LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
The 2026 NRL draw is slated for release late next week, with initial details having surfaced. While it's been known for some time that the Canterbury Bulldogs will go head-to-head with the St George Illawarra Dragons, and the North Queensland Cowboys will face the Newcastle Knights in the season's opening Las Vegas games, the rest of the 13 teams are still awaiting their opening round matchups.
News Corp reports that six games will take place in Australia during Round 1, set to occur one week after the Las Vegas fixtures. Four of these matches will be hosted by the Melbourne Storm, Brisbane Broncos, Dolphins, and Cronulla Sharks.
The specific opponents for these teams in their initial matches are yet to be confirmed. However, it is believed that the Storm will kick off the Australian games for 2026, while the Brisbane Broncos are expected to take the Friday night slot. This scheduling provides them with an extra 24 hours of recovery after their travel to England on February 19 for the World Club Challenge against Hull KR.
Though the identities of the other two hosting teams are still unknown, it has been confirmed that the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, and Gold Coast Titans will not be among them. The reason for their absence is that Accor Stadium, CommBank Stadium, and CBus Super Stadium are all booked for commitments related to the Women's Football Asia Cup.
Moreover, it is anticipated that CommBank Stadium and CBus Super Stadium will also be unavailable for Round 2. Accor Stadium, which is tasked with hosting the final, may not be accessible for Round 3 either. This situation could compel the Bulldogs to embark on consecutive road trips following Las Vegas unless they are granted a bye.
At this point, the team slated to receive the opening round bye remains unknown. All teams participating in the first round cannot be considered for the bye, and it is improbable that the Wests Tigers or Gold Coast Titans, which have had byes in Round 1 over the last two seasons, will be called upon to do so once more.