Rumours have been swirling for weeks that the American rock band would be coming to Australia, with 3AW's Rumour File reporting last month that a potential deal was in the works.

Industry sources have since confirmed to Fox Footy that The Killers will headline the most important day on the AFL calendar. However, the AFL has remained tight-lipped.

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane declined to comment. He said footy fans can expect an announcement about pre-game entertainment in a "couple of weeks".

Should The Killers grace the MCG on September 30, it will be their first Australian performance in four years. The band last played in Australia in 2013 at the Big Day Out festival.

Headlining the grand final's pre-game entertainment would be a clever move for the Las Vegas rockers, with an album expected to drop later this year. They've been working on their fifth studio album since 2015.

English rock legend Sting performed at last year's AFL grand final, alongside the likes of Vance Joy and The Living End. Previous artists have included Bryan Adams, Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran.

But for all the A-list celebrities, AFL grand finals have not been without some B-grade performances. In 2011, Meat Loaf felt the need to apologise to his Australian fans after a disastrous show.

At the time, AFL chief Gillon McLachlan said the singer was paid way too much.

"When you look at the money he got paid for what he produced, I think we're the most generous group in the world," he told 3AW. "He probably got, I don't know, half a million bucks or something. It was probably about $499,000 too much."

Then, of course, there was the 1991 AFL Grand Final where Angry Anderson performed a rendition of Bound for Glory while perched on the back of a mock Batmobile.

Meanwhile, the NRL is close to locking in its grand final entertainment, with Pearl Jam reportedly at the top of the wish list for October 1.