We’re getting closer to the pointy end of the AFL season, with a little more than a week until the first of the finals series matches kicks off. 

Here’s a quick shortcut to buying tickets for Week One. 

What time do AFL finals series tickets go on sale?

It depends which game you’re going to and whether you’re a member or not. 

Tickets go on sale for venue, club and AFL members a few hours before the general public. 

Collingwood vs Melbourne: On sale today

• 9am AEST: MCC Members
• 10am to 2pm AEST (unless sold out prior): Competing Club Members
• 12pm AEST: AFL Members
• 3pm AEST: General Public

This match will be held at the MCG on Thursday, September 7 at 7:20pm AEST.

Brisbane Lions vs Port Adelaide: On sale today

• 10am to 2pm AEST (unless sold out prior): Competing Club Members and Gabba Members
• 3pm AEST: General Public

This match will be held at The Gabba on Saturday, September 9 at 7.25pm AEST.

Carlton vs Sydney Swans: On sale tomorrow

• 9am AEST: MCC Members
• 10am to 2pm AEST (unless sold out prior): Competing Club Members
• 12pm AEST: AFL Members
• 3pm AEST: General Public

This match will be held at the MCG on Friday, September 8 at 7.50pm AEST.

St Kilda vs GWS Giants: On sale tomorrow

• 9am AEST: MCC Members
• 10am to 2pm AEST (unless sold out prior): Competing Club Members
• 12pm AEST: AFL Members
• 3pm AEST: General Public

This match will be held at the MCG on Saturday, September 9 at 3.20pm AEST.

What are the official AFL finals series ticket sales sites?

The AFL and Club websites will always direct to the official seller for any game.

People are being told to buy tickets through authorised sellers, otherwise, they might end up with fake tickets and be denied entry to the game. 

“Professional ticket scalpers employ sophisticated technology to buy tickets in bulk once tickets go on sale,” the AFL says. 

“They will then attempt to sell these tickets at a higher price through any number of platforms.”

These might include:

•  Viagogo
• Ticketmaster Resale
• Ebay
• Queen of Tickets 

The AFL says re-selling tickets at an inflated price is against its terms and conditions.

It warns that tickets can be cancelled without refund if they can be identified as being advertised “above face value”.

So be wary: you might end up buying a fake ticket or you might end up paying far too much for a ticket, only to have it cancelled. 

Watch out for scammers on social media

The National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) put out warnings about ticket scams ahead of the Matildas FIFA Women’s World Cup matches. 

So be on guard when buying AFL finals series tickets — especially through Facebook groups.

Scammers can set up fake Facebook profiles, join fan pages or community marketplaces and target people looking for tickets.  

“Scammers either post or directly contact consumers, usually via social media, to say they have tickets available for sale,” NASC says. 

“Often, they will send a screenshot showing fake proof of ticket ownership.

“Scammers may also respond to posts from people looking to buy tickets to a major event.”

Check the URL before paying

The website that comes up first when you search for tickets online might not be an authorised seller — it could just be a site that paid to be at the top of that list. 

Cybercriminals create fake websites impersonating legitimate sellers and they can look quite realistic — they might copy official logos or the website’s design. 

They may look identical to the genuine site, but the address in the URL bar might be slightly different. 

NASC says not to buy tickets from a website with an address starting with “http” and to be cautious about sites starting with “https”.

Here’s some more red flags to watch out for in the URL address:

• Multiple dashes or symbols in the domain name
• Domain that imitates a business, such as Ap9le
• Domains for Australian businesses that don’t end in .com or .com.au

When is the AFL grand final?

Saturday, September 30.

It’ll be played at the MCG.

The iconic Melbourne venue is where the grand final is traditionally held.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 grand final was held in Queensland’s The Gabba and in 2021, it was held at Western Australia’s Perth Stadium.

But it was back at the MCG last year.