LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The National Rugby League is coming to Las Vegas.
Allegiant Stadium will host two games on March 2, 2024. This will be the first time that NRL Premiership games are played in America and it will feature four teams: the Sydney Roosters, South Sydney Rabbitoh, Brisbane Broncos, and the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
Players representing all four teams, as well as CEO Andrew Abdo, touched down earlier this week and went to their first-ever Las Vegas Raiders game and visited several iconic locations across the valley.
"This is a historic and exciting time for our sport. Rugby league is poised for growth and we celebrate our presence in America," said Abdo. "Australia's biggest sport, rugby league, is coming to the world's entertainment capital, Las Vegas. We honestly couldn't be more excited to be here. It feels quite surreal. The last couple of days have been incredibly special. We've been warmly welcomed by the city, warmly welcomed by our partners, and getting quite an interesting response from people walking through the streets as our players passed the ball around and seeing some of the iconic locations here."
The players said they're looking forward to taking the field in March.
"I think Americans love collision in sports," said Aaron Woods, who plays for Manly. "There's no helmets. There's no pads. There are collisions and we're going to pump up fans."
"We want to come out here and entertain and I think we have the product to do that," said Campbell Graham, who plays for South Sydney. "I'm really looking forward to coming back here in March and putting on a show."
Allegiant Stadium will host 10 NRL matches as part of a five-year deal. It kicks off with the double-header on March 2. According to officials, nearly 20,000 tickets have been sold so far and half of that has been by fans who are traveling to Las Vegas from Australia.
In addition to the double-header, NRL officials said they will host a talent combine and a "Rugby League Vegas Nines" grassroots tournament leading up to the matches on March 2.
On Tuesday, NRL officials also announced a partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
"Las Vegas is on the fast track to becoming the sports capital of the world. All the major U.S. sports leagues will have a presence here soon and, of course, Las Vegas will host its first Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in February," said Lawrence Epstein, UFC Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "NRL fans are going to love coming to Vegas to watch these matches. Fans are the most important component of the sports ecosystem and when fans have a great time, they talk about your brand more, they talk about the experience more, and that positivity just builds up."
UFC officials are said the partnership will allow them to continue expanding their global fanbase.
"There is a great link between our two sports and I am excited about this partnership and the opportunities we have to grow together," said Dave Shaw, UFC Vice President, Head of International & Content. "We know the NRL is one of the biggest sporting competitions Down Under and they have aspirations to grow their sport here in the U.S. We also know Australians are some of the biggest MMA fans on the planet. It is home to over four million of our 700 million global fanbase and we are always looking at ways to continue to grow that fanbase in the APAC region."
UFC athletes, including Alex Volkanovski and Tai 'Bam Bam' Tuivasa, started their careers in rugby before transitioning to MMA.
