The 2026 Smithy’s VFL and VFLW fixtures have been confirmed, with both of the Bulldogs state-league teams starting their campaigns against Casey Demons.

The Footscray Bulldogs will begin the defence of their 2025 Premiership at Mission Whitten Oval on Saturday 21 March against Casey, with the game commencing at 2:05pm.

After a Round 2 bye they will again run out on home soil on April 5 to play Essendon before a trip to Geelong to face the Cats on April 17 ahead of a Friday night AFL blockbuster at GMHBA Stadium.

Round 6 will be a Grand Final rematch as the Bulldogs travel to Southport to face the Sharks, their only game outside of Victoria in the first 13 rounds, which have been fully scheduled. The Bulldogs will also have byes in Round 7 and 14.

In a revamped VFLW schedule, the Western Bulldogs will face the Demons at Casey Fields on May 24 after a Round 1 bye before taking on Collingwood at Mission Whitten Oval six days later.

Two more games will be played at Mission Whitten Oval - against the Cats and Hawks - in the first six rounds which have been fully scheduled.

The updated VFLW season window will see the final three rounds of the home and away season cross over with the opening three rounds of the NAB AFLW competition.

Match ups for Rounds 14-21 of the Smithy’s VFL and Rounds 7-16 of the VFLW have also been announced. Venues and times for those rounds will be confirmed after the corresponding rounds of the AFL fixture are announced later in the year.

All matches in the 2026 Smithy’s VFL and VFLW seasons will be live streamed free via the AFL website, AFL Live Official App and VFL App.

The remainder of the VFLW fixture can be viewed here and the VFL fixture here.