A VENUE availability crunch is looming ahead of the upcoming NAB AFL Women's Finals Series.

The new 18-team competition with a top eight means a four-week finals series will be running, as per the men's season, with elimination and qualifying finals in week one, followed by semi-finals, preliminary finals and the Grand Final.

The first week of finals is scheduled for the weekend starting Friday, November 4, with the Grand Final set for the weekend of November 25-27.

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The Grand Final is unlikely to be played on Saturday, November 26 due to a clash with the Victorian election to be held that day.

In previous seasons, hosting rights for the Grand Final have gone to the highest ranked side.

Adelaide Oval – which has held Adelaide's finals over the years – is now completely out of action due to various cricket matches, including the Twenty20 World Cup, One Day Internationals and Sheffield Shield clashes.

The inaugural AFLW Showdown between the Crows and Port Adelaide was the final football match at the ground for the year, with groundskeepers starting to remove ground markings 15 minutes after the final siren of that game.

The Crows have played the majority of their home games this season at Unley Oval, while Norwood and Glenelg ovals have also been used.

The Gabba, where Brisbane has played most of its home finals, finishes its T20 commitments on November 1, but hosts a Sheffield Shield game on December 1.

The Lions have a few home matches at Metricon Stadium to round out their season, and the Gold Coast venue is cricket-free until late December.

Geelong is a chance to host an elimination final for the first time, and GMHBA Stadium's cricket match on Thursday is the last it will host until December, with the Cats scheduled to play Sydney at the ground next week.

Melbourne hosted a preliminary final at the MCG last season, but the stadium is chock-a-block with cricket matches for the remainder of the year.

The Dees are the Victorian side most likely to be in with a chance to host the Grand Final.

Marvel Stadium had a Justin Bieber concert scheduled for Saturday, November 26 but that has since been postponed to next year, with no other major events scheduled until domestic cricket Twenty20s in mid-December, opening the door for a Friday night or Sunday day Grand Final.

The Western Bulldogs hosted the 2018 Grand Final at Ikon Park due to capacity issues at VU Whitten Oval (currently out of action due to redevelopments), and the Carlton ground has often been used as a back-up home option for Victorian clubs this year.

Brisbane hosted the 2017 Grand Final at Metricon Stadium after turf works at the Gabba prevented the Lions from playing the decider at their marquee home venue.

Teams from Western Australia (Optus Stadium) and New South Wales (SCG) won't qualify for finals this season.

Possible options for home finals