The fixture for the 2027 AFL Gather Round has been released, with all nine matches to be played across four days from Thursday 8 April to Sunday 11 April, with the inaugural Players Parade to take place on the Friday.
The 2027 Gather Round will form Round 4 of the AFL Premiership Season and coincide with school holidays across the country, with matches again played at Adelaide Oval, Norwood Oval and Barossa Park.
The exciting fixture will feature three rematches of the 2026 AFL Finals Series as well as the first Players Parade, which will bring together players from all 18 clubs.
The fixture will be bookended with blockbuster Adelaide Oval matches featuring SA teams, with Adelaide taking on reigning Premiers Brisbane on Thursday night and Port Adelaide to close out the Festival of Footy against former teammate Zak Butters and the Western Bulldogs.
AFL Gather Round 2027 fixture:
DATE | MATCH | VENUE | START (SA TIME) |
Thursday 8 April | Adelaide Crows v Brisbane Lions | Adelaide Oval | 7:10pm |
Friday 9 April | Collingwood v Sydney Swans | Adelaide Oval | 7:10pm |
Saturday 10 April | Gold Coast SUNS v GWS GIANTS | Barossa Park | 12:05pm |
Saturday 10 April | Carlton v Melbourne | Adelaide Oval | 1:05pm |
Saturday 10 April | Richmond v West Coast Eagles | Norwood Oval | 4:05pm |
Saturday 10 April | Fremantle v Hawthorn | Adelaide Oval | 7:15pm |
Sunday 11 April | Essendon v North Melbourne | Norwood Oval | 12:00pm |
Sunday 11 April | Geelong Cats v St Kilda | Barossa Park | 2:45pm |
Sunday 11 April | Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs | Adelaide Oval | 6:45pm |
Following the inaugural Player’s Parade on Friday, Collingwood take on the Sydney Swans at Adelaide Oval.
Saturday will see four matches played across the venues, with Carlton facing Melbourne at Adelaide Oval in another finals rematch, Gold Coast SUNS taking on the GWS GIANTS at Barossa Park, Richmond playing West Coast Eagles at Norwood Oval, before Fremantle meet Hawthorn in a Qualifying Final rematch at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
Sunday will feature Essendon up against North Melbourne at Norwood Oval and Geelong taking on St Kilda at Barossa Park, before the highly anticipated Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs clash at Adelaide Oval.
Teams have been listed alphabetically. Home and Away allocations will be determined through a random selection process, with each party having an equal chance of selection, aside from the Crows and Power who will always be the home team.
Tickets for Gather Round go on sale for Club and AFL members from 10am on Wednesday 9 December and to the general public from 3pm on Thursday 10 December.
A record 270,018 fans attended the 2026 Gather Round with Adelaide Airport recording its busiest ever week in the state’s history.
Last year’s record breaking event generated $115 million for the South Australia’s economy, taking the total benefit to the state to more than $400 million in economic contribution since its inception in 2023.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said Gather Round continues to get bigger and better and next year’s edition gives footy fans plenty to get excited about.
“The blockbuster weekend of footy will be boosted with the inaugural Players Parade on Friday, allowing fans to see their heroes from all 18 clubs in one spot,” Premier Malinauskas.
“Personally, I’m looking forward to being at a packed Adelaide Oval to see Zak Butters take on his former teammates.
“Coinciding with school holidays, Gather Round is the perfect opportunity for families from across Australia to make a trip of it and experience everything South Australia has to offer.”
AFL CEO, Andrew Dillon said Gather Round brings all 18 clubs and their fans together in South Australia and this fixture gives supporters nine exciting match-ups to look forward to across four days.
“From Thursday night at Adelaide Oval through to Sunday, there will be footy across Adelaide, Norwood and the Barossa, giving fans the chance to experience matches and everything South Australia has to offer,” Mr Dillon said.
“We saw another terrific response from supporters in 2026 and we’re looking forward to welcoming fans from across the country back to South Australia in April.”
