Rugby League Las Vegas

Rugby League Las Vegas
The Allegiant Stadium hosts the event
StatusActive
GenreRugby league
FrequencyAnnually
VenueAllegiant Stadium
Location(s)Paradise, Nevada
CountryUnited States United States
Years active0
InauguratedMarch 2, 2024 (2024-03-02)
Next eventMarch 1, 2025 (2025-03-01)
ParticipantsAustralia National Rugby League and
United Kingdom Super League
Attendance40,746 (2024)
Capacity65,000
Organised byAustralia National Rugby League

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.

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

[edit]

In 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, Auckland 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] In November 2024, Matty Ashton and Kruise Leeming ran promotions for the event at the Las Vegas Raiders vs Denver Broncos NFL game and during the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, with both occurring on the same weekend.[25]

Results

[edit]

Main event

[edit]

The 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] [28]
Game 2 2024 NRL season 21:30 PST Sydney Roosters 20–10 Brisbane Broncos [29]
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 – Auckland Warriors
Game 3 2025 Women's Ashes 18:00 PST Australia Australia Jillaroos – England England Lionesses
Game 4 2025 NRL season 20:30 PST Penrith Panthers – Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Development matches

[edit]

A 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 United States Men 16–16 Canada Canada Men Ed W. Clark High School, Las Vegas Unknown [14]
2025 Game 1 Women's International 28 February 2025 TBA United States United States Women – Greece Greece Women TBA, Las Vegas TBA
Game 2 Men's International TBA United States United States Men – Greece Greece Men TBA

Statistics

[edit]

Attendances

[edit]
Year Attendance
2024 40,746

Games by competition

[edit]
Competition Games Years
Australia National Rugby League 4 2024 (2), 2025 (2)
United Kingdom 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 Australia Jillaroos 2025
Canberra Raiders 2025
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2025
England England Lionesses 2025
Auckland Warriors 2025
Penrith Panthers 2025
Warrington Wolves 2025
Wigan Warriors 2025

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The NRL announced an attendance of 40,746 for the event, a figure later contradicted by the Las Vegas Stadium Authority whose report confirmed a reduced attendance of 31,927.[26][27]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The NRL is going to Vegas ... To play on one of the smallest rugby league fields ever". 28 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Sea Eagles, Roosters get wins in Australia's National Rugby League season opener in Las Vegas". Associated Press News. 3 March 2024.
  3. ^ https://inews.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/wigan-warriors-super-league-us-game-3085856?ico=in-line_link
  4. ^ Snape, Jack (11 August 2023). "NRL announces four clubs to open 2024 season in Las Vegas". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "NRL heading to Las Vegas with double-header confirmed to open 2024 season". 11 August 2023.
  6. ^ "2024 NRL schedule confirmed, including Las Vegas double-header, State of Origin & Magic Round". 13 November 2023.
  7. ^ "NRL confirm details for Rugby League Las Vegas 2024". 24 August 2023.
  8. ^ "NRL Las Vegas games to air on Fox in the US". 27 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Manu's magic show headlines Roosters win in Vegas". 3 March 2024.
  10. ^ Tedeschi, Nick (3 March 2024). "'Fast, brutal, brilliant': NRL's Las Vegas gamble comes up trumps". The Guardian.
  11. ^ "NRL Las Vegas games to air on Fox in the US". 27 November 2023.
  12. ^ Snape, Jack (5 March 2024). "TV ratings for Vegas venture show slow initial take-up for NRL in the US". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "NRL's Las Vegas double-header season opener to be preceded by international clash". 6 January 2024.
  14. ^ a b "United States 16 v 16 Canada".
  15. ^ "NRL Vegas 2025: Which clubs will play in America next year? | Sporting News Australia".
  16. ^ "Four-game Vegas extravaganza revealed as teams for 2025 NRL opener locked in".
  17. ^ "NRL turns Las Vegas venture into nine-hour extravaganza with four matches in one day". The Guardian.
  18. ^ 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
  19. ^ "Wigan Warriors to play Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas in 2025".
  20. ^ "England Women to face Jillaroos in Las Vegas".
  21. ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/martin-offiah-makes-great-britain-admission-as-more-details-of-lions-return-emerge
  22. ^ "The inside story on how Wigan Warriors secured historic Las Vegas deal".
  23. ^ Bower, Aaron. "Super League in Las Vegas hailed as 'biggest moment' in its 28-year history". The Guardian.
  24. ^ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2437/hawks-to-face-greece-men-and-women-as-pa...
  25. ^ https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/rugby-league/wigan-warriors-and-warrington-wolves-stars-hit-las-vegas-with-less-than-100-days-to-go-until-historic-clash-4881137
  26. ^ "Stadium Activity Reporting, Data, and Information - Q1 2024" (PDF). Las Vegas Stadium Authority. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Manly Warringah vs South Sydney
  29. ^ Sydney vs Brisbane
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