Overview
Approximately 14,500 seats in the Members’ Reserve are available to reserve in advance via a random ballot and will be allocated to successful members following the registration period from 9:00am AEST on Wednesday September 2 to 5:00pm AEST on Thursday September 3.
A reserved seat ticket alone will not admit entry into the Members’ Reserve for AFL Grand Final Day. A membership card or an Annual Guest Card, renewed for the 2026/27 season, must also be scanned for entry.
Full members and Annual Guest Card holders who have successfully obtained a reserved seat in the AFL Grand Final Ballot will not be able to access the Members' Reserve until one hour after gate opening time on AFL Grand Final Day.
Key Timings
2026 AFL Grand Final Reserved Seat Ballot opens
2026 AFL Grand Final Reserved Seat Ballot closes
Notification of the outcome of the Ballot
Return of seats for successful applicants closes
Returned seats available to members unsuccessful in the Ballot
Registering for the Ballot
Registrations for the AFL Grand Final Ballot can be made via the Ticketek website: www.ticketek.com.au/mccballot (from 9:00am AEST Wednesday September 2).
For assistance with troubleshooting please contact the Club's Membership Services Team. Please note: the Membership Services Team are unable to take registrations over the phone.
A membership barcode can only be entered into the Ballot once, regardless of whether it was entered online or by phone.
You may only apply for one reserved seat per valid membership card or Annual Guest Card barcode. Members wishing to sit together must enter a valid barcode number for each member in the group in the one registration. There is a maximum of eight seats per registration.
Please note: if a member of your group does not have their barcode, only they may contact the Club to obtain that information, which is in line with the MCC Privacy Policy. Please do not attempt to contact the Club to obtain a barcode on behalf of any other member.
Members should note that registrations with more than one seat are one-in-all-in or one-out-all-out, depending on the luck of the draw.
The cost of a reserved seat is $35, payable upon registration. If you are unsuccessful in the Ballot, this cost will be fully refunded into the debit or credit card used at registration.
Please note: no alterations to Ballot registrations following your initial submission will be permitted. Please ensure you select the correct seating levels prior to submitting your registration.
Reserved Seat Options
Full members can select from the following seating options:
- Level 1, 2 or 4
- Level 1 or 2 only
- Level 1 or 4
- Level 1 only
Annual Guest Card holders can select from the following options:
- Level 1 or 4
- Level 1 only
Ballot Outcome and Ticketing
Following the conclusion of the Ballot, registrations will be randomly selected for allocation of reserved seats.
Seating will be allocated in the following order:
- Level 2
- Level 1
- Level 4
Once seating on a particular level has been exhausted, only registrations that have a subsequent seating option selected will be considered for further seating.
For example, once Level 1 and 2 seating is exhausted, only registrations that have selected 'Levels 1, 2 and 4' or 'Level 1 or 4' seating options will be considered. This process gives each registration an equal chance of success based on the seating option selected.
Notification of the outcome of the Ballot (whether successful or unsuccessful) will be communicated from the Club via email to those who registered for the Ballot by 11:00am AEST Tuesday September 8.
Please note: if you have previously unsubscribed from receiving email updates from the Club, you will not receive Finals information directly via this channel.
If you have received no correspondence regarding the Ballot outcome by 5:00pm AEST Friday September 18, please contact the Club on (03) 9657 8888, email membership@mcc.org.au or via live chat on the MCC website.
Any member who is successful in the Ballot and is unable to use their allocated reserved seat should return their reserved seat ticket to the Club so these can be made available to members who were unsuccessful in the Ballot.
Notification of the return of a reserved seat must be submitted by the member who is no longer using the seat and must be received by the Club no later than 12:00pm AEST on Wednesday September 23.
For members who have obtained an AFL Grand Final ticket in the Reserved Seat Ballot and become unwell during AFL Grand Final week, they are requested to notify the Club at their earliest convenience.
In fairness to all members registered in the ballot, members and Annual Guest Card holders WILL NOT be able to transfer their seats directly to another eligible member.
Any reserved seats returned by members successful in the Ballot will be made available via Ticketek for members who were unsuccessful in the Ballot on a first-in, first-served basis from 9:00am AEST Thursday September 24.
Additional details on the returned seats on-sale will be communicated to members unsuccessful in the Ballot via email closer to the date.
Any member or Annual Guest Card holder who has obtained a reserved seat yet does not attend the AFL Grand Final and does not notify the Club of the return of their seat by 12:00pm AEST on Wednesday September 23, will not be eligible to enter the Reserved Seat Ballot for the 2027 AFL Grand Final.
Accessible Seating & Wheelchair Spaces
There will be a dedicated allocation of seating and wheelchair spaces available for members with accessibility requirements. Members can register in the Accessible Ballot for reserved seats, and complete the Accessibility Requirement Form for unreserved seating queuing.
Due to limited availability, registrations will be limited to one member and one additional companion (eligible member or government issued Companion Card holder). All carers are required to hold a government issued Companion Card or Full member/Annual Guest Card.
MCC members wishing to access the Accessible Seating Reserved Seat Ballot can only register by calling the Club on (03) 9657 8888 during the following times:
- Tuesday September 1: 10:00am - 4:00pm AEST
- Wednesday September 2: 9:00am - 5:00pm AEST
- Thursday September 3: 9:00am - 5:00pm AEST
When calling, please listen carefully to the prompts and select the appropriate option to register for accessible seating.
No registrations after the closure of the Ballot will be accepted. MCC members who wish to receive direct communication from the Club regarding accessible seating access should contact the Membership Services Team on membership@mcc.org.au.
Members who have not obtained reserved seating during the Accessible Seating Reserved Seat Ballot can join the accessible entry queue located at the left hand side of Gate 2.
To access this queue, please complete the Accessibility Requirement Form by 5:00pm AEST Wednesday September 23 (available once the Accessible Ballot closes).
Please note, if you require a carer for the queue and do not hold a government-issued Companion Card, your medical documentation must confirm your need for a carer, and your carer must be a Full member or Annual Guest Card holder.
For more information on government-issued Companion Cards, please visit companioncard.vic.gov.au.
50-Year Member Arrangements
50-Year members have an exclusive entrance and additional seating options for the AFL Grand Final. 50-Year members will be able to register for reserved seats in the 50-Year member section (N42) via the Grand Final Ballot, or access unreserved seating on the day.
50-Year members will be able to enter the Members' Reserve via the exclusive 50-Year members' entrance, located at the left-hand side of Gate 2.
To access the 50-Year entrance, you will be required to show your membership card to join the queue ahead of gates opening and can be accompanied by one other Full member or Annual Guest Card holder. Latecomers will not be able to join family or friends already in the queue. Companion Card holders will also be accepted.
A reminder that 50-Year Social members are unable to access the AFL Grand Final.
Registrations in the 2026 AFL Grand Final Reserved Seat Ballot can be made via Ticketek from 9:00am AEST Wednesday September 2 to 5:00pm AEST Thursday September 3, 2026.
In addition to the reserved seating options throughout the Members' Reserve, you can register for allocated seating in section N42 by entering the Reserved Seat Ballot and selecting the '50-Year member (N42) seating' option.
Please note, seating in N42 for the AFL Grand Final is for 50-Year members only and will only be visible to registrations comprising of 50-Year member barcodes. If a Full member or Annual Guest Card barcode is included in your registration, only the listed reserved seating options will be available for you to select.
Should you select the '50-Year member (N42) seating', you will only be considered for seating in N42. If you wish to sit with other 50-Year members, you will need to register their barcodes in one ballot registration.
In the event that registrations for the 50-Year section (N42) exceed the number of seats available, a random ballot will be conducted. Registrations that are unsuccessful in obtaining seat(s) will not be considered for seating elsewhere on Levels 1, 2 or 4.
Should you be successful in obtaining reserved seats in the ballot, to assist the Club in managing the allocation of seating to members accessing unreserved seats on AFL Grand Final Day, you will not be able to access the Reserve until one hour after gates open.
You will be able to access unreserved seating in the 50-Year member section (N42) or the general unreserved seating in the Reserve. Please note only 50-Year members can access seating in the 50-Year member section (N42), with approximately 40 per cent of the section available for unreserved seating.
If you are looking to access unreserved seating on the day, proceed to the John Landy Room once gates open to obtain your seat ticket for the match. Staff will begin issuing seat tickets soon after gate opening.
