NRL 2024: Penrith Panthers to play in Las Vegas season-opener in 2025

The NRL will send four new teams to Las Vegas in 2025, with the Penrith Panthers set to be the first team on the plane.

The Australian Rugby League Commission will meet on Wednesday to discuss the submissions for Las Vegas next year.

This masthead can reveal the NRL has held high-level discussions with the Panthers, who are all but guaranteed to head to the United States for the season-opener in 2025, with the remaining three teams to be announced over the next fortnight.

The Panthers will be without a stadium next year given BlueBet Stadium is due to undergo a significant renovation at the end of this season.

Panthers powerbrokers have been pushing the NRL to send them to Las Vegas as one of the two home teams next year and are in the box seat to have their wish granted.

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Pack your bags’: Penrith Panthers set for Las Vegas debut as NRLW plans revealed

The Sydney Roosters and Manly have both requested to return to Las Vegas next year after successful campaigns in the inaugural year, but the NRL wants to give other teams the opportunity.

The Panthers are going to Las Vegas in 2025. CREDIT: GETTY

Melbourne, who would like to be the away team for one of the games next season, are expected to be a front-runner. Newcastle, North Queensland,

Canberra, the Dolphins and the New Zealand Warriors are also under consideration.

The NRL will also consider sending two NRLW teams to America as part of a triple-header at Allegiant Stadium.

Star halves win concussion battles as Roosters look to end Penrith domination

The NRL has made a five-year commitment to playing games in Las Vegas. It follows the incredible success of the fixtures back home,

a combined television audience of 4.11 million watching the two games featuring South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Sea Eagles, Brisbane Broncos and the Sydney Roosters.

The Roosters’ win over the Broncos not only attracted the highest Australian viewership for a season opener on record, surpassing the next best by 10.5 per cent,

but was also the most watched regular-season game in history. It beat the next best, the first match after the COVID shutdown in 2020, by 5.7 per cent.

Such was the interest that the combined figures made it the highest-rating Sunday 4pm match of all time, including finals, surpassing the previous mark by 6.5 per cent.

Both matches broke records for Fox Sports, including play-off encounters.

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