AdvertisementSportNRLNRL 2026 Two new cities join the race to host the 2028 NRL grand final Adrian Proszenko August 11, 2026 — 7:30pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Share A A AMelbourne and Auckland are the latest cities to express an interest in hosting the 2028 grand final, sparking the biggest bidding war ever for the game’s showpiece event. Five cities are in the mix to host the 2028 NRL grand final: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland. AdvertisementThe grand final bidding war kicked off in earnest when WA Premier Roger Cook revealed to this masthead that his state would “bid hard” for the rights. Sources not authorised to speak publicly due to commercial sensitivities said the Western Australian government was prepared to pay $20 million to host the grand final, which is almost twice as much as that offered by NSW.