Fremantle Dockers fans enduring nervous wait to learn of their fate in grand final ticket ballot

After Fremantle secured a spot in the AFL grand final for just the second time in club history, thousands of their fans are now enduring a very nervous wait.

Many Dockers diehards hoping to secure a seat for Saturday’s grand final at the MCG, where their side will be out to secure a historic first premiership, are now at the mercy of a ticketing ballot.

Before their side produced a stunning comeback to topple Sydney in Friday night’s preliminary final, Fremantle members were given the option to register for the randomised ballot, which is run by the league’s ticketing partner Ticketek.

Some of the club’s top-tier membership options include the guaranteed opportunity to purchase a ticket to the season decider, while less-expensive packages grant the chance to enter the ballot across different levels of priority.

While every entrant will officially learn of their fate via email or SMS on Monday, Fremantle’s website says fans who have successfully secured a ticket through the ballot will have their credit cards charged today.

On grand final day, members of the two competing clubs are assigned anywhere between 16,000 and 40,000 places within the MCG’s 100,024-strong capacity.

The AFL’s corporate partners receive up to 30,000 tickets, comprising the next largest share, and the Melbourne Cricket Club’s reserve can include up to 28,000 people.

The rest of the available tickets are distributed across the competition’s 18 clubs. There is no allocation to the general public for the grand final.

While most of Fremantle’s fanbase is hopeful rather than certain they will be able to witness the climax of their side’s thrilling 2026 campaign, many have already made arrangements to travel to Victoria.

Additional flight capacity made available through the country’s two major air carriers Qantas and Virgin putting on 24 extra trips between Perth and Melbourne has been in hot demand, while many supporters are also planning to make trips across the Nullarbor on buses and in cars.