Pop icon Kylie Minogue has kicked off rehearsals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for her upcoming performance at the Australian Football League Grand Final on Saturday.
The 58-year-old singer was spotted taking to the stage on Tuesday to practise her 20-minute show, braving the cold weather in a pink ensemble from her own fashion collection.
Minogue dressed head-to-toe in a very comfortable and warm pink AFL x Kylie tracksuit while rehearsing on the turf. She added a black scarf to her look, which matched the black heeled boots she danced across the stage in.
The chart-topping artist appeared to be pulling out all the stops to put on an incredible performance for her fans this weekend. She was seen beginning her routine on a towering stage with a band practising their set on the footy ground below her.
Some of the backup dancers accompanying the performer were spotted wearing large red headpieces while carrying feathered props during the rehearsal. Minogue was later seen practising how to descend the perilous stairs, aided by a dancer.
Once she made it to the ground to continue her number, Minogue was joined by fellow Australian musician G Flip. Garbed in a red jacket with a pair of faded blue jeans, G Flip was spotted playing a guitar while rehearsing their set with Minogue.
Minogue ended the elaborate rehearsal inside a cage-like structure that was lifted high into the air above the ground.
Grand Final Crowd and Payday
The Padam Padam hitmaker will likely be appearing before a sell-out crowd at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 26. She is expected to play her 20-minute set before her hometown fans and a television audience of millions.
Minogue is believed to be walking home with a whopping $3 million payday for her highly anticipated gig. Her enormous compensation was reported by publication New Idea, after the AFL recently confirmed that Minogue had been on their wish list for some time.
Minogue, born in Melbourne, is one of Australia's most successful international pop artists, having risen to global prominence in the late 1980s. The Australian Football League Grand Final is the annual championship match of Australian rules football and stands as one of the country's premier sporting events.
NRL Grand Final Thrown Into Chaos
The AFL's headline announcement comes as reports emerged that the rival NRL grand final will go ahead without a headline act on Sunday week, after a dispute with booked talent Tones and I.
Negotiations with the Australian pop star, whose real name is Toni Watson, fell through ahead of the grand final scheduled to be held at Sydney's Accor Stadium on October 4.
The disagreement was reportedly over Watson's biggest hit, Dance Monkey. Sources told the Sydney Morning Herald that the singer had refused to commit to performing the chart-topping track, despite the NRL's insistence that she do so.
Peter V'landys, the Australian Rugby League Commission chairman, told the publication that Watson was to be paid $90,000 a minute for the gig. The final pay packet for the approximately 11-minute performance comes in at around $1 million.
NRL Redirects Payout to Junior League
V'landys said that the league's money could be better invested elsewhere, and announced that the NRL will donate $1 million to fund underprivileged kids in the junior rugby league instead of forking out for a big-name replacement act.
V'landys defended the decision on Tuesday, stating that the sport itself provides the primary attraction. "We believe that the entertainment is our game. It's more the media that put themselves into a frenzy over who we get as performer," V'landys said. "But when you look at it realistically for 11 minutes, it's not worth it. People will come to the game with or without it. We believe the money is better spent on junior rugby league."
Pre-game entertainment is normally a major drawcard for the grand final, with massive names brought in for previous years. In 2025, American singer Teddy Swims headlined, with The Kid Laroi taking the stage in 2024. Others who have graced the NRL stage include Good Charlotte, Jimmy Barnes and Tina Turner.
The pre-game entertainment is normally enjoyed not only by the 80,000-plus crowd at Accor Stadium, but viewers tuning in at home. The departure from the usual program marks a major change for the NRL.
The National Rugby League Grand Final serves as the championship decider for elite rugby league in Australia. Accor Stadium, located in Sydney Olympic Park, routinely hosts major international sporting events and entertainment spectacles.
