Done deal: NRL’s showpiece Magic Round staying in Queensland long-term

The race for the NRL’s most lucrative weekend is over: The NRL has locked in Magic Round to stay in Brisbane and at Suncorp Stadium until 2032, with Queensland securing a six-year extension for the rugby league showpiece that will now be expanding to nine games from 2027.

The announcement, delivered by Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Australian Rugby League chair Peter V’landys, ends months of speculation that rival bidders could steal the showpiece event. Other states, led by New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia, all made major plays for the festival of rugby league, but came up short.

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The Sporting Base also understands that the New Zealand government also bid for the event and was very eager to host the nine-game showpiece event every second year alongside Brisbane, but that never went further than planning.

Magic Round’s first deal had been due to expire after 2027, but will now be sticking around long-term. While V’landys kept the exact financial details close to his chest, he joked that the Queensland Premier “bled us dry” during negotiations – and confirmed the contract is “worth a lot” to the code and had been hard to turn down because of the financial figures.

The expanded schedule will kick off with a Women’s State of Origin clash hosted up north in Townsville on Wednesday evening, to then be followed by consecutive NRL double-headers starting on the Thursday.

That’s a change from Origin on Thursday, before two games Friday, and then three matches on Saturday and Sunday.

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“This extension reflects that shared ambition and confidence that the partnership will deliver major outcomes for the promotion of rugby league and Queensland. Magic Round has evolved into a major national event with real impact — for tourism, business engagement, investment across Queensland and for encouraging participation in rugby league,” V’landys said.

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“Our focus is to expand on that impact by creating new experiences, showcasing some of the best tourism locations in the world, lifting visitation, creating regional junior football carnivals and building a calendar of industry, media and business events that add long‑term value to the state.

“With this new agreement, Magic Round will get even bigger and showcase the best of Queensland to the world.”