Interim NRL CEO and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has confirmed the plan is for the competition to go to 20 teams in 2029, with an announcement expected by Christmas.
The idea of the NRL being a 20-team competition has been in the pipeline for some time, but the game's expansion has accelerated rapidly in recent seasons.
Following the arrival of the Dolphins in 2023, the NRL have added the Perth Bears for 2027, and the PNG Chiefs in 2028, jumping the competition from 16 to 19 teams in just six years.
A 20th team will be added in 2029, with the competition standing to lose money under the terms of their new TV deal if they do not.
It has been widely reported that the 20th team will either be a fifth in Queensland, or a second in New Zealand, with the later likely being the preference.
News Corp are reporting however that the second team may not be based in Christchurch, where two competing bids are on the table - one being the Southern Orcas, and the other being backed by the council.
Instead, the report suggests the team may be based in Hamilton if in New Zealand, with the Warriors selling out games there in recent times.
The Warriors, in truth, have sold out games right around New Zealand, whether it be pre-season or in season, with the club seeing a groundswell of support on the back of their enormous success under Andrew Webster who extended his contract to 2032 earlier this week.
V'Landys told the publication that studies into the business case for potential expansion outfits is underway.
“We are doing all the research on it (fresh expansion) right now,” he said in the report.
“We are looking into Queensland and New Zealand and doing extensive research on whether the business case stacks up.
“If the business case stacks up and everything is positive, we'll look to make a decision on the 20th team in the next three months."
V'Landys has also confirmed it will cost a team $100 million to enter the competition, although spread across five years, with the team forgoing the first five years of grants available to all other clubs.
It's understood a second New Zealand is not a foregone conclusion despite the preference, with teams in Queensland also building a case.
The Ipswich Jets and Central Queensland are both believed to be in the mix.
The Jets are already experienced in this space, having originally bid for the licence the Redcliffe-based Dolphins won, while the Central Queensland side would bring more rugby league to the coastal regions of Queensland - the QLD Cup outfit, known as the Capras, are based in Rockhampton, and linked up with the Dolphins in a feeder agreement.
