The National Rugby League will kick-off its home opener game in Las Vegas, marking the first time in the league’s 116-year history the game is held outside of Australia or New Zealand. Already, fan interest has spiked.
According to NRL’s chief executive Andrew Abdo, more than 35,000 tickets were sold for the competition on March 2. The NRL game comes just 21 days after Super Bowl LVI at the same venue, Allegiant Stadium. The league is hoping to attract more U.S. fans, aiming to fill the venue’s capacity.
“I went to a Las Vegas Raiders game there last year and they had 40,000 [fans] and with an indoor stadium like that it is going to be a sensational atmosphere,” Abdo told 2GB Sports. “For the live attendance, hopefully we creep up to over 40,000. That would be huge for us in year one.”
Tickets are still available for the home opener via the NRL’s official website. Fans can also score tickets by visiting secondary ticketing sites like MEGASeats (use code TICKETNEWS for 10% off your order), StubHub, or Ticket Club, where readers can obtain a free membership and avoid service fees with the code TICKETNEWS.
During Saturday’s event, the Manly Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs will face-off, followed by a match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Sydney Roosters.
Those unable to make the game in-person can catch the matches broadcast via Fox Sports One or the ‘Watch NRL’ streaming app.
