The NRL’s global expansion continues to gather pace after another record-breaking season opener took the game to new heights in Las Vegas.
Tens of thousands of fans descended on the US entertainment capital for a stunning triple-header at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday night (local time).
A record 45,719 fans packed into the venue as Leeds, Newcastle and Canterbury secured victories in the sport’s third visit to Las Vegas.
The event has grown each year and the crowds generated an incredible atmosphere at Allegiant Stadium. ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys said the cumulative growth is a sign of the game’s global reach.
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“I’m a little migrant kid from Wollongong, to come to the biggest stage in the world, the biggest market in America, and get what we have [is incredible],” V’landys told Fox Sports during the telecast.
“Twenty-thousand Australians have come here, 10,000 from England, but what’s really made my heart grow is there’s 5000 from other parts of the world. If that doesn’t prove we’re global, nothing does.”
The players delivered on the field, as the Dylan Brown era at Newcastle started with a win and Canterbury claimed a thrilling golden-point win over St George Illawarra.
Captain Stephen Crichton kicked a 90th-minute field goal to deliver his side a victory in the first game to go to extra-time in the NRL’s three years in Vegas.
The exhilarating action had fans watching in the stands and at home enthralled, leaving to a surge in television ratings.
The matches were watched by 2.1 million viewers, an increase of 7% on last year’s event.
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Viewership on Fox Sports/Kayo for the English Super League game between Leeds and Hull KR were up 35.2% on 2025, while ratings for the Cowboys-Knights clash increased by 25.5% on the early NRL game in Vegas last year.
The Allegiant Stadium triple-header set a number of broadcast records, including:
- Knights v Cowboys fixture was the second-most watched exclusive Fox Sports/Kayo match of all time, behind only the 2024 Vegas opener
- It was the highest-ever audience on Fox Sports/Kayo for both Newcastle and North Queensland
- The Bulldogs v Dragons game was the most-watched match of all time (including finals) between the two sides
- It was the fourth most-watched Round 1 fixture of all time
- It was the most-watched regular season fixture featuring the Bulldogs and the second-most watched Dragons regular season fixture of all time
- The Super League fixture between Leeds and Hull KR was the most-watched Super League fixture on Fox Sports/Kayo of all time
The NRL has made a long-term commitment to growing rugby league internationally, with America a key area of focus.
More than 130,000 fans have descended on Allegiant Stadium throughout the past three years to watch the NRL’s season opener in a clear sign of the growing success of the US project.
“Seeing the jumpers of the teams around, it’s been a takeover,” NRL CEO Andrew Abdo told Fox Sports. “I’ve loved the integration, rugby league coming together.
“The Super League fans have been fantastic with their signing, then the NRL fans. The best part for me is seeing the community coming together and the takeover.
“Las Vegas is the sport and entertainment capital of America, so to showcase our game has been fantastic.”
The action wasn’t confined to Saturday’s games, with 16,000 people packing into Fremont St for the Fan Fest on Thursday night.
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There were similar scenes 24 hours earlier at Zouk Nightclub as fans crammed into the venue for the official media launch.
The NRL also hosted business and tourism conferences along with a nines tournament, school gala days and the USA played Scotland in men’s and women’s international matches.
More than 1300 players participated in the nines event, which served as an opportunity to unearth future rugby league stars. The women’s tournament was won by the LA Roosters, while Titans of Coal took out the men’s final.
The NRL is committed to connecting with fans of all ages and engaged with 20,000 students through school activations. Another 500 children participated in a gala day last week and were celebrated on the Allegiant Stadium field during the event.
The off-field activations were also bigger than ever before, with the new OzFest trade fair capturing the attention of Americans and a Business of Sport conference featuring a high-powered speaking list. A number of business executives were also on hand on game day to witness the intensity and skill of rugby league in the stadium.
V’landys and Abdo have turned their focus to building on the success of the Vegas season-opener and have begun formulating a plan to expand globally.
Games in Japan, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and London are in the mix as the NRL looks to take the game of rugby league to new markets.
“We’ve got the best game in the world,” V’landys said. “It’s the greatest game, not only of all, but for all. We want to take it and show it around the world.
“I’m very confident we can make the game global. We’re going to look at all these different cities. London, in particular, we have a big fan base there, but you’ve got fans in Japan, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and then there’s Miami.
“There’s a lot of places we can make it global and we’re going to make every post a winner in making sure we promote the best game in the world to the world.”
