THE AFL confirmed today that the 2017 AFL International Cup men's and women's grand finals will be played as curtain-raisers to Round 22 AFL matches.

The men's grand final will be played prior to the Collingwood-Geelong Cats match at the MCG while the women's grand final will be prior to the Carlton-Hawthorn match at Etihad Stadium.

AFL Head of Community & International Development Grant Williams said playing both grand finals at AFL venues would give greater exposure to the competition.

"We are so pleased to have secured both the MCG and Etihad Stadium to conclude this year's International Cup," he said.

"Planning is in full swing at AFL House and amongst the international football community.

"We anticipate the fixtures will be released in early July."

The AFL also revealed the IC17 artwork today on the competition website (aflic17.com.au), Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

The sixth International Cup will be held in Melbourne from Saturday August 5 to Saturday August 19, 2017. The carnival will include both men's and women's competitions.

The AFL International Cup is played every three years. No expatriate Australians are eligible to play. Teams comprise solely of amateurs who must be nationals of the country they represent.

In 2014 there were 25 teams (18 men's and seven women's teams) that represented 18 different nations. Papua New Guinea won the men's final while Canada won the women's final.