Two Friday night games will take place across both of the next two weekends, while rounds later in the season will also involve matches going head-to-head in prime-time.
Critics argue it is frustrating to try and watch two enticing matches on a Friday played concurrently.
Due to Thursday night matches becoming a regular part of the fixture in the last two years, managing breaks for clubs has become trickier.
Under an agreement with the AFL Players Association, the AFL is limited to scheduling each club with three five-day breaks a season.
"The Friday double headers, they're definitely on a case-by-case basis," AFL fixture boss Josh Bowler said on Thursday.
"Our game goes for three hours from a broadcast window perspective, and naturally you have overlapping games on the weekend.
"Where we think the circumstances are right, we'll do the Friday double headers.
"If we think we're going to get a better crowd on a Friday night than say a Sunday afternoon.
"Also from the break point of view, we've got more Thursday nights than ever, and that helps Adelaide, for example, manage their three six-day breaks in a row.
"It shows through fan engagement, broadcasters get really strong national viewership because there is relevance in a lot of markets and there is upside in attendance that comes through."
Sydney, Geelong, Fremantle, Brisbane, Adelaide, Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs will figure prominently in primetime after the AFL confirmed the timeslots for rounds 16 to 22.
Banished to graveyard slots due to nearly a decade of poor results, North Melbourne's improvement this season has been rewarded with a rare Friday night game in round 18 against the Magpies.
It will be the Kangaroos' first Friday night fixture at Marvel Stadium since 2019.
North pioneered Friday night football in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson was pleased with the fixture, but not for the reason fans might think.
"I've got genuine belief that if you're playing the Thursday, Friday, Saturday games, it gives you a better chance to prepare for your weeks, prepare for games," Clarkson said.
"When you're the last game on a Sunday on a regular basis, it can become pretty fatiguing and tiring as a coach and playing group.
"That's a challenge that you just have to have to endure when you're a side that's not performing so well."
The second Showdown of the year will have its own timeslot, but on a Saturday night.
Bowler believed it was inevitable Adelaide and Port Adelaide would again be in a standalone match on a Thursday or Friday, like they were in 2024.
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