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AFL Finals System

The current AFL finals system was devised by the Australian Football League in 2000 as its end-of-season championship playoff. The system is a revision of the McIntyre Final Eight System, devised by Kenneth McIntyre, in which the top eight 8 finishers in the competition playoff to determine which two teams will play in the Grand Final.

How it works

Week one

In Week One the top four teams play the two Qualifying Finals, with the winners getting a bye through to Week Three of the tournament, while the losers get home games in Week Two. The bottom four teams play the two Elimination Finals, where the winners advance to Week Two away games and the losers are out of the finals race:

1st Qualifying Final: 1st seed hosts 4th seed
2nd Qualifying Final: 2nd seed hosts 3rd seed
1st Elimination Final: 5th seed hosts 8th seed
2nd Elimination Final: 6th seed hosts 7th seed

Week Two

1st Semifinal: Loser of 1st QF hosts winner of 1st EF
2nd Semifinal: Loser of 2nd QF hosts winner of 2nd EF

Week Three

1st Preliminary Final: Winner of 1st QF hosts winner of 2nd SF
2nd Preliminary Final: Winner of 2nd QF hosts winner of 1st SF

Week Four

Grand Final: Winners of the two preliminary finals meet at the MCG for the Grand Final. If there is a draw, the teams play again the following week.