North Queensland Cowboys director of rugby league Michael Luck has confirmed the club will throw their name into the mix to travel to Las Vegas in 2026.
The NRL have a five-year deal to start the season in Vegas, where Allegiant Stadium last year hosted two games, with the Manly Sea Eagles facing the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and the Sydney Roosters clashing with the Brisbane Broncos.
As part of the deal, the NRL plan to send all current 17 teams at least once, with the final year likely seeing a couple of teams doubling up, provided the contract is not cancelled before then.
Already the Wests Tigers have been reported as the most likely option to make the trip in 2026, while the St George Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm were being considered as options for the 2025 installment before pulling the plug.
All three teams could be in the mix again for 2026.
Speaking to News Corp though, Luck revealed the Cowboys will be in the mix for 2026.
โWe'd definitely love to throw our hat in the ring for year three,โ Luck said per the Daily Telegraph.
โI think the first year was always going to be the bright lights and everyone goes over and enjoys themselves.
โThere's been some good lessons learned out of that, not only by the NRL, but from the clubs that participated.โ
The Las Vegas program will expand 100 per cent this year, with an English Super League game to be played between the Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors, and a women's Test between the Australian Jilaroos and England to also be included as part of a nine-hour rugby league feast.
Teams travelling to Las Vegas will again be given an extra week of recovery, effectively starting their season a week before the remainder of the competition.
The NRL will likely announce which teams have been selected for Las Vegas 2026 in the second half of the 2025 season, with fans and teams involved alike given extra time to plan their trip halfway around the world.
