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National Rugby League: Dates, teams, location, format, history and more

The National Rugby League is an Australasian Rugby League competition, containing a newly expanded 18 teams from Australia and New Zealand competing for the Premiership title and a chance to play in the World Club Challenge.

National Rugby League

National Rugby League dates

The opening round of the 2027 National Rugby League will take place on 27th February and the Grand Final will be held in early October - though a date has not yet been confirmed for the showpiece.

National Rugby League teams and venues

The 2027 National Rugby League will see 18 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

  • Perth Bears - HBF Park (Perth Rectangular 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 the Grand final in October.

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 Sydney Roosters have lifted the most recent title in 2026.

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