The NRL are reportedly weighing up London as the next home of the season opener at the end of the current deal with Las Vegas.
The NRL are in the midst of a five-year deal to host their season opening games in Las Vegas that runs through to the end of the 2028 season.
The second year saw an expansion of the concept to include two English Super League teams in the Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors, and a women's international match as Australia flogged England.
The NRL games saw the Penrith Panthers defeat the Cronulla Sharksย and the Canberra Raiders get the better of the New Zealand Warriors, with both games seeing bigger crowds than the inaugural version last year, while TV ratings were also up in the US for the earlier game on the day.
While all teams will travel to Las Vegas before the end of the contract, a Sydney Morning Herald report is now claiming the NRL are keen to keep the opening games of the season on the road each year.
London has reportedly been floated as just one of the options.
The NRL's involvement in England could well stretch in the coming years, with some claims the NRL will even look to buy the English Super League outright.
Wigan and Warrington being invited to play in Las Vegas was one step in the right direction for relations between the two competitions, and the English competition has already confirmed they will be back in Sin City next year.
The move to open the NRL season in London from 2029 could be another step in that direction, with Wembley the preferred venue in what could be a multi-match card alongside the Super League.
The NRL are not totally sold on the idea though given time difference issues. Opening the season in England would see NRL games played in either the very early morning or very late evening for Australian audiences.
That is unlikely to appease NRL broadcasters, whoever they may be after the start of a new TV deal in 2028.
It could lead the NRL to explore other avenues in America, where they are trying to generate interest and a footprint through the current Las Vegas deal.
While tourism in Las Vegas saw an uptick in the financial department thanks to the NRL, and TV viewers were up for the first of two games, the second, later in the evening between Penrith and Cronulla, barely made a dent on the TV ratings sheet.
The NRL have reportedly identified other cities in a similar time zone to Las Vegas such as New York and Miami, as other possibilities to host the season opener.
