Las Vegas – Las Vegas is the infamous big show city.
At Allegant Stadium on Saturday, the Australian and New Zealand National Rugby League will deliver ACT 2 to the US a year after its debut in doubleheader at the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders home.
“This is the sequel,” NRL CEO Andrew Abdo told the Post. “And I'm going to make sure this sequel is bigger and better.”
It was the first year before his five-year contractual commitment to Vegas, with four NRL teams playing to open the league season with that doubleheader.
This year, four NRL teams in the 17-team league will play in two games on bills, including a women's exhibition match between Australian Giraleux and England national teams, and a British Super League match between the Wigan Warriors and Warrington Oulves.
In the NRL matchup, the Canberra Raiders and New Zealand Warriors will pit at 7pm, followed by the Penrith Panthers and Cronula Sharks in the event finale at 11:30pm. Raiders-Warriors Match will air on Fox.
“We have four supplies this year, rather than two, so we have the opportunity to showcase rugby league in Las Vegas, the capital of American sports and entertainment. That stadium is unique,” Abdo said.
Abdo is indifferent in his recognition that the NRL follows the blueprint of NFL globalization as the NRL plays games in England, Mexico and Germany and will play in Australia for the first time in 2026.
“We didn't shamelessly look at what we work in other large global sports,” Abd said. “So, very carefully, very strategically, the US was a really important market for us early on in its globalization strategy. This is what the NFL has been doing for years. The NFL is clearly a premium American football product.
“By making the fans come to the show, they can follow the sport, play fantasy, and follow the sport throughout the season, so it's a well-developed strategy, a strategy that we're embarrassing and implementing ourselves.
“Under globalization, the world is getting smaller and we believe in our products. We believe in competition. We believe in our great athletes and clubs. We want to show it to other parts of the world.”
The results of the doubleheader last year were positive for the league and Australian television.
“It was Fox Sports' biggest event [Australia] Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany told the post: “It was the biggest sale day. It was the biggest return subscriber day. It was the biggest rating of all time we had in Australia. So it really worked for us.”
Last year's event attracted 74% of attendance since leaving town with 31,927 ticketed crowds. According to ABDO, ticket sales this year are already in the 40,000 range.
The success of the NRL showing its products in Vegas last year was not lost on teams in the league that didn't come. As a result, there were jockeys this year looking for four positions between the team.
“We wanted to be part of our first year,” Raiders coach Ricky Stuart told the Post after Thursday's team training session. “We wanted to be a team that came to Vegas last year. I think our club deserves it. We can hold a show here for rugby league fans, but more in America.
“I mean, America is a country that loves such sports. I want to see more rugby leagues because I think I'll be in and love it.”
Joseph Tappin, the best Stuart player for the Raiders, said he “wanted to be a part of it” as he saw last year and felt that he “wanted to be a part of it.”
“I was jealous that I wasn't here and I was hoping that we would come this year,” he told the Post. “I'm grateful that I had to come in my second year. I remember talking to the boys who came last year, and they said it was unrealistic.”
