{"id":440660,"date":"2026-01-27T12:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T12:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/440660\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T12:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T12:16:11","slug":"afl-2026-pre-season-guide-ssp-deadline-practice-matches-community-series-fixture-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/440660\/","title":{"rendered":"AFL 2026 Pre-Season guide: SSP deadline, practice matches, Community Series fixture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The AFL pre-season 2026 is heating up <\/a>with a jam-packed schedule of practice matches, the AAMI Community Series and the highly anticipated season opener. <\/p>\n

In between, there\u2019s the SSP deadline and intra-club matches.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re planning to attend games or just want to know when footy returns, here\u2019s everything you need to know about the build-up to Opening Round.<\/p>\n

When are the practice matches?<\/p>\n

The unofficial match simulation sessions, organised by the clubs themselves, kick off on February 16.<\/p>\n

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16<\/p>\n

Hawthorn v Geelong, Kennedy Community Centre, 3.15pm AEDT (4 x 30-minute quarters, no time on)<\/p>\n

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18<\/p>\n

Brisbane v Carlton, Brighton Homes Arena, 5pm AEST (4 x 30 min quarters, no time on)<\/p>\n

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19<\/p>\n

Western Bulldogs v Sydney, Mission Whitten Oval, 2pm AEDT (4 x 30-minute quarters, no time on)<\/p>\n

Gold Coast v St Kilda, People First Stadium, 6.45pm AEST (4 x 20 min quarters, plus time on)<\/p>\n

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20<\/p>\n

Essendon v Richmond, NEC Hangar, 10.30am AEDT. (4 x 30-minute quarters, no time on)<\/p>\n

Collingwood v GWS, La Trobe University Sports Park, 11am AEDT (4 x 25-minute quarters, no time on)<\/p>\n

Melbourne v North Melbourne, Casey Fields, 4.30pm AEDT (4 x 25-minute quarters, no time-on)<\/p>\n

Port Adelaide v Adelaide, Alberton Oval, 5.30pm ACDT (4 x 20 min quarters, plus time on)<\/p>\n

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21<\/p>\n

Fremantle v West Coast, Victor George Kailis Oval, 9am AWDT (4 x 25-minute quarters, no time-on)<\/p>\n

Who are the pre-season standouts?<\/p>\n

You can see the club-by-club January breakdown of every club\u2019s pre-season here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Want more access? Jay Clark takes you behind the scenes of St Kilda\u2019s culture-shaping pre-season camp here.<\/a><\/p>\n

A West Coast fan? Eliza Reilly rates the 10 standout Eagles in match sim here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"CurnowWhen is AFL State of Origin?<\/p>\n

AFL State of Origin will return on February 14, with Western Australian playing Victoria at Optus Stadium.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s playing? CODE Sports predicts the final team line-ups here.<\/a><\/p>\n

When are the official AAMI Community Series games?<\/p>\n

The official pre-season games start on February 25.<\/p>\n

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25<\/p>\n

Carlton v Geelong, Ikon Park, 7.10PM AEDT<\/p>\n

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26<\/p>\n

Sydney v GWS, Henson Park 4.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

Brisbane Lionsv Gold Coast, Brighton Homes Arena, 7.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27<\/p>\n

Melbourne v Richmond, Mars Stadium, 4.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn, Mission Whitten Oval, 7.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28<\/p>\n

St Kilda v Essendon, Mars Stadium, 3.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

Fremantle v Adelaide Crows, Rushton Park, 6.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

SUNDAY, MARCH 1<\/p>\n

North Melbourne v Collingwood, Mars Stadium, 3.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

West Coast Eagles v Port Adelaide, Mineral Resources Park, 6.10pm AEDT<\/p>\n

How do I watch the AFL 2026 pre -season?<\/p>\n

All AAMI Community Series games, plus the unofficial match simulation sessions, will be broadcast live on Fox Footy and Kayo Sports.<\/p>\n

When is the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP) deadline?<\/p>\n

The deadline for player signings in the SSP period is February 20, with competition for list spots heating up around the country \u2013 especially at Hawthorn where Werribee star Jack Riding was invited to train on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"SwansWhen does the AFL 2026 season officially start?<\/p>\n

Sydney and Carlton kick off Opening Round at the SCG on Thursday, March 5, where Charlie Curnow is set to face his old side.<\/p>\n

See how the new Swan is faring on the track here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Collingwood and St Kilda close Opening Round at the MCG on Sunday, March 8 after four games in Queensland and New South Wales.<\/p>\n

Round 1 begins with the traditional Thursday night clash between Carlton and Richmond on Thursday, March 12.<\/p>\n

When does AFL SuperCoach start?<\/p>\n

AFL SuperCoach will start in round 1. Scores from Opening Round will not count to your team\u2019s total, but will affect player price changes.<\/p>\n

Need some help? Start with the most important article in SuperCoach \u2013 the 2026 Rookie Bible, featuring every cheapie you must pick.<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally published as AFL 2026 pre-season guide: Practice matches, Community Series and season start dates<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The AFL pre-season 2026 is heating up with a jam-packed schedule of practice matches, the AAMI Community Series…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-440660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}