The second installment of NRL games in Las Vegas is set to kick-off the 2025 NRL season over the weekend, with the agreement set to continue until at least the end of 2028.
In what has initially been signed as a five-year partnership, the NRL have sent the Cronulla Sharks, Penrith Panthers, New Zealand Warriors and Canberra Raiders to the entertainment capital of the world for the second edition.
That follows the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Sea Eagles, Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters becoming the guinea pigs for the experiment last year.
While there are options in the deal for each year from either side, it's evident that the NRL will, barring a catastrophe, continue the trip for each of the five years.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo are hellbent on cracking the US market for a game that has struggled to extend its borders beyond Australia, New Zealand, England and areas of the Pacific during its more than 100 years in existence.
What is also clear is that no team is going to travel twice before every team has had the opportunity to make the trip halfway around the world once.
There were some claims from the Manly Sea Eagles in particular that they wanted to be part of the project each year of its existence after travelling for the opening year - the club had been instrumental in getting games in Las Vegas off the ground, having, alongside the South Sydney Rabbitohs, pushed for it over many years.
But it's now clear that won't be happening, with both Abdo and V'Landys going on the record to say each club will receive an opportunity.
It goes without saying that the NRL will not have 20 clubs by 2028 though, so some clubs will be afforded a second trip to the United States in that season.
With eight clubs having made the trip, and another nine clubs still to go, as well as the potential expansion outfits of Papua New Guinea, who enter the competition in 2028, and a Perth-based side who could enter the league as soon as 2027, Zero Tackle have taken a crack at selecting when and how the final three years of the Las Vegas agreement should play out.
Year 1 (2024)
Brisbane Broncos vs Sydney Roosters
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Manly Sea Eagles
Year 2 (2025)
Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors
Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks
Teams left to travel
Canterbury Bulldogs
Gold Coast Titans
Melbourne Storm
Newcastle Knights
North Queensland Cowboys
Parramatta Eels
St George Illawarra Dragons
The Dolphins
Wests Tigers
Papua New Guina (expansion, 2028)
Perth (potential expansion, 2027)
The state of play
Already the St George Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury Bulldogs, Newcastle Knights, North Queensland Cowboys and Wests Tigers have either expressed interest, or been reported to have expressed interest, in making the trip as part of the 2026 edition in Las Vegas.
What is clear is that the NRL needs to find a balance between Sydney and non-Sydney teams each season.
If you break up the remaining teams, there are four remaining Sydney teams over three seasons, as well as the Newcastle Knights from New South Wales, three remaining Queensland teams, and one from Victoria, as well as the potential expansion teams.
We are saying there is zero chance Papua New Guinea's expansion outfit play their first ever game as a franchise in Las Vegas, so will not travel at any stage.
If the Perth-based team make their NRL debut in 2027, then they are likely to travel as part of the 2028 edition.
In the meantime, eight teams need to make the trip across 2026 and 2027.
The two obvious rivalry games to send halfway around the world are the Bulldogs and Dragons, and the Tigers and Eels. They should headline each year and not travel in the same campaign.
With the Cowboys expressing interest in attending next year, and the Melbourne Storm having at one point put their hand up for 2025, we are saying they should both make the trek in 2026.
That gives the Dolphins and Gold Coast Titans a likely match in Las Vegas in 2027, leaving the Knights as the only current NRL team waiting until the final year of the agreement for their opportunity in Sin City.
Should Perth travel, it means only two teams gain a second opportunity, and given their instrumental roles in getting the games off the ground originally, the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Manly Sea Eagles should be those teams.
The Rabbitohs have previous affiliation with Perth, having played home games in the west, while Manly are the closest geographical team to Newcastle.
Should the Perth project not get off the ground, South Sydney could ultimately have their pick of the bunch in a second trip to Las Vegas, but a clash against the Brisbane Broncos might well be the way to go in a throwback to the opening year of Vegas when the two teams travelled but played in separate games.
Year 3 (2026)
St George Illawarra Dragons vs Canterbury Bulldogs
North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm
Year 4 (2027)
Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers
The Dolphins vs Gold Coast Titans
Year 5 (2028)
Newcastle Knights vs Manly Sea Eagles
Perth or Brisbane Broncos vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
