round 24 result: def Melbourne by 6 points

Finish 3rd if Hawthorn wins but stays below them on percentage

Finish 4th if Brisbane wins/Hawthorn wins and passes them on percentage

Hawks would need to win by roughly two goals to pass them on percentage

Fox Footy’s prediction: Finish 4th, away to Adelaide in a qualifying final

4. BRISBANE LIONS (15-6-1, 114.3%)

To play: Hawthorn at the Gabba, Sunday 7:20pm

Win: Finish 2nd if Geelong loses, 3rd if Geelong wins

Lose: Finish 5th if GWS, Gold Coast and Fremantle all lose, 6th if two happen, 7th if one happens, 8th if none happen

Analysis: Last year’s prelim was pretty epic, so we wouldn’t mind seeing another Lions-Cats final. If the reigning premiers beat Hawthorn next Sunday night that’s what we’ll be seeing, with the game either hosted at the MCG (if Geelong wins) or the Gabba (if Geelong loses). Heck, you could argue with Brisbane’s recent form home and away, they’d rather play it at the MCG. But with the ladder being this tight, the Lions can hardly afford a loss, with the most likely results sending them all the way down into an away elimination final.

Fox Footy’s prediction: Win and finish 3rd, away to Geelong in a qualifying final

Which Dons players are on the way out | 02:23

5. HAWTHORN (15-7, 122.7%)

To play: Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, Sunday 7:20pm

Win: Finish 3rd if they win by 2+ goals, otherwise 4th

Lose: Finish 6th if GWS and Gold Coast lose (or win but can’t pass Hawks on percentage), 7th if one happens, 8th if neither happens

Analysis: Their Sunday night showdown with the Lions was threatening to become an elimination final; instead the Hawks and their hosts are playing for a shot at the top four. Sam Mitchell’s men will believe they can do it, given that Brisbane has been worse at home than on the road this season, but with a loss they’re likely in an away elimination final. They need roughly a two-goal win to catch Collingwood on percentage for third.

Fox Footy’s prediction: Lose and finish 8th, away to GWS in an elimination final

6. GWS GIANTS (15-7, 115.5%)

To play: St Kilda at ENGIE Stadium, Sunday 12:20pm

Win: Finish 5th (unless they win by 100+ points then could go higher)

Lose: Finish 7th if Gold Coast loses, otherwise finish 8th

Analysis: An impressive win over the Suns leaves the Giants likely heading towards a home elimination final. They’re effectively locked into 5th with a win, due to their percentage, while they’d be 7th or 8th with a loss depending on the Suns’ result. If they lose we reckon they get the Dogs away, which would probably be their worst-case scenario given their recent record against their rivals. (Note: They could technically also win by well over 100 points and get into the top four.)

Fox Footy’s prediction: Win and finish 5th, host Hawthorn in an elimination final

Which Blues players are on the way out? | 02:55

7. FREMANTLE (15-7, 108.6%)

To play: Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm

Win: Finish 5th if GWS loses, 6th if GWS wins

Lose: Will miss finals unless the Suns lose, then finish 8th

Analysis: It will be incredibly cruel if the Dockers miss the eight with 15 wins – a total that would’ve got you into every single V/AFL finals series before 2025. But this remarkable season is going to create a remarkable 9th-placed team and, if they can’t beat the Bulldogs on the road next week, it’ll likely be the Dockers. (Unless Gold Coast loses to Essendon! Kinda cruel they’d have to wait until Wednesday to know.) If they pull the upset, it’ll be yet another win over a top-nine team, so they’ll deserve to play finals – and the top four is even reachable! But in the end all of those close wins were brilliant but costly; their percentage is not good for their win-loss record and you can look back at games like the pitiful loss to St Kilda and say that’s the moment Fremantle ruined their season.

Fox Footy’s prediction: Lose and miss finals

8. WESTERN BULLDOGS (14-8, 140.3%)

To play: Fremantle at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 3:15pm

Win: Finish 5th if Hawthorn and GWS lose, 6th if one happens, 7th if neither happen

Lose: Will miss finals unless the Suns lose, then finish 8th

Analysis: The Suns’ loss to Port Adelaide means the Bulldogs have a shot at a home final, potentially against those same Suns. And if they don’t beat Fremantle as everyone’s expecting, it’s season over… unless the Suns lose to Essendon! (What we’re saying is Dogs fans suddenly have to care a whole lot about the Suns.)

Fox Footy’s prediction: Win and finish 6th, host Gold Coast in an elimination final

Jamarra opens up about shooting incident | 05:00

9. GOLD COAST SUNS (14-8, 120.1%)

To play: lost to Port Adelaide by 4 pts, next Essendon at People First Stadium, Wednesday 7:20pm

Win: Finish 6th if Hawthorn and GWS lose (and they catch Hawks on percentage), 7th if one happens, 8th if none happen

Lose: Will miss finals

Analysis: Well, they really Suns-ed that one up. Losing to Port Adelaide means they can’t make the top four, and instead they’re very likely copping an away elimination final. Realistically they’ll be spending next Wednesday night trying to win by enough to finish 7th instead of 8th. They should still make it, but jeez…

Fox Footy’s prediction: Win and finish 7th, away to Western Bulldogs in an elimination final