The AFL is on a collision course with the NFL over the use of the Melbourne Cricket Ground during September 2027, after Australian football officials delayed the start of next season.
The scheduling dispute centres on the NFL’s ambition to stage regular-season matches in Melbourne during the opening week of its campaign, when the MCG is expected to be occupied by the AFL finals.
The AFL has confirmed that its 2027 season will begin on March 17 or 18, a week later than usual, to accommodate the 150th anniversary Test between Australia and England at the MCG from March 11 to 15.
That change will push the Australian competition’s decisive stages into September and October. The home-and-away season is due to finish on August 30, followed by a five-week finals series, with the grand final scheduled for October 2.
The NFL’s first game in Australia, between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, is due to be played at the MCG on Friday, September 11, 2026. The league is understood to want future Australian fixtures to remain in the opening week of its regular season because of the long journey from the United States.
Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice-president, played down the prospect of a prolonged dispute, saying the league had “great partners in the MCG and the AFL” and expected to find a solution that would allow it to continue playing in Australia.
But staging another match at the MCG in early September 2027 could prove more difficult. The AFL finals will have already begun, and Victorian clubs could require the ground for high-profile matches involving large home crowds.
The MCG, which holds about 100,000 spectators, is the AFL’s traditional centrepiece and the established venue for its grand final. The ground is also the NFL’s preferred Australian venue, creating a direct clash between the two sporting codes’ plans.
The NFL has not yet finalised its 2027 schedule, leaving the precise date and format of any Melbourne fixture unresolved. The AFL, meanwhile, has made clear through its published calendar that next year’s finals will not be brought forward to avoid the conflict.
