NSWRL will field 179 teams across its Major Competitions in 2026 – a record number in the 118-year history of the organisation – after launching its season at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence at Sydney Olympic Park today.
The launch was attended by Westpac NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley, Westpac NSW Blues Women’s coach John Strange, NSWRL Chair Carolyn Campbell, NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden, the NSWRL Board, True Blues Boyd Cordner, Robbie Farah and Craig Wing, and representatives of the state’s premier competitions, The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup and the NSW Women’s Premiership.
“Rugby League is enjoying a golden period in the state of NSW,” Trodden said.
“We are fielding 179 teams across 16 Major Competitions in 2026 which is a new benchmark and a remarkable achievement. It reflects the strength and value our competitions offer male and female players from pathways right through to the elite level.
“The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup continues to provide an important pathway for players looking to further their careers with 58 players graduating from the competition to play NRL last season.
“Last year we also had record participation numbers for the third consecutive season with more than 120,000 players signing up to play our great game. The early indications are encouraging that we are tracking to surpass that figure again in 2026.
“I welcome the clubs that have joined the NSWRL family for 2026, from our Junior Representatives programs through to Major Competitions. This is a vote of confidence in our business, and I wish all teams the very best of luck for the season ahead.”
The launch included a panel discussion with Daley and Strange about their looming State of Origin campaigns for the men’s and women’s teams.
Warriors forward Jason Seu Salalilo and Parramatta halfback Ronald Volkman, and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks hooker Koffi Brookfield and Newcastle Knights prop Emily McArthur also spoke about their respective seasons for The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup and NSW Women’s Premiership.
The highlights for the 2026 season include:
- 179 teams competing across 16 Major Competitions – the previous record was established last season when 175 teams competed across 16 Major Competitions
- Melbourne Storm joining The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup and Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup for the first time
- Central Coast Roosters fielding a team in the UNE SG Ball Cup
- Manly Leagues joining the Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup after winning the Sydney Shield last season
- Blacktown Workers joining the Sydney Shield competition
- A ‘Magic Round’ which will feature five games of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup across three days at Scully Park, Tamworth, in June
- The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Grand Final rematch between the Warriors and St George Illawarra Dragons on 23 May at Jubilee Stadium
- The annual Country v City weekend to be held on the weekend of 16-17 May across two venues, 4 Pines Park and WIN Stadium
The NSWRL’s strategic alliance with BarTV, which delivered more than 1000 games in 2025, will continue to bring fans all the action with even more games scheduled for this season.
The representative calendar will include the Westpac NSW Blues kicking off their State of Origin campaign at their home ground of Accor Stadium in Sydney on 27 May, before heading to the iconic MCG in Melbourne (17 June) and then finishing off at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane (8 July).
The Westpac NSW Blues Women will start their campaign at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on 30 April, before kicking off the NRL’s Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane (14 May) and winding up at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast (28 May).
The NSWRL Major Competitions feature The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup (14 teams), NSW Women’s Premiership (12), Jersey Flegg Cup (14), Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup (10), Sydney Shield (9), Men’s Country Championships (10), Women’s Country Championships (6), Newcastle’s Denton Engineering Cup (10) and Illawarra’s Harrigan Premiership (6).
The NSWRL Junior Representatives Competitions, which started on the final weekend of January, feature the UNE SG Ball Cup (Under 19s Men – 17 teams), Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup (Under 19s Women – 14), SLE Laurie Daley Cup (Under 18s Boys – 10), UNE Harold Matthews Cup (Under 17s Boys – 17), Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s Girls – Metropolitan 14, Regional 6), and SLE Andrew Johns Cup (Under 16s Boys – 10).
