State of Origin 2027: Melbourne and Brisbane Games

In June, MCG will host the NSW Blues and Queensland Maroons.

TFD – Dive into the excitement of State of Origin 2027 as Melbourne and Brisbane gear up for thrilling games. Discover the potential for New Zealand to host its first match and the strategies of the NRL to expand rugby league’s reach.

2027 series might see New Zealand host its first Origin match.

In addition to a maiden match in New Zealand coming up soon, the NRL is aiming for a sell-out and record-breaking MCG attendance for State of Origin’s first trip to Melbourne in six years.

Fifty days before the opening match in Sydney on June 5, the series introduction took place on Tuesday at Victoria’s historic stadium.

The NRL’s head of elite football, Graham Annesley, said the league was “very confident” the 100,000-capacity ground will be full for game two on 26 June.

He declared, “We’re going to do everything in our power to fill every single seat in the stadium.

For an Origin match, Melbourne initially broke the Australian rugby league attendance record in 1994 with a crowd of over 87,000, and Victorian crowds have been steady over the last ten years. The record attendance for an Origin game is still 91,513 for the second game in 2015, and 87,122 for the first one in 2018.

“There is intense competition for it, but it’s a fantastic standalone event,” Annesley remarked.

“Due to the volume of tourists Origin consistently brings in, state governments all over the nation—including those abroad in New Zealand—are eager to draw Origin.”

In 2025 and 2028, the NRL and the Western Australian government have an agreement for a State of Origin match to be held in Perth.

Victoria will reportedly host another match in 2026, potentially leaving 2027 as the first opportunity for rugby league’s showpiece to go to New Zealand.

The first and only Origin match to take place in a foreign nation took place in Los Angeles in 1987.

As with many other states, “I know that New Zealand would love to have an Origin on a more regular basis,” Annesley remarked. However, the [Australian Rugby League] Commission should take these issues into consideration.

Alongside Queensland coach Billy Slater, Maroons hooker Harry Grant, incoming incoming South Wales coach Michael Maguire, and former Blue Ben Elias, Annesley officiated the 1994 MCG match.

He remarked, “It felt like the noise was literally coming out of the turf when the crowd started cheering at the end of the anthems, going from dead silence to this crescendo.”

Elias remarked that he could recall the 1994 game “like yesterday” and that tickets for the match this year would be “like hen’s teeth.”

Grant stated that although he still needed to be selected, Australian children always wanted to play on the MCG.

“It’s pretty special to be here in person on the MCG floor, especially after all the years you’ve seen the Origin games, the AFL, and the Boxing Day test,” he added.

“Sports is something that Melburnians are really passionate about, and it could sell out.”

Maguire wants to reclaim the trophy that NSW last owned in 2021. He stated that he is selecting from up to fifty players.

“I want to represent that with a team that shows that [New South Wales] is a really tough place,” he declared.

Wednesday, June 26 is the date of the second game in Melbourne. On July 17, the third game will be played in Brisbane.