Rugby league returned to Las Vegas on Sunday in its continuing mission to convert Americans to football without pads, drawing 50,000 fans to Allegiant stadium where the grit of the quintessential Australian sport mixed with the glamor of the entertainment capital.

Las Vegas, a city built around extravagance and opulence, with the blinking bright lights of giant electric billboards, garish neon signs and enormous flashing video screens, feels about as far away from the traditional northern England rugby league heartlands as its possible to get.

The first games of the National Rugby League's 2025 season will take place on Saturday, Mar. 1. Two league matches, Penrith vs. Cronulla-Sutherland and the Canberra Raiders vs. New Zealand Warriors, will be played in Las Vegas, while the rest of the season opening matches will be played in Australia.