The NRL’s Magic Round extravaganza will reportedly remain in Brisbane until at least 2032 after the Queensland government staved off interest from NSW, New Zealand, Western Australia and South Australia. The Queensland government holds the hosting rights for Magic Round until the end of 2027, which has been held at Suncorp Stadium every year since its inception in 2019.
The widely-popular weekend has drawn interest from prospective bidders trying to poach the hosting rights moving forward. But The Courier Mail reported on Wednesday that Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys have agreed on a new six-year deal to keep it in Brisbane until the 2032 Olympics.
Suncorp Stadium will remain the home of Magic Round until at least 2032.
(Albert Perez)
The new multimillion-dollar deal reportedly includes an expansion of Magic Round into an even bigger extravaganza. It reportedly provided a $41 million boost to the Queensland economy last year.
“Lock it in to 2032. Magic Round is staying in Queensland – exactly where it belongs,” Crisafulli told The Courier Mail. “I told Queenslanders we would stare down those other states and get this deal done and now Magic Round is secured for Queensland for the next six years.
“It’s a really big deal. When Queenslanders and footy come together magic happens and that’s exactly what a six-year deal represents for our state. A buzz is building in Queensland for the first time in a long time and locking Magic Round in all the way to 2032 proves it.”
Brisbane has hosted Magic Round every year since it started in 2019.
(Bradley Kanaris)NZ were willing to pay big bucks for Magic Round
V’landys said: “Queensland has been very good to us. We have always had a great relationship with the Queensland government. What we liked about the Premier is that he is looking big picture. He wants to make it a much bigger event for Queensland and we want to be a part of it.”
Magic Round sees 16 NRL teams descend on Brisbane for a three-day carnival, as well as the women’s State of Origin game on the Thursday night. All games are played at Suncorp, including three on the Saturday and three on the Sunday.
It’s believed the NZ government were willing to pay around $8 million to snare it away from Brisbane. Wayne Bennett said this week: “Queensland is the heartland of rugby league. I understand there are dollars involved and there’s always commercial deals, but the concept is great and it deserves to stay in Queensland.”