Everything you need to know about the 2026 Brownlow Medal count

The AFL's grand final week is here, and will begin as usual with the awarding of the Brownlow Medal tonight.

The best-and-fairest player of the 2026 season will be presented with the AFL's highest award at the end of the evening, with a first-time winner widely expected to be crowned.

The fashion on display beforehand on the red carpet will also be a big focus of attention.

Here is what you need to know about the AFL's night of nights.

The Brownlow Medal count will be held tonight, Monday, September 21, with the broadcast coverage starting at 7:30pm (AEST) and the count getting underway from 8pm.

Red carpet guests arrive from 5:15pm. The mark of the year winner will be announced at 8:35pm, and the goal of the year at 9pm.

ABC Sport will be live blogging all the action with every vote from every round at abc.net.au.

The broadcast of the event from Melbourne's Crown Palladium will be on Channel 7 and 7Plus.

Collingwood's Nick Daicos is the unbackable favourite.

As a demonstration of his favouritism, most bookmakers have listed him at $1.01 to win.

However, Daicos was also the strong favourite to win last season, before coming second to the Gold Coast's Matt Rowell by seven votes.

Other players in the discussion are Geelong's Bailey Smith, Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli and Carlton star Patrick Cripps.

Traditionally umpires haven't had access to game stats when they cast their votes directly after a match.

That has changed this year, after St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera was controversially deemed not the best player on the field in a game against Melbourne last season, despite being the clear star on the day.

This season umpires were given access to stats, including: kicks, handballs, disposals, marks, contested marks, tackles, goals, behinds, goal assists, score involvements, clearances, contested possessions, hitouts, kick-ins, intercept marks, intercept possessions and spoils.

Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon were all banned from playing finals after breaching club standards.

The players were also deemed ineligible for the All Australian team, with Heeney and Warner both likely to have been named if not for the ban.

However, all players will be able to receive votes in the Brownlow, and all votes will count.

Heeney is considered a top 10 prospect in the award.

Unlike other awards, the Brownlow Medal is decided by the votes of the umpires.

For every game of the home-and-away season (not counting finals), umpires award votes to the three best players on the field.

The best player is given three votes, the second-best two votes and the third-best one vote.

The votes are kept secret and are revealed round-by-round at the ceremony.

The player who ends with the most votes at the end of the season is crowned the Brownlow Medal winner.

The award is for the fairest and best players, so those who have been suspended for a week or more during the season are ineligible. Corey McKernan (1996) and Chris Grant (1997) are the most recent examples of ineligible players notching the most votes, while Jobe Watson won the medal in 2012 before having it rescinded in the wake of Essendon's supplements scandal.

In the event of a tie, the Brownlow can be shared, as was the case in 2003 when Adelaide's Mark Ricciuto, Collingwood's Nathan Buckley and Sydney's Adam Goodes shared the medal.