AFL State of Origin Returns Saturday: WA Takes On Victoria at Sold-Out Optus Stadium

It is back. AFL State of Origin. Saturday. Optus Stadium. Sold out. 60,000 tickets gone by January 19.

Twenty-seven years since the last Origin match. Western Australia versus Victoria. The appetite for representative football has been confirmed in the most emphatic way possible.

A Historic Occasion

The last AFL State of Origin match was in 1999. Saturday’s clash is historic by any measure. The concept has been debated for decades. Its return is one of the most significant developments in the AFL calendar in years.

Kick-off 4:40pm AWST (7:40pm AEDT). Live nationally.

Western Australia’s Firepower

Talent drawn from across the AFL competition. WA’s squad features stars from eight different clubs — Eagles, Dockers, and the best Perth-born players from eastern seaboard teams. Optus Stadium. A passionate WA crowd that will be hostile and relentless. The home side will carry enormous support as they look to make a statement in Origin’s return.

The 60,000-seat venue has hosted international cricket, rugby, and soccer but never an AFL representative match. Saturday changes that.

Victoria Loaded with Stars

Victoria’s squad is stacked. Players from 10 Victorian-based clubs provide a deep talent pool — Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond, Geelong, Hawthorn, Essendon, Melbourne, Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and St Kilda all represented. Traditional dominance of representative football. But playing in Perth against a hostile crowd presents a unique challenge. This contest is genuinely unpredictable.

Broadcast and Ticketing

Live nationally on Channel 7 and Fox Footy. Kayo Sports streaming. The broadcast window at 4:40pm AWST (7:40pm AEDT) is prime time in the eastern states. All 60,000 tickets were sold by January 19 — the fastest sellout for any football event at Optus Stadium.

Pre-Season Community Series Next

Following State of Origin, clubs begin unofficial match simulation sessions from February 16-21. The AAMI Community Series of official practice games runs February 25 to March 1. The 2026 AFL premiership season kicks off Thursday, March 5.

Follow all AFL action on the AFL Hub.

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LF — Breaking news correspondent, australiafootball.com