‘This way we make sure of it:’ How to get an AFL grand final ticket

Relying on online purchasing systems and a good internet connection is not everyone’s preferred way of securing tickets to one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar.

For Chris Walkley, fronting up in person to ensure he gets AFL grand final tickets is more important than being able to purchase them from the comfort of his own home.

Walkley – a Brisbane Lions supporter and AFL member – has attended the grand final for the past 16 years, apart from the COVID grand finals in Brisbane and Perth, and he continues to use the method that he knows works – camping out for tickets.

Each year Walkley sets up camp on Exhibition Street, right outside Ticketek, starting at 5am on Thursday. A group of eight people – comprising family and friends – helps over the weekend to make sure they are each able to attend the grand final.

For the past two years, this masthead has checked in with Walkley about his plan that never changes .

“Last year my youngest decided to sleep out here with me for a night so that was good fun,” Walkley said.

“I think they made the online [access] a lot more random,” Walkley said. “There’s more AFL members than there [are] tickets… this way we make sure of it, and we generally get pretty good seats.

“It [queueing] is a bit old-school. It doesn’t happen for too many things any more, so it’s great that we can still do this,” he said. “We’ve always had good seats, never an issue with lining up.”

With his blanket, camping chair and swag, Walkley is all set up to get through the cold nights.

Still, the vast majority of fans depend on virtual ballots for the chance to see their team fight for a flag.

The most expensive grand final ticket will be $536 (excluding corporate or hospitality packages), with the cheapest coming in at $172(compared with $165 in 2025).

On average, prices are up about four per cent in all categories compared with last year.

Last year the MCG was just shy of its capacity at the grand final with 100,022 in the house out of a possible 100,024.

Between 16 and 40 per cent of all tickets are sold to members of the competing clubs, with up to 40,000 potentially being available. Each club will be potentially allowed up to 20,000 tickets.