AFL announces that major pop star will perform at Grand Final pre-game show in 2026: 'So excited'

Kylie Minogue will be taking the stage to headline the AFL Grand Final 2026 pre-game entertainment, it was confirmed on Sunday. 

The Melbourne-born pop star will be back on home turf for the hotly-anticipated performance in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

'The AFL Grand Final at Melbourne's one and only, forever iconic MCG? Yes please!' Minogue, 57, said in a statement.

'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.'

Minogue's appointment follows a series of high-profile gigs at the iconic sporting event. 

American rapper Snoop Dogg headlined the 2025 AFL Grand Final, alongside Australian artists Tash Sultana and Baker Boy. 

It was an A-list line-up in 2024 too, with American pop star Katy Perry headlining along with Tina Arena, Cody Simpson and Christine Anu.

The announcement follows chatter that the traditional 2.30pm timeslot for the Grand Final would shift to a twilight centre bounce.

A later start – reportedly from 5pm – could have transformed the traditional pre-match spectacle.

Under the proposal, the halftime break would be extended to allow for a full-scale performance, mirroring the Super Bowl model in the US, and creating a primetime stage for global or marquee acts.

The AFL has only staged two grand finals under lights - in 2020 (at the Gabba) and 2021 (Optus Stadium) during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, the AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond this week confirmed the 2.30pm start time will remain for grand finals in 2026 and 2027. 

The AFL declared that there is 'no compelling case' to stage a twilight or night grand final this season, locking in the traditional afternoon start time for the next two years.

But the league will continue to weigh up the merits of a later ball-up as part of broader competition considerations.

'Everyone who loves footy has a view on the right start time for our biggest game of the year, and for at least the next two seasons it will remain in its traditional afternoon timeslot at the MCG,' Drummond said.

'The Commission agreed it was important to provide fans and clubs with certainty now, while also allowing the AFL to continue to plan on our 19th club entering the competition in two years' time.'

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the decision will provide certainty for all stakeholders for the next two seasons.

The decision to leave the start time unchanged comes as a surprise after a switch to a twilight start time was widely tipped by footy experts over the last week.