The AFL's first afternoon preliminary final in seven years has thrown up the possibility of the game being played in difficult conditions, with the chance of hot weather in Perth weather in late September.

The first bounce of West Coast's home preliminary final at Optus Stadium will be at 1.20pm Perth time, to ensure either Melbourne or Hawthorn can return home on Saturday night and have as much time as possible to prepare for the grand final, should they beat the Eagles.

The AFL confirmed the fixture late on Tuesday.

“On behalf of the AFL, we wish to thank Virgin Australia, for their many hours of work to be able to achieve a direct flight immediately after the game,” AFL fixture boss Travis Auld said.