Fox Footy commentators 2026

Fox Footy has unveiled its blockbuster plans and star-studded commentary line-ups for the upcoming AFL season.

Fox Footy on Thursday launched its 2026 season campaign at Melbourne CBD rooftop bar Cleo, with AFL superstars and Kayo Sports ambassadors Nick Daicos, Will Ashcroft and Patrick Cripps all in attendance.

Watch every match of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

For the second straight season, Fox Footy will have its own dedicated commentary teams and bespoke graphics over every home and away match in 2026, including in the two marquee Thursday and Friday night timeslots.

Triple premiership Cat Tom Hawkins will ramp up his involvement in Friday Night Footy on Fox, offering fresh insights alongside Melbourne champion Garry Lyon, triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown and four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis. Lyon and Hall of Fame legend Jason Dunstall will again provide special comments on Friday night matches along superstar play-by-play commentary duo Anthony Hudson and Gerard Whateley.

Dunstall will be an integral part of the Thursday Night Footy on Fox panel as well, linking up with host Sarah Jones, dual premiership Kangaroo David King and dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna. Thursday night matches will again be called by Matt Hill and Mark Howard, with triple premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt to provide in-game analysis.

As announced in December, highly-respected former AFL coach Ken Hinkley has joined Fox Footy for 2026. Hinkley, who led Port Adelaide to four preliminary finals across his 13-year tenure, will be a prominent voice for Fox Footy’s Adelaide-based commentary team, alongside eight-time All-Australian Mark Ricciuto and AFL/VFL games record-holder Shaun Burgoyne.

The multi-award-winning AFL 360 enters its 16th season on Fox Footy, with Whateley and Lyon to dissect every angle of the day’s major footy issues from Monday to Wednesday.

The long-running On The Couch with Riewoldt, Brown, Lewis, Nathan Buckley and Leigh Matthews returns for another year, as does Midweek Tackle with Lauren Wood, who’ll spearhead the punchy 30-minute program alongside some of the best footy journalists in the business.

Bounce returns every Sunday after the footy, hosted by Dunstall with Andrew Gaze, Cameron Mooney, Ruby Schleicher, Ben Dixon and Bernie Vince. It’ll be followed by First Crack, which will be hosted by Herald Sun chief football reporter Jay Clark, alongside King and Montagna.

Dixon, King and Montagna will also return for First Crack Preview on Wednesday night, with star Champion Data analyst Daniel Hoyne to also provide deep footy insight.

It comes after a record-breaking 2025 season, which Kayo Sports audiences grow by 19 per cent year-on-year.

“We are incredibly proud of the way we have continually innovated coverage of AFL, offering fans every game, every round live with week-long entertainment. But what we are most proud of is the annual $1 billion we invest in Australian sports rights and production, making the Foxtel Group the nation’s largest individual non-Government funder of sport,” Foxtel Group chief executive Patrick Delany said.

“For us it goes beyond the screen. It’s about the partnerships and our nearly 25 year-long commitment with AFL has not only taken football to more viewers but our investment flows through the entire AFL eco-system – from the grassroots right through to the elite. Those funds help develop crucial pathways from the suburban and country grounds to the MCG, enhance facilities and ultimately fuel participation which saw the AFL achieve a new record of 628,000 in 2025.

“We support the AFL and Andrew Dillon and his team in always looking at how we can bring new initiatives to life for the fans whether it is AFL Origin, Wildcard Round or continuing to support growth at all levels.”

Fox Sports managing director Steve Crawley declared the 2026 AFL season was shaping as Fox Footy’s “biggest yet”.

“Last year was massive for the Fox Footy team. We didn’t just lift our coverage – we went all in. We called every game across the round, welcomed great new voices like Matt Hill and Tom Hawkins, and gave the on-air look a fresh new feel. And the fans showed up in record numbers,” Crawley said.

“We’re up and about and ready to go again ... We’ve got the team to bring every moment of the action live to fans right around the country.”

The 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership season begins on Thursday March 5 with Sydney hosting Carlton in ex-Blue Charlie Curnow’s first game as a Swan.

Every match of every round of the home and away season is live with no ad-breaks during play on Fox Footy, available on Kayo Sports.

FOX FOOTY COMMENTATORS 2026

Hosts

Sarah Jones, Kath Loughnan, Kelli Underwood (+ calling)

Experts

Eddie Betts, Jonathan Brown, Nathan Buckley, Shaun Burgoyne, Nick Dal Santo, Ben Dixon, Jason Dunstall, Tom Hawkins, Gerard Healy, Ken Hinkley, Brad Johnson, David King, Jordan Lewis, Alastair Lynch, Garry Lyon, Leigh Matthews, Leigh Montagna (+ calling), Cameron Mooney, Mark Ricciuto, Jack Riewoldt, Will Schofield, Ruby Schleicher, Adam Simpson

Callers

Matt Hill, Mark Howard, Anthony Hudson, Corbin Middlemas, Adam Papalia, Dwayne Russell, Jess Webster, Gerard Whateley

FOX FOOTY WEEKLY AFL TV SHOW LINE-UP 2026 (all times AEST/AEDT)

Monday

6pm:AFL Tonight — hosted by Ruby Schleicher

6.30pm:AFL 360 — hosted by Gerard Whateley and Garry Lyon

7.30pm:On The Couch — hosted by Jack Riewoldt, with Nathan Buckley, Jonathan Brown, Jordan Lewis and Leigh Matthews

Tuesday

6pm:AFL Tonight — hosted by David Zita

6.30pm:AFL 360 — hosted by Gerard Whateley and Garry Lyon

7.30pm:Midweek Tackle — hosted by Lauren Wood, with a rotating panel featuring Jon Ralph, Scott Gullan, Glenn McFarlane, Josh Barnes and Corbin Middlemas

Wednesday

6pm:AFL Tonight — hosted by Drew Jones

6.30pm:AFL 360 — hosted by Gerard Whateley and Garry Lyon

7.30pm:First Crack Preview — hosted by Ben Dixon, with David King, Leigh Montagna and Daniel Hoyne

Thursday

6pm:AFL Tonight — hosted by Ruby Schleicher, Drew Jones and David Zita

6.30pm:Thursday Night Footy on Fox

— Panel: hosted by Sarah Jones, with Jason Dunstall, Leigh Montagna and David King

— Commentators: Mark Howard, Matt Hill, Jack Riewoldt and others

Friday

6.30pm:AFL Tonight — hosted by Drew Jones and David Zita

7pm:Friday Night Footy on Fox

— Panel: hosted by Garry Lyon, with Jonathan Brown, Tom Hawkins and Jordan Lewis

— Commentators: Anthony Hudson, Gerard Whateley, Jason Dunstall, Garry Lyon and others

Saturday

From 12.30pm:Super Saturday LIVE — Fox Footy, available on Kayo SPORTS, will be the only place to watch AFL exclusively live on Saturday’s nationally for at least the first 10 rounds of the home and away season* (except Anzac Day game between Essendon and Collingwood)

Sunday

Sunday Ticket — Fox Footy’s team of expert commentators and talent bring you all the action live from around the grounds every Sunday

After the footy:Bounce — hosted by Jason Dunstall, with Andrew Gaze, Cameron Mooney, Ben Dixon , Ruby Schleicher and Bernie Vince

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