The AFL has added a Wildcard Round to the competition layout. The league revamped finals rewards and revealed prize money for the upcoming fixtures. The AFL detailed the operation of the Wildcard Round to detail how the matches work.

The status of the Wildcard games faces pushback across sporting circles. Coach Ross Lyon questioned whether the Wildcard games ought to be categorized as "Finals" in a final effort to challenge the system. The trend was published Fri, 21 Aug 2026 04:50 -0700. Reports from afl.com.au, Herald Sun, and SEN covered the format, prize money, and the coach's challenge.