The National Rugby League is an Australasian Rugby League competition, containing 17 teams from Australia and New Zealand competing for the Premiership title and a chance to play in the World Club Challenge.
National Rugby League dates
The opening round of the 2026 National Rugby League will take place on Sunday 1st March and the Grand Final will be held on Sunday 4th October.
National Rugby League teams and venues
The 2026 National Rugby League will see 17 teams compete for a place in the grand final to win the Premiership title.
The competing teams are all placed in one league table, there are NO pools or conferences.
Full teams list:
Brisbane Broncos - Suncorp Stadium
Canberra Raiders - GIO Stadium
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs - Accor Stadium and Belmore Sports Ground
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks - Sharks Stadium
Dolphins - Kayo Stadium and Suncorp Stadium
Gold Coast Titans - Cbus Super Stadium
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles - 4 Pines Park
Melbourne Storm - AAMI Park
Newcastle Knights - McDonald Jones Stadium
New Zealand Warriors - Go Media Stadium
North Queensland Cowboys - Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Parramatta Eels - CommBank Stadium
Penrith Panthers - CommBank Stadium
South Sydney Rabbitohs - Accor Stadium
St. George Illawarra Dragons - Netstrata Jubilee Stadium and WIN Stadium
Sydney Roosters - Allianz Stadium
Wests Tigers - Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Sports Stadium
National Rugby League format
The regular season lasts for 27 rounds with each side facing 24 matches throughout the regular season and three bye weeks. Teams earn two points for a win or a bye, one point for a draw and no points for a loss.
The top eight teams compete in a Finals Series building up to a Grand Final at the Accor Stadium on Sunday 4th October 2026.
National Rugby League history
The inaugural edition of the NRL took place in 1998 and was won by the Brisbane Broncos, their first of four titles in their history.
In recent years, the competition has been dominated by Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters and the Penrith Panthers, winning eight of the previous nine Premiership titles.
The Penrith Panthers have won four the last five Premiership titles despite only finishing top of the table twice in that period, whilst the Brisbane Broncos lifted the most recent title in 2025.
