Foxtel has revealed that Australia v Ireland was the most watched AFLW match of all time, although exact ratings were not available.
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FOX FOOTY AND KAYO SPORTS UNVEIL BIGGEST EVER AFLW COVERAGE FOR 2026 SEASON
CREDIT JAMES WILTSHIRE / AFL PHOTOS
WITH AFLW SUPERSTARS ARNELL, RANDALL AND KEARNEY JOINING THE TEAM
EVERY GAME. EVERY FINAL. EVERY MOMENT. LIVE ON FOX FOOTY.
The 2026 NAB AFLW premiership season gets underway on Sunday August 9, with Fox Footy and Kayo SPORTS - part of DAZN Australia - set to deliver every game of the season live, including every final and the Grand Final.
As the competition reaches new heights, Fox Footyâs unrivalled coverage will be led by an all-star line-up of experts, headlined by the additions of AFLW greats Lauren Arnell, Chelsea Randall and Emma Kearney, who join almost 90 female on-air talent at the network, ahead of the new season.
The trio brings more than 500 AFLW games, multiple Premierships, All-Australian honours and extensive leadership experience, strengthening a commentary team that combines the biggest names in the game with some of Australiaâs most respected broadcasters.
Joining them across the season are AFLW stars Ruby Schleicher, Ellie Blackburn, Meg McDonald, Jordy Allen, Bonnie Toogood and Taylor Smith. With Australian Hall of Fame member Debbie Lee alongside Chyloe Kurdas, Nikki Harwood, Daniel Harford and Will Schofield, with Kelli Underwood, Jess Webster, Ben Waterworth, Adam Papalia and Joel Peterson calling the action.
The 2026 season also marks another milestone for Kayo SPORTS and DAZN Australiaâs commitment to womenâs sport and women in sports broadcasting.
This year, at least 25 women will feature across Fox Footyâs AFL and AFLW coverage in presenting, commentary, boundary riding and special comments roles. Across the Foxtel Groupâs coverage of AFL, AFLW, NRL, NRLW, international cricket, the BBL, WBBL and Super Netball, almost 90 women will take on on-air roles throughout the year â an unmatched commitment by any Australian broadcaster.
The strength of Fox Footyâs coverage reflects the continued evolution of the AFLW competition, with the gameâs talent pipeline producing the deepest pool of elite players the competition has seen.
Last weekendâs Australia v Ireland AFLW international was Kayo SPORTS and Foxtelâs biggest AFLW audience on record.
Fans can watch every AFLW match throughout the 2026 season live on Fox Footy, including every final and the Grand Final, with expert analysis, comprehensive pre and post-game coverage and every big moment from the season.
General Manager â Fox Footy, Michael Neill, said:
"After the huge success of the Australia v Ireland international, the AFLW has never been in a stronger position. Every season the standard rises again, and the quality of footy continues to reach new levels as the pathways mature and more elite athletes come into the competition.
"Weâre thrilled to welcome Lauren Arnell, Chelsea Randall and Emma Kearney to Fox Footy. They are champions of the game who have helped shape AFLW from day one, and their experience and insight will add another dimension to our coverage.
âOur coverage is built around the best people in the game. Weâre proud to have assembled one of the strongest and most experienced teams in Australian sports broadcasting.â
FOX FOOTYâS 2026 AFLW TEAM
Play-by-play callers
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Kelli Underwood
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Jess Webster
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Ben Waterworth
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Joel Peterson
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Adam Papalia
Expert commentators
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Lauren Arnell
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Chelsea Randall
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Emma Kearney
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Ruby Schleicher
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Ellie Blackburn
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Meg McDonald
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Jordy Allen
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Bonnie Toogood
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Taylor Smith
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Chyloe Kurdas
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Debbie Lee
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Nikki Harwood
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Daniel Harford
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Will Schofield
Boundary
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Lauren Wood
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Megan Waters
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Sarah Burt
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Steph Clarkson
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Alexia Pesce
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Monique Van Der Heyden
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Jess Stewart
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Keirra Trompf
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Bonnie Raynor
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Sarah Karaoglu
The 2026 NAB AFLW Premiership season begins on Sunday, August 9, with every game of the season, every final and the Grand Final live on Fox Footy, available on Kayo SPORTS and BINGE, as part of DAZN Australia.
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Meg McDonald will be very busy between now and the end of November, as she is also the executive producer of 3AWâs AFL broadcasts, and co-hosts the new AFLW Inside Out podcast with Laura Spurway.
Surprised there is no Jason Bennett. He was the voice for AFLW. I guess 7 & Fox both didnât want him. And maybe heâs happy doing VFL for ABC
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- NAB will receive in-show naming credits.
- Harvey Norman will own the âHarvey Norman Replayâ and âPlayer of the Matchâ segments.
- AAMI will sponsor the âAAMI Impact Momentsâ segment.
- Medibank will hold naming rights for The W Debrief and sponsor a weekly segment.
- Toyota will bring its âOh What a Feelingâ segments to the coverage.
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Fox having their own AFLW pre-game show at Marvel stadium. So I feel like they will probably have their own call of the game today. Not sure about the entire season. Last season they took the 7 call for games produced by 7
Yeah Iâd say that from next week itâd be simulcasts. They donât have any other games this weekend of course.
I was wrong. Fox are taking 7âs broadcast for the match. I donât know why they arenât doing they own broadcast, they have Underwood as the caller & 3 analyst at the ground for pre game. So they definitely could
Must be consistency then. Plus theyâd probably want their own graphics which would be another team of people to add.
For cricket they mainly take 7âs graphics.
Not a big deal at all but if the normal calling crew is at the ground then they could have actually called it.
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Do they?
Like for womenâs international cricket & even WBBL if they are doing their own call for a 7 match
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Pretty sure they run their own graphics most of the time? But anyway, they could have called yesterday.
Sydney Football League joins DAZN:
The Q clash on Saturday will be called from studio as Fox has Montagna calling the game while heâs also going to call the Hawks v Pies at the MCG for MMM.
He will be busy the Q clash is 4:15 VIC time & the night match is 7:30pm
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Gravity Media powers another season of AFLW live broadcasts
Gravity Media is returning to help bring the AFLW to screens across Australia, with the production company again partnering with JAM TV for the 2026 season.
The company will provide broadcast production and technical services for 45 matches during the 2026 season, supporting coverage across Foxtel and Kayo Sports with outside broadcast units, remote production technology and specialist technical crews.
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Alexia Pesce making her boundary debut for Fox Footy @ ENGIE Stadium.
By my count, that makes the third person working for both ABC & Fox Footy, the other two being Kelli Underwood and Corbin Middlemas.
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Unusual. Normally they remove the FSN graphics if footage is shown on Fox Footy.