For AFL Fantasy coaches of all ages playing the 2026 AFL Premiership season. Covers Classic scoring, squad and salary cap, trades and byes, captains and emergencies, leagues, and how Fantasy Draft differs.
Players score points for each statistic in their match:
| Stat | Points |
|---|---|
| Kick | 3 |
| Handball | 2 |
| Mark | 3 |
| Tackle | 4 |
| Hitout | 1 |
| Goal | 6 |
| Behind | 1 |
| Free kick for | 1 |
| Free kick against | -3 |
For example, a kick that becomes a goal is worth 3 plus 6 points.
Source: AFL.com.au, "AFL Fantasy for dummies: how to play, scoring system, more".
A Classic squad is 30 players, made up of:
Of the 30, 22 are on-field players who score each week and 8 are on the bench. Four of the bench players are emergencies.
Source: AFL.com.au, "Pick your team now: play AFL Fantasy in 2026".
You have a salary cap of $18,300,000 to pick your full squad. Prices vary by player. For example, in the 2026 preseason Bailey Smith was $1,220,000, while draftees and players yet to debut start at $230,000.
Source: AFL.com.au, "Pick your team now: play AFL Fantasy in 2026" and "AFL Fantasy for dummies: how to play, scoring system, more".
You get two trades per week, or three during the mid-season byes. Trading opens once you have picked your team before Round 1. Early-bye rounds have their own limit of two trades: see the bye round question.
Source: AFL.com.au, "AFL Fantasy for dummies: how to play, scoring system, more" and "How AFL Fantasy will tackle Opening Round, early byes".
In the 2026 season, bye rounds come in two blocks and the trade allowance changes:
Classic scores the best 18 of your 22 on-field players in the bye rounds, because fewer teams play.
Source: AFL.com.au, "How AFL Fantasy will tackle Opening Round, early byes".
Your captain's score is doubled each round. If your captain does not play, your vice-captain's score is doubled automatically instead.
Source: the official AFL Fantasy Classic help pages at fantasy.afl.com.au. The same captain and vice-captain mechanics apply in AFLW Fantasy (AFL.com.au, "AFLW Fantasy 101").
Your bench has 8 players, and 4 of them are emergencies. An emergency can replace an on-field player who is out (for example, a player who does not play that week), so you do not lose that score.
Source: AFL.com.au, "Pick your team now: play AFL Fantasy in 2026" and "AFL Fantasy for dummies: how to play, scoring system, more".
In AFL Fantasy Classic you can create or join a league and play head-to-head against friends:
Source: AFL.com.au, "Pick your team now: play AFL Fantasy in 2026".
In Fantasy Draft, each player belongs to only one team in your league and there is no salary cap. Coaches build their teams in a draft before the season starts, taking turns to pick. Once a player is selected nobody else can pick him, though owners can trade.
The scoring system can match Fantasy Classic (Kick 3, Handball 2, Mark 3 and so on) or the commissioner can customise it. Draft leagues can also add a flexible utility position and, in 2026, extra bench spots.
In Fantasy Classic you pick a squad under a salary cap, and other coaches can pick the same players.
Source: AFL.com.au, "AFL Fantasy for dummies: how to play, scoring system, more" and "Pick your team now: play AFL Fantasy in 2026".
AFL Fantasy Draft leagues can run in three ways:
Commissioners can also customise advanced scoring and add a flexible (utility) position. Drafts could be hosted from mid-February in 2026.
Source: AFL.com.au, "Pick your team now: play AFL Fantasy in 2026".
AFL Fantasy covers the home-and-away rounds of the 2026 AFL Premiership season. Round 1 of Fantasy started a week after Opening Round, and trading opens once you have picked your team before Round 1 (Opening Round is not part of it).
Source: AFL.com.au, "AFL Fantasy for dummies: how to play, scoring system, more" and "Pick your team now: play AFL Fantasy in 2026".