Editing Melbourne Cricket Ground (section)

===Finals and grand finals===
The [[AFL Grand Final|VFL/AFL grand final]] has been played at the MCG every season since 1902, except for between 1942 and 1945, when the ground was used by the military during World War II; in [[1991 AFL season|1991]] as the construction of the Great Southern Stand had temporarily reduced the ground's capacity below that of [[Waverley Park]]; and both [[2020 AFL Grand Final|2020]] and [[2021 AFL Grand Final|2021]], when restrictions in Victoria due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] prompted the games to be moved to [[the Gabba]] in Queensland and [[Perth Stadium]] in Western Australia respectively. All three grand final replays have been played at the MCG.

[[File:MCG 2022 AFL Grand Final.jpg|thumb|right|350px|A sold out MCG during the [[2022 AFL Grand Final]]; the match drew an attendance of 100,024]]
Before the MCG was fully seated, a grand final could draw attendances above 110,000. The record for the highest attendance in the history of the sport was set in the [[1970 VFL Grand Final]], with 121,696 in attendance.

Since being fully seated, grand final attendances are typically between 95,000 and 100,000, with the record of 100,024 at the [[2022 AFL Grand Final]] and the [[2023 AFL Grand Final]], followed by 100,022 at the [[2018 AFL Grand Final]] and 100,021 at the [[2017 AFL Grand Final]].

In the modern era, most finals games held in Melbourne have been played at the MCG. Under the current contract, 10 finals (excluding the grand final) must be played at the MCG over a five-year period. Under previous contracts, the MCG was entitled to host at least one match in each week of the finals, which on several occasions required non-Victorian clubs to play "home" finals in Victoria. The MCG is contracted to host the grand final every year until 2059.<ref name="GabbaFoxSports">{{Cite web |date=2 September 2020 |title=This is a win for Queensland: AFL reveals how QLD won race for historic Grand Final as key fixture details confirmed |url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-grand-final-2020-date-time-venue-first-bounce-where-will-he-game-be-played-live-press-conference/news-story/7c087c2f58052edc6f82b8ada4a5e139 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419202520/https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-grand-final-2020-date-time-venue-first-bounce-where-will-he-game-be-played-live-press-conference/news-story/7c087c2f58052edc6f82b8ada4a5e139 |archive-date=19 April 2021 |access-date=25 September 2020 |website=Fox Sports}}</ref>

All Melbourne-based teams (and most of the time Geelong) play their "home" finals at the MCG unless if four Victorian teams win the right to host a final in the first week of the finals.