The 2026 AFL Grand Final kicks off at 2:30PM AEST this Saturday 26th September at the MCG. Before the siren sets the game off between the Brisbane Lions and the Fremantle Dockers, here are a few easy things to check for the best picture on game day.
Where to watch and what looks best
The 2026 AFL Grand Final is exclusive to Channel Seven and 7plus this year. It’s not available on Kayo Sports or Foxtel unlike the previous matches, but will become available on-demand afterwards.
Seven’s main channel offers a 1080i broadcast, while 7plus streams in 720p or 1080p depending on your connection. That means that the streaming app potentially has a slightly sharper image, but in previous years there have been complaints of buffering and dropouts.
Our take is that free-to-air is likely to be a bit more stable than livestreaming if you’ve got a good antenna and strong signal.
How to get the best picture
As with our FIFA World Cup article, we have a few suggestions on how to get the best picture for live sports.
- Switch to Sport Mode if your TV supports it. That gets you in the right ballpark for settings with brightness, colour, and motion tweaked for live sports, and you can adjust the picture to taste afterwards.
- Use motion smoothing to help keep the image sharp during fast movement. Too much can look unnatural, but even a low setting helps a lot. If you have them as separate sliders, set blur reduction at medium to high and frame interpolation at low to medium. If you only have one combined slider, set it around low to middle.
- Turn off Eco or Energy Saving during the match. That can dim the backlight or even cause an annoying automatic shutdown mid-match.
- Set up your room for daytime viewing. While anti-glare coatings are nice to have, angling the TV away from windows and drawing the curtains can make a huge difference for no extra cost.
2026 AFL Grand Final timeline
Throughout the day there’s plenty of entertainment to look forward to.
If you’re lucky enough to attend in person, the MCG gates open at 10:30AM. If the weather broadcast is to be believed, it looks like it will be cold and rainy.
Pre-game entertainment is slated to start at 1:30PM, headlined by Kylie Minogue and G Flip opening. Michael Paynter will sing the national anthem, and Mike Brady will perform Up There Cazaly.
The first bounce is scheduled for 2:30PM AEST (2:00PM in South Australia and Northern Territory, and 12:30PM in Western Australia).
At half time, the NAB AFL Auskick will take the pitch, and the Telstra Half-Time Sprint will be set off by Cathy Freeman firing the starter pistol.
The Lions will be chasing their third consecutive trophy, while the Dockers are hunting their first ever since joining the league in 1995. It’s the two teams’ first ever finals meeting.
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