Carlton has officially learned how its 2026 season will kick off.
By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media
THAT didn’t take long.
Carlton has officially learned how its 2026 season will kick off, with the Blues locked in for the AFL season opener.
Partaking in Opening Round for the second time in three years, the Blues will head to Sydney to take on the Swans at the SCG on Thursday 5 March.
Given this year’s Trade Period business involving the two sides, there’ll be plenty of anticipation when Carlton and Sydney meet, with the obvious storyline of Ollie Florent, Will Hayward and Charlie Curnow all swapping clubs in October.
The Blues will be hoping for a repeat of their Opening Round efforts of 2024, where they produced the second biggest comeback in the Club’s history by overturning a 46-point deficit to produce a one-point win at the Gabba.
Carlton’s involvement in Opening Round – which will go from four to five games in 2026 – will mean the Blues will have an extra early-season bye, to be confirmed when the full fixture is announced by the AFL.
The Thursday night clash will kick off from 7:30pm.
Opening Round
Sydney v Carlton
Thursday 5 March, 2026
7:30pm local time
SCG
