Rugby League Las Vegas is an annual event held at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas showcasing the sport of rugby league. The event was started in 2024 by Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) before being joined by Super League clubs from the United Kingdom in 2025.
| Rugby League Las Vegas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Allegiant Stadium hosts the event | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Rugby league |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Allegiant Stadium |
| Location(s) | Paradise, Nevada |
| Country |  United States |
| Years active | 0 |
| Inaugurated | March 2, 2024 |
| Next event | March 1, 2025 |
| Participants |  National Rugby League and Super League |
| Attendance | 40,746 (2024) |
| Capacity | 65,000 |
| Organised by | National Rugby League |
The event was created by the NRL to expand the audience of the competition and develop rugby league in the United States. The event is contracted until 2028.[1][2] The later joining of Super League clubs was arranged on a club level with the NRL, and not organising by Super League or the Rugby Football League.[3]
History
editIn August 2023, the National Rugby League (NRL) announced that two games in the opening round of the 2024 NRL season would be held in Las Vegas. The Brisbane Broncos, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and Sydney Roosters were selected to play in the event,[4][5] with the remainder of round one being confirmed at a later date.[6] The two matches took place on March 2, 2024, and marked the first NRL regular season games held outside Australia and New Zealand.[7] The 2024 event saw Manly Warringah beat South Sydney[8] and Sydney beat Brisbane[9] in front of an audience of over 40,000, the largest attendance of any rugby league event at the time held in the United States.[10] Both games were aired on Fox Sports in the United States.[11] While stadium attendance was deemed a success, TV viewing fixtures were low in the United States at only 61,000, though it was 16,000 higher than the last NRL programme to be aired in the state. Viewing figures in Australia surpassed 1.6 million across both games.[12] The day prior to the event, a Colonial Cup match between the national men's teams of the United States and Canada was held.[13] The game ended 16–16.[14]
In July 2024, the NRL announced that the 2025 event would feature the Canberra Raiders, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, New Zealand Warriors, and Penrith Panthers.[15][16][17] In addition, the 2025 event will also feature an opening round match of the United Kingdom's Super League with Wigan Warriors facing local rivals Warrington Wolves. Like the NRL in 2024, this game marks the first regular season Super League game to be held in the United States.[18][19] Further, the event would also showcase an ashes test match between the Australia and England women's national sides,[20] which will be the first of three women's test matches of the 2025 England Lions and Lionesses tour of Australia.[21] Super League's involvement in the event came after a speculative email was sent to the organizers by Wigan's CEO Kris Radlinski after he watched the 2024 event on TV.[22][23] Both United States men's and women's national teams will face Greece the day before the 2025 event.[24]
Results
editMain Event
editThe following is a list of results of teams who have played at the main event, held the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise.
| Game | Competition | Date | Time | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Attendance | Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Game 1 | 2024 NRL season | 2 March 2024 | 19:30 PST |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
36–24 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
40,746[a] | [27] |
| Game 2 | 2024 NRL season | 21:30 PST |  Sydney Roosters
|
20–10 |  Brisbane Broncos
|
[28] | |||
| 2025 | Game 1 | 2025 Super League season | 1 March 2025 | 13:30 PST |  Wigan Warriors
|
– |  Warrington Wolves
|
TBA | |
| Game 2 | 2025 NRL season | 16:00 PST |  Canberra Raiders
|
– |  New Zealand Warriors
|
||||
| Game 3 | 2025 Women's Ashes | 18:00 PST | Australia Jillaroos
|
– |  England Lionesses
|
||||
| Game 4 | 2025 NRL season | 20:30 PST |  Penrith Panthers
|
– |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
||||
Development Matches
editA number of development games are held during the weekend to aid the growth of the United States national rugby league teams.
| Game | Competition | Date | Time | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Venue | Attendance | Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Game 1 | Men's International | 1 March 2024 | 19:00 PT | United States Men
|
16–16 |  Canada Men
|
Ed W. Clark High School, Las Vegas | Unknown | [14] |
| 2025 | Game 1 | Women's International | 28 February 2025 | TBA | United States Women
|
– |  Greece Women
|
TBA, Las Vegas | TBA | |
| Game 2 | Men's International | TBA | United States Men
|
– | Greece Men
|
TBA | ||||
Statistics
editAttendances
edit| Year | Attendance |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 40,746 |
Games by Competition
edit| Competition | Games | Years |
|---|---|---|
| National Rugby League
|
4 | 2024 (2), 2025 (2) |
| Super League
|
1 | 2025 |
| Women's Ashes | 1 | 2025 |
Team Appearances
edit| Team | Apps. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos
|
1 | 2024 |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
|
2024 | |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
2024 | |
| Sydney Roosters
|
2024 | |
| Australia Jillaroos
|
2025 | |
| Canberra Raiders
|
2025 | |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
2025 | |
| England Lionesses
|
2025 | |
| New Zealand Warriors
|
2025 | |
| Penrith Panthers
|
2025 | |
| Warrington Wolves
|
2025 | |
| Wigan Warriors
|
2025 |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "The NRL is going to Vegas ... To play on one of the smallest rugby league fields ever". 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Sea Eagles, Roosters get wins in Australia's National Rugby League season opener in Las Vegas". Associated Press News. 3 March 2024.
- ^ https://inews.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/wigan-warriors-super-league-us-game-3085856?ico=in-line_link
- ^ Snape, Jack (11 August 2023). "NRL announces four clubs to open 2024 season in Las Vegas". The Guardian.
- ^ "NRL heading to Las Vegas with double-header confirmed to open 2024 season". 11 August 2023.
- ^ "2024 NRL schedule confirmed, including Las Vegas double-header, State of Origin & Magic Round". 13 November 2023.
- ^ "NRL confirm details for Rugby League Las Vegas 2024". 24 August 2023.
- ^ "NRL Las Vegas games to air on Fox in the US". 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Manu's magic show headlines Roosters win in Vegas". 3 March 2024.
- ^ Tedeschi, Nick (3 March 2024). "'Fast, brutal, brilliant': NRL's Las Vegas gamble comes up trumps". The Guardian.
- ^ "NRL Las Vegas games to air on Fox in the US". 27 November 2023.
- ^ Snape, Jack (5 March 2024). "TV ratings for Vegas venture show slow initial take-up for NRL in the US". The Guardian.
- ^ "NRL's Las Vegas double-header season opener to be preceded by international clash". 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b "United States 16 v 16 Canada".
- ^ "NRL Vegas 2025: Which clubs will play in America next year? | Sporting News Australia".
- ^ "Four-game Vegas extravaganza revealed as teams for 2025 NRL opener locked in".
- ^ "NRL turns Las Vegas venture into nine-hour extravaganza with four matches in one day". The Guardian.
- ^ https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/13175144/super-league-in-las-vegas-wigan-warriors-and-warrington-wolves-set-for-showdown-at-allegiant-stadium-in-2025
- ^ "Wigan Warriors to play Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas in 2025".
- ^ "England Women to face Jillaroos in Las Vegas".
- ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/martin-offiah-makes-great-britain-admission-as-more-details-of-lions-return-emerge
- ^ "The inside story on how Wigan Warriors secured historic Las Vegas deal".
- ^ Bower, Aaron. "Super League in Las Vegas hailed as 'biggest moment' in its 28-year history". The Guardian.
- ^ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2437/hawks-to-face-greece-men-and-women-as-pa...
- ^ "Stadium Activity Reporting, Data, and Information - Q1 2024" (PDF). Las Vegas Stadium Authority. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Di Stefano, Mark (4 June 2024). "Funny numbers mean success for the NRL". Australian Financial Review. Sydney, New South Wales: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Manly Warringah vs South Sydney
- ^ Sydney vs Brisbane