2026 AFL Origin

2026 AFL Origin
Western Australia Victoria
Date	14 February 2026
Stadium	Optus Stadium

The 2026 AFL Origin match is an upcoming Australian rules football match to be held in accordance with State of Origin selection criteria between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League (AFL).

The match will be played on 14 February 2026 at Optus Stadium in Perth, between Western Australia and Victoria. It will be Western Australia's first appearance in a state of origin match since 1998 and Victoria's first since 2020. ^[1]

Teams

The AFL staggered the names of players selected for the two teams over the off-season. On 14 November 2025 the AFL announced the first group of eight players to compete for the Western Australian and Victorian teams, which included club captains Patrick Cripps (Western Australia) and Marcus Bontempelli (Victoria). ^[2] Nick Daicos (Victoria) and Chad Warner (Western Australia) were announced as participants on 18 November 2025. ^[3]

Melbourne forward Kysaiah Pickett was unexpectedly selected for Western Australia, despite having been drafted from the Woodville-West Torrens Football Club in South Australia. Standard eligibility is determined by the junior club the player was drafted from, however Pickett was granted a spot in the West Australian side on the basis that he was predominantly raised in Quairading, Western Australia and identifies as a Noongar man. ^[4]

Western Australia Coach: Dean Cox (Sydney) Player Club Callum Ah Chee Adelaide Liam Baker West Coast Tom Barrass Hawthorn Shai Bolton Fremantle Charlie Cameron Brisbane Lions Darcy Cameron Collingwood Jordan Clark Fremantle Patrick Cripps Carlton Mitch Georgiades Port Adelaide Bradley Hill St Kilda Jesse Hogan Greater Western Sydney Lawson Humphries Geelong Luke Jackson Fremantle Rory Lobb Western Bulldogs Wil Powell Gold Coast Aaron Naughton Western Bulldogs Kysaiah Pickett Melbourne Trent Rivers Melbourne Brandon Starcevich West Coast Sam Taylor Greater Western Sydney Chad Warner Sydney Source: afl.com.au

Victoria Coach: Chris Scott (Geelong) Player Club Noah Anderson Gold Coast Lachie Ash Greater Western Sydney Josh Battle Hawthorn Marcus Bontempelli Western Bulldogs Zak Butters Port Adelaide Jeremy Cameron Geelong Nick Daicos Collingwood Patrick Dangerfield Geelong Sam Darcy Western Bulldogs Max Gawn Melbourne Toby Greene Greater Western Sydney Blake Hardwick Hawthorn Max Holmes Geelong Hugh McCluggage Brisbane Lions Zach Merrett Essendon Matt Rowell Gold Coast Ed Richards Western Bulldogs Caleb Serong Fremantle Jack Sinclair St Kilda Tom Stewart Geelong Jacob Weitering Carlton Source: afl.com.au

See also

• 2026 AFL season
• List of VFL/AFL and AFL Women's players from Western Australia

References

1. Peter Ryan (26 February 2020). "Inside the 'Big V' meeting that signalled state of origin's demise". The Age.
2. "First batch of eight players unveiled for AFL Origin return". AFL Media. 14 November 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
3. "Superstar Pie, Swans gun commit to AFL Origin as tickets go on sale". AFL Media. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
4. "Melbourne star Kysaiah Pickett granted unexpected State of Origin eligibility". Wide World of Sports. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.

External links

• AFL Origin at afl.com.au