Rugby League Quadruple-header Set for Las Vegas

NRL, Betfred Super League, and Women’s International on tap for Allegiant Stadium.

LAS VEGAS, NV–It’s officially official. It’s not just the NRL  who will be opening the season in Las Vegas in March, Betfred Super League powers Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves will also make the journey to Sin City as well the Australian Jillaroos and England Women. It’s all part of a quadruple-header of rugby league set for Saturday, March 1st at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The aforementioned will join NRL teams New Zealand Warriors, Canberra Raiders, Cronulla Sharks, and three-time defending NRL champion Penrith Panthers.

“Las Vegas 2025 will be a bigger, bolder and better festival of rugby league,” NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.

“The 2025 Las Vegas event will feature two highly anticipated NRL Premiership matches to open the season, the 2024 UK Challenge Cup finalists, Wigan and Warrington, and a Test match showcasing some of the most elite women’s players from both hemispheres.

“We’ve given fans the opportunity to plan early and take advantage of the Las Vegas festival experience – a true bucket list item for all rugby league and sports fans.”

Wigan and Warrington will open the quadruple header on March 1st at 1:30pm US Pacific time. Wigan are currently top of the table in Super League with Warrington just four points behind in third. Wigan are both defending champions of Super League and just one month ago, defeated Warrington in the final of the Challenge Cup at Wembley Stadium, 18-8.

Incidentally, Wigan and Warrington, did meet stateside in Milwaukee back in 1989 at the old County Stadium which the Warriors won, 12-5.

“I think it’s really exciting for the game that two great foundation clubs get to play over there in the States,” Warrington head coach Sam Burgess told BBC Sport.

“We saw the NRL get over there and play two games at the beginning of the year, and it was hugely successful.

“A lot of English fans went over there to watch those games, so it will be amazing to see some Super League action.

“We’re looking forward to it, it’ll be a great week, and the team are certainly excited about that.”

The match will be at 9:30pm UK time on March 1st.

The second match of the day features Canberra Raiders and the New Zealand Warriors. Both teams are currently outside the top eight in the NRL, though the feature here will be teams from the Australian capital and an Auckland-based team and at a time where league appears to be booming as the Warriors have averaged 24,802 at their 25,000-seat Mount Smart Stadium. Canberra has over 23,000 memberships and average just under 20,000 at the GIO Stadium this season. Kickoff for this match will be at 4pm Pacific time/11am AEDT on Sunday.

Third on the docket is a women’s international between the Australian Jillaroos and England Women. The Jillaroos have been every bit as dominant in international rugby league as their male counterparts having won the last three Women’s Rugby League World Cups. The most recent edition was in 2021 where Australia thrashed New Zealand’s women, 54-4, at Old Trafford. However, their last international saw their 14-game winning streak snapped by New Zealand last October at AAMI Stadium in Melbourne during the Pacific Champs competition.

England have hosted two of the last three Women’s Rugby League World Cups only getting as far as the semifinals. They have lost their last three meetings against Australia. However, their last international was on June 29th and was a 42-0 win over France in Toulouse. Kickoff for this match is at 6pm Pacific time/2am UK time Sunday/1pm AEDT on Sunday.

The final match of the day in Las Vegas sees the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks take on the three-time defending premiers Penrith Panthers. The Panthers currently sit second on the NRL ladder while the Sharks, who had been the early pacesetters, are now fourth. Penrith is based near the Blue Mountains in Western Sydney while Cronulla are based in the Southern part of Sydney. The Sharks’ one premiership came in 2016 while the Panthers have won the last three premierships with the most recent triumph a 26-24 result over the Brisbane Broncos at Stadium Australia. Kickoff will be at 8:30pm Pacific time/3:30pm AEDT Sunday.

Last year’s NRL Opening Weekend in Vegas saw a doubleheader featuring the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters versus the Brisbane Broncos drew 40,746 fans at Allegiant Stadium making it the largest crowd to watch an NRL match outside Australia by a distance as well as a record to see a rugby league match in the United States. As far a TV audience, it drew record numbers for a season-opener in Australia, but just 61,000 on average on Fox Sports 1 mostly due to a college basketball game running overtime.

Tickets to NRL member open up on Wednesday, July 24th at 9am AEDT (4pm US Central time Tuesday) with tickets available to the general public two days later.