Super League’s starring role in Las Vegas this weekend could be the first of many under ambitious plans to establish a foothold for the sport in north America.
Wigan will face Warrington at the Allegiant Stadium on Saturday on a bill that also includes two games from the Australian NRL, and a women’s international between England and Australia.
Thousands of British fans are set to boost an expected crowd of over 45,000 and Super League chiefs are determined to cash in on the unprecedented opportunity.
The PA news agency understands that missives have been sent to all 12 top-flight clubs this week inviting expressions of interest in what they hope and expect will be a similar event in 2026.
Meanwhile talks are also set to take place about salvaging the World Club Challenge – which was not contested this year after being won by St Helens in 2023 and Wigan in 2024 – and potentially making that part of the Las Vegas weekend.
Rugby League Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones told the PA news agency: “In a perfect world we’d have been able to play the World Club Challenge this week in Las Vegas.
“It will certainly be a topic of conversation this week, if we are able to manufacture that in terms of the calendar going forward, and also in terms of whether it fits into Las Vegas 2026.”
Super League has courted the north American market for some time, and in 2019 clubs effectively voted to allow teams from New York and Ottawa to join trailblazers Toronto Wolfpack in the domestic structure.
The collapse of the latter – whose record was expunged midway through the 2020 Super League season when they withdrew citing the financial pressures of the global pandemic – put such expansionist plans on the back-burner, but Jones believes the Las Vegas programme could pave the way for a united approach to the north American market.
That might include staging the 2030 Rugby League World Cup – the United States was one of five nations shortlisted last year – and ultimately lead to one or two north American leagues that would run in tandem with the Super League and NRL seasons.
In the shorter term, Jones is determined that Super League should seize the opportunity in Las Vegas to strengthen ties with the NRL, while at the same time emphasising it is strong enough to stand alone.
Jones is realistic enough to acknowledge that the NRL – which staged the inaugural Las Vegas weekend last year without Super League involvement – currently holds all the cards in terms of financial and organisational muscle.
But he insisted: “It’s all about opportunity. It’s an opportunity to put Super League on new international territory, to put Super League alongside the NRL, and for players and coaches to experience something new and very different.
“It’s also about enabling the NRL to see how we conduct ourselves not just on the field but off it in business and promotion. The only way you can do that is by working together on certain projects, and this has definitely been a step-change in what is hopefully a growing relationship.”
