Carlton and Collingwood have the biggest and longest-lasting rivalry in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The clubs have not clashed in a final since 1988.

These rivals have played each other 260 times, with Carlton blasting Collingwood in the Grand Final match tally 5 flags to 1.

The next meeting is only a few weeks away. You don’t need to wait until the week of the match to secure Collingwood v Carlton tickets or an AFL Corporate Box, get in early now.

When the clubs meet in a Collingwood home game, they compete for the longest-running charity cup in the league: The Peter Mac Cup.

In a time-honoured tradition, the Cup is promoted in order to raise funds for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

The clubs last met on 18th July, 2021, with Carlton earning the 27th Peter Mac Cup, 13.13 (91) to 9.8 (62).

Carlton was a founding club of the Victorian Football Association in 1877, with Collingwood joining in 1892.

When it looked like Collingwood would not be able to play enough games to stay in the league, Carlton played an extra game against Collingwood – Carlton winning the match by one goal.

Quick Stats

First meeting: VFA – May 1892 // VFL/AFL: 22 June 1897

Latest meeting: 18 July 2021

Next meeting: 29 May 2022

All-time AFL: Carlton 128 wins – Collingwood 128 wins

Draws: 4

Finals: Carlton 9 – Collingwood 7

Grand Finals: Carlton 5 – Collingwood 1

Total played: 260

Rivalry Origins

So where did the animosity come from? What makes these AFL clubs such rivals?

Most sources peg the beginning of bad blood at the 1910 VFL Grand Final.

With Collingwood leading in the fourth quarter, a huge brawl broke out. While not on the scale of the Geebung Polo Club, umpire Jack Elder described the brawl as the worst he had seen.

Collingwood won by 14 points, but the four instigators of the brawl were suspended for 12 to 18 months each.

The rivalry has continued through the decades, with the very first Mark of the Year being taken by Alex Jesaulenko over Collingwood’s Graeme Jenkin.

In 2012 Collingwood’s ousted coach Mick Malthouse, who claimed he would never coach against “his boys” (Collingwood players) joined Carlton as head coach. He then faced off against his protege Nathan Buckley. Collingwood prevailed by 17 points, and won the remaining 4 games the two coaches played against each other.

Later in the year the two teams meet again at the MCG in Round 23. While the date and time isn’t confirmed yet you can lock in your Carlton v Collingwood tickets already.