do yk when hes going in?
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Just waiting on final confirmation, will fill you all in once I know more!
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Can you make sure you wear Pink Pants when you go in also?
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Bump⌠
@JNT_BA @RossSymons
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Feature Suggestion: Online Custom Season Mode (2â18 Players)
With the hype building for AFL 26 and to chat something other than speculation, I wanted to put forward an idea I think could take the online experience to the next level: a new Online Custom Season Mode. This would allow players to compete in a full season with mates or a public league, using the official fixture, live progression, and a fair system for team selection.
Iâve detailed the full concept below and how it could work in a way thatâs fair, flexible, and replayable.
What Is Online Custom Season Mode?
A brand new mode designed for 2 to 18 players where users can play through a full AFL season togetherâjust like in real lifeâwith live ladders, weekly matchups, and finals.
Each player is randomly assigned a team using a pre-season team lottery to keep things balanced and exciting. CPU fixtures are either simulated or played (if itâs user vs CPU), and the league only advances once all human-controlled fixtures for that round are completed.
Core Features:
Full Online Season
2â18 users can join a league and play through an entire fixture.
Team Lottery System (Selection)
A random draw assigns each user a team pre-seasonâno team stacking or favouritism.
Fixture-Based Progression
The league progresses round-by-round, once all required matches are played.
CPU Simulations
Any games not involving users can be simulated..
Live Ladder, Stats & Finals
Real-time standings, stat tracking, and finals formatted like the real AFL season.
League Flexibility
Public or private leagues. Custom settings could include fixture editing, trade windows, or team draft options.
Why I Think This Mode Would Thrive
Fair & Competitive â Everyone gets a random team and fights for finals
Long-Term Engagement â Play weekly with mates, build stories and rivalries
Replayability â No two seasons are ever the same
Great for Communities â Ideal for forum leagues, Discord groups, and streaming
Real AFL Feel â Brings structure, progression and purpose to online matches
Team Draft (Selection) Example:
Before Round 1, each user enters a âlottery roomâ where a live or animated draw assigns them a club. This adds suspense and keeps things even.
Optional rules:
One preseason trade window
Fixture reshuffling
Allow users to swap teams if all parties agree
Final Thoughts:
Footy is all about connection, rivalry, and pride in your clubâand this mode would bring all of that online in a structured, fun way. I truly believe Online Custom Season Mode could bring another element to AFL 26âs online experience and a staple for fans.
Would love to hear what others think and whether this is something Big Ant could explore further! @JNT_BA
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Really interesting idea. Very complicated as well. Not something that is planned for release, as those features have already been decided. But Iâll have a chat with the Producer and the Online team to see if thatâs possible for something in the future.
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@JNT_BA will all the updated and special guernseys be included in the game
For example the Gather Round guernseyâs that have just passed or ANZAC jumpers coming up as they are released?
Obviously, expecting the updated home/away jumpers to be there.
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Perhaps a Bigant forum Online Season for a test? Would be keen to be involved in something like this.
That looks and sounds very promising 
Yeah we could get 18 of us together and create a manual type season mode and play head to head online games but it would be a lot of manual labour to make it worth it.
I think itâs a good idea and especially only having to commit to 30 mins of gameplay per week to get your weekly game played.
Obviously you could pump through a season quicker if the players wanted to but itâs definitely a great concept as i believe no other sports game has this.
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@dont_argue04 NBA2k has had this for years, it allows everyone to play each other regardless of the round, meaning that everyone doesnât have to be on at the same time.
Oh really didnât realise they had it, hopefully it is something that can come to the game in the future ! Idea doesnât sound too unrealistic now haha
Iâd be more than happy to be part of a test group of 18, you know, the OGâs 
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This will most likely be a pipe dream and beyond big ants ability but would be good to have some sort of adaptive AI in the game.
Would be sick throughout a match having the AI be smart enough to change and counter you.
For coach/management mode like stats are tracked and heat maps are generated could use that for the AI to play a way to counter and make the player think and change how they approach.
Will def add to longevity of the game and already found in other sports title. I felt like ba had some sort of adaptive ai in their cricket games, really donât hear about it anymore
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Heey pretty keen for afl 26 I wonder if this one will have a day night cycle like evo 2 would be pretty cool 
I reckon that bloke looks like a BLOODY LEGEND
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3 weeks away and nothin
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There was a mini sneak peak on JB-HI-FI website, a screenshot, along with information about key gameplay focuses and a new mode. Also Pink Panters is going to film some footage before launch, wouldnât say been nothing