Few competitions grip a nation quite like the NRL. Every season, millions of fans across Australia and New Zealand pack into stadiums or gather around the TV to watch their club chase premiership glory. Whether you're new to rugby league or you've followed the same team since childhood, here's a quick look at where the competition came from — plus a full rundown of every club competing for the title today.
A Brief History of the NRL
Rugby league arrived in Australia in 1907, when a group of players and administrators broke away from rugby union to form the New South Wales Rugby League. The split came down to a practical grievance: injured players lost their wages, and the sport's leadership refused to compensate them for time off work. The code's first premiership season kicked off the following year, in 1908, in Sydney.
Two of today's clubs trace their roots directly back to that inaugural 1908 season: the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters (originally known as Eastern Suburbs). The Wests Tigers also carry foundation-club heritage, formed in 2000 through the merger of two original clubs, Western Suburbs and Balmain. Over the following decades the competition expanded well beyond Sydney, welcoming clubs from Brisbane, Canberra, Newcastle, the Illawarra, and eventually Melbourne and Auckland.
The 1990s brought the code's biggest upheaval: the "Super League war," a battle for broadcast rights that split the competition into two rival leagues for the 1997 season. It was a costly fight for everyone involved, and by 1998 the two sides had reunited to form the competition as we know it today — the National Rugby League. The game has been run by the independent Australian Rugby League Commission since 2012.
Fun fact: The South Sydney Rabbitohs have won 21 premierships — more than any other club in NRL history, a record built up over more than a century in the competition.
Today the NRL is a 17-club competition spanning New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the ACT and New Zealand. The Dolphins, based in the Redcliffe/Moreton Bay region, became the newest addition when they joined in 2023 — and the growth isn't stopping there, with a Perth-based club set to enter the competition in 2027 and a Papua New Guinea-based team to follow in 2028.
Every NRL Club in 2026
From the foundation clubs of 1908 to the newest addition on the roster, here's every team currently competing in the NRL, where they call home, and the ground they run out on.
| Club | City / Region | State | Home Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos | Brisbane | QLD | Suncorp Stadium |
| Canberra Raiders | Canberra | ACT | GIO Stadium |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Belmore, Sydney | NSW | Belmore Sports Ground |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Cronulla, Sydney | NSW | Ocean Protect Stadium |
| The Dolphins | Brisbane (Redcliffe) | QLD | Suncorp Stadium |
| Gold Coast Titans | Gold Coast | QLD | Cbus Super Stadium |
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Manly, Sydney | NSW | 4 Pines Park |
| Melbourne Storm | Melbourne | VIC | AAMI Park |
| New Zealand Warriors | Auckland | NZ | Go Media Stadium |
| Newcastle Knights | Newcastle | NSW | McDonald Jones Stadium |
| North Queensland Cowboys | Townsville | QLD | Queensland Country Bank Stadium |
| Parramatta Eels | Parramatta, Sydney | NSW | CommBank Stadium |
| Penrith Panthers | Penrith, Sydney | NSW | CommBank Stadium* |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney | NSW | Accor Stadium |
| St George Illawarra Dragons | Sydney / Wollongong | NSW | Jubilee Stadium & WIN Stadium |
| Sydney Roosters | Sydney | NSW | Allianz Stadium |
| Wests Tigers | Sydney | NSW | Leichhardt Oval & Campbelltown Stadium |
*Penrith's home ground is currently being rebuilt and is due to reopen (as Helloworld Stadium) in 2027. The Panthers are playing home games at CommBank Stadium in the meantime.
Wherever Your Loyalty Lies
However you follow the game — from the terraces, the couch, or through a jersey collection built up over the years — the shirt on your wall deserves the same respect as the one on the field. Our NRL jersey frames feature a lockable, wall-mountable design with UV-protective acrylic, so your colours stay vibrant and secure no matter which club has your heart. Browse the range and find the right fit for your collection.
