After a year full of thrills, big moments and exciting matches, the Christmas and New Year period is a time for the Cats to rest and recover from the year that was.
But right around the corner is another blockbuster campaign, which brings plenty of anticipation for all four of Geelong's football programs.
When the players return and commence their pre-season training, less than two months will remain until their Opening Round clash with the Gold Coast Suns.
Take a look at the top five things you do not want to miss in the 2026 AFL season.
1. A Blockbuster MCG Home Game
Geelong and Collingwood at the MCG, does it get much better than that?
Round 9 of the 2026 season will provide one of the biggest games of the year, as the two traditional rivals go toe-to-toe on a Saturday night in front of a packed house in Melbourne.
The best news?
This time around it will be a Geelong home game, the Cats' lone home game in Melbourne for the 2026 season.
Last year, Geelong and Collingwood produced one of the best games of the season with the Cats hanging on to record a famous three-point victory, in a nail-biting match that came down to a kick after the siren.
What will the 2026 edition of this rivalry have in store?
2. Geelong's Opening Round Debut
The Cats were initially meant to make their first appearance in the AFL's Opening Round last season, but that got delayed due to a hurricane moving through Queensland.
So Geelong will reload in 2026, this time set to head to People First Stadium to open their campaign against the Gold Coast Suns.
Both teams featured in September last year, and will be looking to build on their success heading into the new season. The Suns could also be potentially rolling out new recruits like Christian Petracca and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, which will add even more intrigue to the clash.
Geelong hold a reasonably strong record at the venue, winning 11 of their 17 games on the Gold Coast, but they also have not recorded victory since Round 22 in the 2022 season.
3. The Return of AFL Origin
On a slightly different track, there is plenty of excitement surrounding the return of AFL Origin heading into 2026.
State representative games were a staple in the AFL between the late 1970s and 90s, but there has not been an official Origin match since Victoria defeated South Australia at the MCG in 1999.
So there will certainly be plenty of anticipation when Origin returns on the 14th of February, when Victoria face Western Australia at Optus Stadium.
There will be plenty of Geelong representation with Jeremy Cameron, Patrick Dangerfield, Max Holmes and Tom Stewart named in the Victoria squad, while Lawson Humphries is set to feature for Western Australia.
4. Mark Blicavs' 300th Game
One of the most extraordinary footballing journeys just continues to get better with each passing year, and Mark Blicavs is set to reach his 300th AFL game early in 2026.
Every Cats fan will know the story, the middle-distance runner and steeplechaser that was vying for a place in the Olympics, who then landed on Geelong's Rookie List in 2013.
Blicavs has become a premiership player, an All-Australian and is a two-time Carji Greeves Medallist, but he can also become just the eighth Geelong player to reach 300 games in the Hoops next year.
At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Blicavs sits on 295 games meaning he will have the chance to reach the triple century early in the new campaign.
5. Grand Final Rematch
It has quickly evolved into one of the more entertaining rivalries in the modern era, but Geelong will be out to exact some revenge when they face Brisbane in Round 10 of the 2026 season.
The Lions got the better of the Cats in the Grand Final, but they have also won four of the last five clashes between the two sides dating back to the 2024 Preliminary Final.
The close rivalry dates back further than that however, with both teams splitting the record with six wins from the last 12 matches against one another.
Round 10 will be the first meeting of the year at the Gabba, before Geelong host Brisbane at GMHBA Stadium in Round 17.
