AFL finals systems

This article is about the tournament systems used in the Australian Football League since 2000. For the Australian Football League finals series itself, see AFL finals series.

The AFL finals systems are the premiership playoff tournaments developed and used by the Australian Football League since the 2000 season. There have been two systems: the AFL final eight system, used by the league between 2000 and 2025; and the AFL final ten system, to be used from 2026 onwards. In both systems, the teams are ranked or seeded in advance of the tournament, and the higher ranked teams have an easier path to the premiership, including double chances and the opportunity to receive byes. The tournament culminates in a grand final between the last two remaining teams, with the winning team awarded the premiership.

The AFL introduced the final eight system in 2000 to address several perceived issues with the McIntyre final eight system that had been in use in that competition from 1994 to 1999; and introduced the final ten system in 2026 to increase interest and meaningful matches deeper into the home-and-away season. The systems have also been adopted by the Victorian Football League, which was the first to adopt the final ten system, doing so in 2023; and National Rugby League, which adopted the final eight in 2012. Similar systems are used by Super League and the Rocket League Championship Series, and were previously used by the Australian Rugby League in the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

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