The AFL officially included a Wildcard Round to the competition layout. The league overhauled tournament rewards and revealed prize money for the upcoming fixtures. The AFL explained the mechanics of the Wildcard Round to clarify how the matches work.

The status of the Wildcard games faces pushback across sporting circles. Coach Ross Lyon raised doubts if the Wildcard games ought to be categorized as "Finals" in a direct move to confront the new rules. The trend was published Fri, 21 Aug 2026 04:50 -0700. Reports from afl.com.au, Herald Sun, and SEN reported on the structure, prize money, and his objection.