Kylie Minogue will perform at this year’s AFL grand final.
“The AFL grand final at Melbourne’s one and only, forever iconic MCG? Yes, please,” she said in a statement this week. “As a Melburnian, I’m so excited to be coming home for the biggest day in the Aussie sporting calendar.
“I’ll not only be performing but I’ll be one of 100,000 fans at the ‘G’ watching the wonder that is footy.”
“Kylie is one of the most successful Australian artists of all time,” Matt Gudinski, the chief executive of Mushroom Group, said in a statement announcing the news.
“She’s not just a global superstar, she’s an icon and an obvious choice to headline the 2026 Telstra pre-game entertainment.”
The 57-year-old has been on the AFL’s wish list for years, with the grand final attracting local and international superstars like Katy Perry, KISS, Robbie Williams, Birds of Tokyo and The Killers.
“This year, we welcome home an Australian icon,” said AFL CEO Andrew Dillon.
“Kylie has been on our wish list for a long time and there is no better artist to headline the performance prior to our biggest game of the season,” he continued. “Our AFL team recently joined Kylie at the MCG for the grand final content shoot and you could already feel the excitement for September building.”
The last time an Australian led the pre-show entertainment was in 2021, when COVID moved the grand final to Perth, and a bunch of Aussie artists, including Abbe May, Baker Boy and Eskimo Joe, performed.
While there was speculation that the match may be moved to twilight to attract an international audience, the AFL have confirmed they’re sticking with the afternoon timeslot for now.
“We are already undertaking significant work on Tasmania entering the AFL in 2028, so it makes sense to lock in the Grand Final start time for the next two seasons and provide everyone with clarity,” Andrew Dillion explained.
“Our role is to deliver the best possible Grand Final experience – for the 100,000 fans at the MCG and the millions watching on broadcast – and together with our Grand Final broadcast partner, the Seven Network, we remain committed to making it the biggest and best sporting event in the country.
“The season has started strongly, the footy has been exciting, crowds have been strong, and there is plenty to look forward to over the next month with Gather Round and Anzac Day ahead,” he concluded.
When is the 2026 AFL grand final?
The 2026 men’s AFL grand final will be played at the MCG on Saturday, September 26.
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