Exclusive: Wembley interested in hosting NRL rugby league match in 2027
The FA has expressed interest in staging an NRL game at Wembley in 2027 after attracting a crowd of over 60,000 for last Saturday’s Test match between England and Australia, the highest ever crowd in the UK for a rugby league Ashes clash.
The NRL is planning to launch its 2027 season with a so-called global round, with the opening nine matches in the competition to be staged in different cities across the world.
One of the venues will be the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, who have a five-year deal running until 2028 to stage at least one NRL game from their opening round, with Canterbury Bulldogs and St George Illawarra Dragons, and Newcastle Knights and North Queensland Cowboys meeting there next year, as well as a Super League clash between champions Hull KR and Leeds Rhinos.
The rest of the venues are up for grabs with the FA eager for Wembley to be considered following initial talks with NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo.
NRL on the road
Matches in Las Vegas began in 2024 with victories for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters against the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Brisbane Broncos respectively.
But this year the Nevada showpiece staged four matches: Wigan Warriors beat Warrington Wolves in the Super League clash; the Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers toppled New Zealand Warriors and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL matches; and England lost to Australia in a women’s Test match.
The Brisbane Broncos – winners of this year’s NRL Grand Final – are set to play Super League champions Hull KR next year in the first World Cup Challenge since 2024. The 2025 edition between Wigan Warriors and Penrith Panthers was canceled due to the Australian team pulling out but the appetite is there to see it return after its one-year hiatus from the calendar.