The AFL’s night of nights is nearly upon us, with the 2026 Brownlow Medal set to be crowned in less than a week. 

Our Brownlow predictor have been working overtime this season to zero in on a potential winner and it indicates that a certain Collingwood superstar will arrive at the Crown Palladium on Monday night as an eye wateringly short favourite. 

However, this is the fourth year in a row this particular player will enter the Brownlow Medal awards as the clear favourite. Any guesses how many times he’s walked away with the top gong? Precisely zero.

Want to know who that player is, as well as the other favourites for the Brownlow, the date, time and where to watch the count unfold? 

Well, you’ve come to the right place! For all that and more, check out our Brownlow Medal 2026 predictions below. 

Brownlow Medal 2026 Predictions 

Brownlow Favourites 2026 

Nick Daicos 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock this footy season, you probably guess the aforementioned Collingwood superstar who is the runaway favourite 2026 Brownlow Medal is of course, Nick Daicos.

The Pies’ prized midfielder is a mind-blowing 1.01 at the time of writing in the outright Brownlow odds, and it appears it would take a minor miracle for him to not finally get his hands on “Charlie.”

Normally, this is when we say “stranger things have happened” but they haven’t. Yes, for the past three seasons Daicos has entered the AFL’s night of nights as the betting favourite, but he’s never been free and clear like this.

His current price makes him the shortest ever Brownlow favourite on record. That being said, here are the other contenders who will be looking to blindside Daicos on Monday night. 

Bailey Smith 

The second favourite for this year’s Brownlow is none other than the one player your girlfriend who has never seen a second of footy can definitely name – Bailey Smith. 

The former AFL poster boy found time out of his busy schedule of promoting dating apps and grooming that glorious mullet to turn in a hell of a season for Geelong. 

Still, at 51.00*, there is an almighty gulf between him and Daicos despite Smith technically being the second favourite for the AFL’s top individual award. 

Marcus Bontempelli 

Next up in the running is the Bulldogs captain fantastic Marcus Bontempelli. One of the most consistent players in the league, Bont turned in another clinical campaign. 

Averaging 26.6 disposals and 5.9 clearances across 24 games is good for third place in terms of Brownlow favouritism for Mr Marcus. 

Patrick Cripps

If anyone knows how to upset Nick Daicos when it comes to the Brownlow Medal, it’s this man.

Two years ago, Daicos polled a record-setting 38 Brownlow votes, yet still lost to Patrick Cripps, who polled 45 in never-before-seen scenes. 

While he was his usually impressive self this season, we highly doubt we’ll see another ambush of that altitude from Cripps come Monday. 

Will Ashcroft 

The final Daicos chaser is no stranger to winning individual awards in the AFL. Lions’ lynchpin Will Ashcroft is currently the reigning back-to-back Norm Smith Medallist and if the Lions win this weekend, he’ll get a shot at a historic hat-trick.

Still just 22, Ashcroft like Daicos is already the focal point of his side despite his lack of seasoning in the big time. 

Both men have at least another decade left at the top and there could be more than one Brownlow Medal heading their way, starting this Monday. 

*Odds are subject to change. 

Brownlow Medal Date 2026 

The 2026 Brownlow Medal will be held on Monday 21 September at Crown Palladium in Melbourne.

What Time is the Brownlow Medal?

The coverage of the 2026 Brownlow Medal kicks off at 7:30pm AEST. Proceedings will open up with red carpet reporting and all-star interviews, with the official count starting at 8pm AEST.

The winner of the 2026 Brownlow Medal is the winner expected to be crowned around 10:30pm AEST.

Where to Watch the Brownlow Medal?

You can watch the 2026 Brownlow Medal ceremony live on Channel 7. If free-to-air TV isn’t your thing, you can stream the AFL’s night of nights either on 7Plus or through the AFL Live app. 

2026 Brownlow Odds