The AFL finals haven’t changed in 25 years, until now. What is the wildcard round?

The AFL has introduced a new format for its finals series, known as the "wildcard round", which marks a significant change in the league's history. This change, set to debut this weekend, involves two matches as the opening games of the finals, marking the first such alteration in 25 years. The wildcard round will feature the seventh-placed team against the tenth-placed team, and the eighth-placed team against the ninth-placed team.

The winners of these matches will advance to the subsequent finals games, while the losers will be eliminated. This concept, akin to a "play-in tournament", has been employed in various sports leagues globally, including Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, and was first introduced to Australia's National Basketball League and Victorian Football League in 2023.

Although initially met with skepticism, the wildcard round has garnered more support as the finals approach, particularly from fans of teams positioned ninth and tenth in the league standings. This development is not the first change in the AFL's finals format, as the league has evolved from a four-team finals series in 1897 to a ten-team series in 2025, with various formats implemented in between.