Sports such as rugby league are known around the world. They're very much a global thing. However, leagues, competitions and tournaments within a sport such as rugby league are a product, and it's the product that needs more exposure to keep the overall package growing. Exposure in the US was realised by the NRL quite successfully, and this has now opened the door for a similar venture with the Super League.
The NRL, also known as the National Rugby League, sees professional rugby league teams compete in the Australasian region. Clubs from territories such as New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand are included, and it's an incredibly popular rugby league product, which is proven by NRL betting markets being a popular choice with top sports betting sites. But, the question remained as to whether the NRL was popular globally, especially on the other side of the world, such as in the USA.
There was always a plan to introduce the NRL, and more specifically, rugby league, to America. And the NRL made history on this front this season when regular season games were played on US soil in Las Vegas. The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs faced off, and so did the Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos. Tens of thousands of people turned out to watch the action unfold live, with many more watching along on television, and now there's a plan to capitalise on this success.
As you will expect, plans are already being drawn up for 2025, and because of how things panned out with the NRL, it's opened the door, quite rightfully in the eyes of many, for a Super League fixture to be included for play on US soil. What is now labelled as the “Vegas round” is being discussed by the NRL and the Super League, and it's been suggested that while clubs from the National Rugby League will once again take part, so will one from the UK. It's also believed that the club has been identified ahead of time.
Warrington Wolves are a team that is seen as having an excellent chance of being included in the Vegas round in 2025 for several reasons. They've been fantastic in the Super League, which is a definite positive. But, they're also coached by Sam Burgess, who is a South Sydney favourite, and Simon Moran, a music promotor with millions in the bank, backs them as their owner. The Vegas round is less about sport and more about the commercial element, of which Warrington tick all the boxes required.
At present, plans pencilled in see the Vegas round get underway at lunchtime local time, which would be 9 pm in the UK on a Saturday evening and around 8 am the next day in New Zealand. It's also highly likely that there would be three fixtures played, with two of them made up entirely of NRL teams, and then the Super League game.