The NRL have confirmed the full fixture list and draw for the 2025 season, which will once again kick off in Las Vegas on March 2 (Australian time) and conclude on the October long weekend.
The Las Vegas kick-off will get the season going at the unprecedented timeslot of 11am (AEDT) on Sunday, March 2 as the New Zealand Warriors clash with the Canberra Raiders.
Later that afternoon, the Cronulla Sharks and Penrith Panthers will face off.
ยป FULL 2025 NRL SEASON FIXTURES
As was the case last year, the remaining games in Round 1 will be played in Australia on the following weekend, with the Gold Coast Titans to start the campaign with the bye.
The first of those will feature the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos on Thursday, March 6, with other Round 1 highlights to include the return of Wayne Bennett to Brisbane as the South Sydney Rabbitohs travel to face the Dolphins. A second master against apprentice coaching battle looms in the final game of the opening round as Jason Ryles and the Parramatta Eels clash with the Melbourne Storm.
The first meeting of the 2024 grand finalists will see the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm face off in Round 3 on Thursday, March 20 at AAMI Park, with the return clash to be played in Round 24 on Thursday, August 24 at Parramatta. Both of those games are on Thursday evenings.
Once again, public holiday rugby league is a focal point of the draw. Anzac Day falls on a Friday and while the St George Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters will clash in their annual 4pm kick-off, the NRL have scheduled three games on the day, with New Zealand Warriors to host the Newcastle Knights at 6:05pm (AEDT) and the Melbourne Storm to play the South Sydney Rabbitohs at 8:10pm (AEDT).
The Easter weekend - which is directly before Anzac Day - again features rugby league from Thursday to Monday, with the Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels to clash in their now traditional Easter Monday game. The King's Birthday in June will see the Canterbury Bulldogs clash with the Parramatta Eels once again.
Magic Round, as previously announced, is shuffled forward to Round 9 this year, with the Manly Sea Eagles having the bye after reportedly requesting to do so.
The Cronulla Sharks and Parramatta Eels will open the round on May 2, with the Sydney Roosters and Dolphins to clash in prime time on Friday evening. Saturday sees the Rabbitohs play the Knights, the Warriors take on the Cowboys and the Tigers clash with the Dragons in the prime time game.
The Broncos have been shuffled into the Sunday afternoon game against the defending premiers, while the Titans play the Bulldogs and the Storm clash with the Raiders in the final game of the round.
State of Origin will be played a week earlier in 2025, with Game 1 on Wednesday, May 28, Game 2 on Wednesday, June 18 and Game 3 on Wednesday, July 9. Major bye rounds are again scheduled around the series, with seven teams to have the bye each in Round 12, 15, and 18.
The regular season will conclude in early September, with the Broncos and Storm to again clash in the final game of the round, the Roosters and Rabbitohs to play in prime time on Friday, and the Eels to play the Knights in the final game of the season.
The finals kick-off on Friday, September 12, with the grand final to be played on Sunday, October 5. The venue for the decider is still to be determined.
I thought it would be a while until the Nrl would announce the draw for 2025 but I honestly thought it would be until next year
why is there so many teams on byes
and there should be one team on a bye per round