CANBERRA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A landmark deal has been announced for a team based in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to join Australia's professional rugby league competition.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his PNG counterpart, James Marape, on Thursday announced at a joint press conference that a team based in Port Moresby, the PNG capital, will enter the National Rugby League (NRL) of Australia from 2028.

The leaders hailed the deal as a historic milestone for the relationship between Australia and PNG, declaring it will provide a major economic boost for PNG.

"It's a total lifestyle transformation for PNG and Port Moresby. Port Moresby will be cleaner and better, and ready to host international games from 2028," Marape said.

The Australian government has agreed to provide 600 million Australian dollars (382.9 million U.S. dollars) in funding over 10 years to support the new team, including 250 million AUD (159.5 million USD) for rugby league partnerships across the Pacific.

The Port Moresby team will become the second overseas-based NRL club, joining the existing New Zealand team that was formed in 1995. It will become either the competition's 18th or 19th team, depending on the outcome of other expansion bids.

With a season running from March to October, the NRL is one of Australia's most-attended and most-watched sports leagues, with the 2024 season drawing an average attendance of 20,605 people.

Australia and PNG will co-host the 2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)