Rugby League Las Vegas
Rugby League Las Vegas | |
---|---|
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 |
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 the United Kingdom's Super League in 2025.
Both NRL and Super League are regarded as the pinnacle club competitions of the sport. 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]
History
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,[3][4] with the remainder of round one being confirmed at a later date.[5] The two matches took place on March 2, 2024, and marked the first NRL regular season games held outside Australia and New Zealand.[6] The 2024 event saw Manly Warringah beat South Sydney[7] and Sydney beat Brisbane[8] 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.[9] Both games were arird on Fox Sports in the United States.[10] 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.[11] The day prior to the event, a Colonial Cup match between the national men's teams of the United States and Canada was held.[12] The game ended 16–16.[13]
In July 2024, the NRL announced that the 2025 event would feature the Canberra Raiders, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, New Zealand Warriors, and Penrith Panthers.[14][15][16] 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.[17][18] Further, the event would also showcase an ashes test match between the Australia and England women's national sides.[19] 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.[20][21]
Results
2024
- Game 1
- Game 2
2025
- Game 1
- Game 2
- Game 3
- Game 4
Statistics
Attendances
Year | Attendance |
---|---|
2024 | 40,746 |
Games by Competition
Competition | Games | Years |
---|---|---|
National Rugby League | 4 | 2024 (2), 2025 (2) |
Super League | 1 | 2025 |
Women's Ashes | 1 | 2025 |
Team Appearances
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 |
References
- ^ https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/the-nrl-is-going-to-vegas-to-play-on-one-of-the-smallest-rugby-league-fields-ever-20230828-p5e03c.html
- ^ https://apnews.com/article/national-rugby-league-australia-las-vega-ae3d752ec3370ac2d7e385bb957154a0
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/aug/11/nrl-usa-las-vegas-2024-season-opener-round-one-draw-south-sydney-rabbitohs-brisbane-broncos-manly-sea-eagles-sydney-roosters
- ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/nrl-heading-to-las-vegas-with-double-header-confirmed-to-open-2024-season
- ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/2024-nrl-schedule-confirmed-including-las-vegas-double-header-state-of-origin-magic-round
- ^ https://www.nrl.com/news/2023/08/25/nrl-confirm-details-for-rugby-league-las-vegas-2024/
- ^ https://www.sportcal.com/media/nrl-las-vegas-games-to-air-on-fox-in-the-us/
- ^ https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/03/03/manus-magic-show-headlines-roosters-win-in-vegas/
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/03/fast-brutal-brilliant-nrls-las-vegas-gamble-comes-up-trumps
- ^ https://www.sportcal.com/media/nrl-las-vegas-games-to-air-on-fox-in-the-us/
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/06/nrl-in-las-vegas-tv-ratings-rugby-league-2024
- ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/nrls-las-vegas-double-header-season-opener-to-be-preceded-by-international-clash
- ^ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/fixtures/1302/united-states-16-16-canada
- ^ https://www.sportingnews.com/au/rugby-league/news/nrl-vegas-2025-which-clubs-will-play-america/5fb24f921905298972c46cf9
- ^ https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2024-nrl-announce-four-teams-that-will-open-2025-season-in-las-vegas-canberra-raiders-penrith-panthers-cronulla-sharks-melbourne-storm-andrew-abdo-official-announcement-rugby-league-news/news-story/31e4629fa06655f43248fb52837b8745
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/09/nrl-las-vegas-rugby-league-clubs-teams-matches-penrith-cronulla-canberra-nz-warriors-wigan-warrington
- ^ 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
- ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cg64v1qzn3zo.amp
- ^ https://www.rugby-league.com/article/62937/england-women-to-face-jillaroos-in-las-vegas
- ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/inside-the-deal-how-wigan-warriors-secured-super-leagues-historic-las-vegas-trip
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/09/super-league-in-vegas-hailed-the-biggest-moment-in-its-28-year-history-rugby-league