when does the nrl season start 2026

The 2026 NRL season is scheduled to kick off with a Las Vegas double‑header on Sunday 1 March 2026 (AEDT), which corresponds to Saturday 28 February 2026 local time in the United States.

Key kickoff details

• The official opening games are a Las Vegas double‑header featuring Canterbury‑Bankstown Bulldogs vs St George Illawarra Dragons and Newcastle Knights vs North Queensland Cowboys at Allegiant Stadium.

• In US local time, those Round 1 matches are on Saturday 28 February 2026; in Australian eastern time, that is Sunday 1 March 2026.

After the Vegas opener

• Following the Vegas games, Round 1 continues in Australia the next week, with matches including Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels at AAMI Park on Thursday 5 March 2026.

• The full 2026 NRL Telstra Premiership schedule confirms this structure, with Las Vegas as the global season launch before the traditional Australian fixtures roll out.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.