The AFL announced the round 26 fixture. It arranges the first top-10 wildcard finals games. The top six ladder places were confirmed on Sunday, August 23, 2026. Hawthorn has one match left. It decides if they finish third or fourth. Their ranking on the live ladder depends on it.
Games in this stage include Sydney Swans against North Melbourne, Adelaide Crows versus GWS Giants, and Melbourne taking on Western Bulldogs. The ladder refreshes as scores come in. The Hawks' final position depends on their final game.