NEW BULLDOG Zak Butters will face his old side - and Port Adelaide's supporters - in a Gather Round grudge match at Adelaide Oval in April, while there will also be three 2026 finals re-matches when the AFL competition returns to South Australia next year.

The AFL has confirmed the fixture for Gather Round 2027, with Port's game against the Western Bulldogs - and Butters - in primetime on the Sunday night the highlight of the schedule after his big-money free agency move.

>> SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL GATHER ROUND FIXTURE

And it is not the only grudge match on the Gather Round agenda, with Rowan Marshall's Geelong to face St Kilda on the Sunday afternoon at Barossa Park following his headline-grabbing trade to the Cats earlier this month.

Marshall did not attend St Kilda's best and fairest three weeks ago as he pushed to leave the club for the second year in a row, with a trade agreed to six days before the deadline.

Held across the weekend of April 9-12, Gather Round will also feature three match-ups from this year's finals series: Adelaide v Brisbane on the Thursday night as well as Carlton v Melbourne (Saturday afternoon) and Fremantle v Hawthorn (Saturday night), all at Adelaide Oval.

The game against the Crows will be the first time the Lions - the three-time premiers - will have played at Adelaide Oval during Gather Round.

There will also be three match-ups between teams who should be evenly matched after missing finals in 2026 - Gold Coast v Greater Western Sydney, Essendon v North Melbourne and Richmond v West Coast - while Collingwood will face Sydney in a huge Friday night clash, the second time they have played at Gather Round after they faced off in 2025.

The AFL has already confirmed the 2027 season will start on either March 17 or 18, later than recent years due to the 150th anniversary Test match between Australia and England, during which the MCG will be unavailable for football.

With Opening Round scrapped, round one will be a traditional nine-game affair and followed by the Easter weekend of games in round two, with Gather Round to be round four and coincide with school holidays.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the Butters reunion was "certainly part of the thinking" around scheduling, along with having Port face a big Victorian team in the closing game.

"There was a number of factors that were in it ... Zak changing in the off-season was certainly part of it," Dillon said in Adelaide.

"And I'm sure that the Port Adelaide fans will remember what he did and what he's done for Port Adelaide, but I'm sure he'll get a welcome of sorts."

Asked whether he was encouraging Power fans to get into Butters, Dillon said: "No, absolutely not. 

"I think they should acknowledge a champion player and ... we celebrate our champions here. 

"But I know that it'll be a really good game."

Gather Round tickets will go on sale on December 9-10.

- with AAP

2027 Gather Round fixture

Thursday April 8
Adelaide v Brisbane at Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm

Friday April 9
Collingwood v Sydney at Adelaide Oval, 7.10pm

Saturday April 10
Gold Coast v Greater Western Sydney at Barossa Park, 12.05pm
Carlton v Melbourne at Adelaide Oval, 1.05pm
Richmond v West Coast at Norwood Oval, 4.05pm
Fremantle v Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval, 7.15pm

Sunday April 11
Essendon v North Melbourne at Norwood Oval, 12pm
Geelong v St Kilda at Barossa Park, 2.45pm
Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval, 6.45pm

(all times local)