Start with the opponent count
In a twelve-club league, one club has eleven other opponents. Playing each twice would produce 22 matches. The published 26-match total leaves four additional matches beyond that simple baseline. This is arithmetic from the announced format, not a prediction about which clubs receive a particular pairing.
A viewer checking a calendar should therefore compare the actual date, venue and round before deleting an apparent repeat. The same opponent name can correctly appear more than twice across the season. A fixture’s identity requires more than the two club badges.
Do not infer a perfectly balanced season
The competition explicitly says some opponents are played three times. A regular-season table therefore does not represent an identical two meetings with every opponent for each club. The fixture format should be understood before comparing a team’s run of opponents.
Do not invent competitive advantages or claim that the draw is incorrect solely from the repeat count. Such conclusions would need a complete fixture analysis and the organiser’s criteria. The useful viewing point is that an additional pairing is not automatically a duplicated listing.
Keep competition phases and seasons together
The 26-match figure describes the regular season, not every possible finals appearance. A club advancing through the postseason will have additional matches with a different stage identity. Conversely, a listed friendly or cup game should not automatically be counted toward that regular-season total.
For a saved programme, retain 2026/27, competition, round, clubs, venue and date. If two listings appear identical, compare their full fixture identifier or publisher record before removing one. This worked eleven-times-two calculation explains the published structure only; it does not invent fixtures, live broadcast coverage or IPTV Australia carriage, and it should not be applied to an older season without checking its format.
Questions about this guide
Does a third meeting with one opponent prove a duplicate fixture?
No. The announced 2026/27 format includes some three-match pairings.
Does 26 include every possible finals match?
The cited total concerns the regular season; finals are a separate stage.