The 2018 AFL season was the 122nd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eighteen clubs, ran from 22 March until 29 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
The premiership was won by the West Coast Eagles for the fourth time, after it defeated by five points in the AFL Grand Final.
The pre-season began with the 2018 AFLX competition. Played under modified AFLX rules, the game is played on a soccer-sized pitch over two ten minute halves by teams of seven players plus interchange players. It was the first of two AFLX pre-season competitions to be held featuring AFL players. The matches were played from 15âÂÂ17 February 2018. The winners of the competition were Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The pre-season series was then played, known as the 2018 JLT Community Series. The number of games was reduced compared to the previous season, with teams playing two games each. The games were stand-alone, with no overall winner of the series. Each team played two games, many at suburban or regional venues. All matches were televised live on Fox Footy as well as on the AFL Live app. The nine-point super goal for a goal kicked from beyond 50m was eliminated from the rules; it had featured in all pre-season competitions since 2003.
<span style="font-size:85%">Bold â Home game</span><br /> <span style="font-size:85%">X â Bye</span><br /> <span style="font-size:85%">Opponent for round listed above margin</span>
<onlyinclude></onlyinclude>