How Wigan and Warrington took Super League to Las Vegas: ‘It became a no-brainer'
From Wycombe to Wollongong, Super League has been played in some far-flung places since the competition's formation in 1996.
On Saturday, here in Las Vegas, it will break new ground with its first game on American soil as Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves face off at the 65,000 capacity Allegiant Stadium.
It feels remarkable. Certainly walking up Vegas' famous Strip these past few days, with thousands of rugby league fans from both sides of the world mixing happily, has been some sight.
The launch event at the Red Tail Sports Bar at Resorts World on Wednesday got a little rowdy when Wigan fans booed their former favourite George Williams when he was introduced on stage.
Why? Because he now plays for rivals Warrington, the team Wigan face in Saturday's historic clash and chose to sign for, rather than rejoin his hometown club, after a stint in the NRL.
This might be Las Vegas, but parochial rivalries will not be forgotten; indeed, the Australian and Kiwi fans and media seemed rather taken aback by the strength of the English passion.
Still, it was all in a good cause. On Thursday evening, huge crowds packed out Fremont Street for a fan festival where players from all eight teams arrived via a red carpet to a deafening reception.
When the action gets underway at the Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, the fervour, the colour and carnival atmosphere that has been building all week here will reach a crescendo.
Champions Wigan, owned by billionaire Mike Danson, decided to take their 'home' round-three fixture against the Wolves to Sin City and join an NRL-hosted party which began last year.
In March 2024, an inaugural double-header saw Manly Sea Eagles take on South Sydney Rabbitohs and Brisbane Broncos face Sydney Roosters.
Now it has doubled in size with fixtures between Canberra and New Zealand Warriors and Penrith and Cronulla opening the NRL season alongside the Wigan-Warrington clash and a women's Test match between England and Australia.
Up to 50,000 fans are set to attend and Wigan chief executive Kris Radlinski believes the six-figure financial hit of losing a home game can be offset by ticket sales in Vegas and, more importantly, wider long-term growth.
'Like many of us, I watched last year's NRL games in Vegas on television,' says Radlinski, whose club won all four trophies last year and were crowned BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year.
'It felt like rugby league from a different planet so I dropped a note to my owner and asked 'is this something we should be a part of?'
'I wrote to Peter V'landys at the NRL, explained that we were an ambitious club and would like to be part of the conversation. I went to bed, woke up and had a response which said 'yes, we'd love to talk'.'
Like Wigan, Warrington are backed by seriously wealthy owners in Simon Moran and Stuart Middleton.
Radlinski adds: 'Once the NRL said 'yes', I met Karl Fitzpatrick, my Warrington counterpart, in Manchester and asked if they'd like to be a part of Vegas in 2025.
'Karl and Simon Moran came back and said 'let's do it' so it became a no-brainer. The last 10 months have been full on, but we're here now and it's exciting.'
In 1989, Wigan and Warrington became the first two British professional rugby league teams to play each other in the USA, an exhibition match in Milwaukee that Wigan won 12-5.
But this weekend league points are at stake and Sam Burgess' involvement adds a layer of intrigue to proceedings.
The Warrington head coach is an NRL Hall of Fame member following his legendary exploits at South Sydney but was delayed in getting to Vegas after visa complications.
Martin Gleeson, Warrington's assistant coach, says: 'Sam being here just adds to the drama doesn't it? It's huge for us and the event itself. Playing a Super League game at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, it doesn't get any better.'
The bulk of the crowd will be made up of Australians and Kiwis with around 10,000 English fans attending.
Two more Super League clubs, not necessarily Wigan or Warrington, are likely to be invited to play in Vegas in 2026 by the NRL.
The cash-rich Australian competition, which recently announced record profits, has a five-year deal to stage the event at Allegiant Stadium.
Links between Super League and the NRL are growing amid speculation the cash-strapped English competition could sell a stake to their Aussie counterparts.
Premiership Rugby flopped when Saracens staged games in New Jersey and Philadelphia in 2016 and 2017, but this already feels much different.
'From a league perspective, success looks like two more Super League clubs going over there next year,' says Warrington CEO Fitzpatrick.
'We'd want nothing more than two other clubs to go out there and continue to promote the brand of Super League. Absolutely those conversations should be happening.'
Fitzpatrick is keen to stress that this weekend is not about cracking the American market and converting thousands of Americans into ardent rugby league fans.
'One game is not going to make a huge difference, but if a bi-product is that we get a few more American fans then great,' he says, 'However, what this game has done without doubt is elevate the Super League and British game – the interest has been off the scale.
'When the NRL came out last year, they spoke about the 'halo effect' afterwards in Australia. Crowds were up, digital engagement is up and it's been the same in Super League in our opening two rounds.
'Why? Because there has been so much promotion and interest in us coming to Vegas.'
Cash is tight in UK rugby league and, while Sky Sports have been Super League's principal broadcast partner since the competition's formation in 1996, the value of the TV deal has dipped dramatically in recent times.
Significantly, however, Sky have ploughed huge resources into promoting and covering Saturday's event, with football pundits Roy Keane and Micah Richards talking it up after Liverpool's Super Sunday win at Manchester City.
While a desire for change is stirring within the governance of British rugby league, Wigan and Warrington are preparing to showcase the game in the entertainment capital of the world.
It could breathe new life into the code as it bids to secure a bigger TV deal and Radlinski adds: 'If we truly care about the future of our sport – about it thriving, not just surviving – then we have to embrace change.
'Sport is evolving at an electrifying pace, fuelled by advancements in infrastructure, technology, and innovation. If we stand still, we get left behind. And I won't accept that. Vegas gives us the chance to showcase what we're all about.
'But let's be clear. As much as I respect the NRL and everything they've built, we're not walking into Vegas as just another club. We're doing it as world champions.'
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