Wigan and Warrington will play the Betfred Super League game in Las Vegas next March

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Wigan and Warrington will break new ground next year as they take a Betfred Super League game to Las Vegas.

The England Women’s team will also play a test match against Australia on the same day in ‘Sin City’ with an ambitious schedule complemented by two NRL matches.

The games will take place March 1 at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders and site of the 2024 Super Bowl.

The event is an extended repeat of the Australian NRL’s successful staging of a doubleheader in the Nevada city earlier this year.

Wigan have dropped a home game for what will be a regular season encounter, while the Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers will play the New Zealand Warriors and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks respectively.

“This is a massive announcement for Super League and huge news for Wigan and Warrington,” said Warriors chief executive Kris Radlinski, one of the driving forces behind Super League’s involvement.

“Playing a game in Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, feels like an important moment for the sport.

“We don’t just want to go there. We want to make an impact, we want to make this a success.

“I know the players won’t disappoint and I really hope the fans get behind me. A success for me would be two more Super League teams going there next year.”

The initiative has been driven by the clubs themselves in collaboration with the NRL, but is fully supported by the Rugby Football League and its marketing arm, RL Commercial.

Managing director Rhodri Jones said: “Having the Betfred Super League on rugby league’s return to Las Vegas in 2025, as well as a historic meeting for England Women, is an enticing prospect and a huge opportunity for the sport.”

Super League has made numerous attempts to expand beyond the sport’s traditional geographic footprint since its inception in 1996, with varying degrees of success.

Warrington chief executive Karl Fitzpatrick is in no doubt that this latest idea, announced at a Manchester press conference featuring an Elvis Presley impersonator, is his most daring yet.

He said: “It’s absolutely incredible. We break new ground, we do things that have never been done before. This will be the most important moment in Super League history.

“I’ve been involved in professional rugby league since 1997. I’ve been to the home of rugby union, Twickenham, I’ve been to the Nou Camp, but this weekend will go far beyond them.

“We want to get out of this rugby league bubble and go mainstream. It’s brave, it’s bold, but that’s the kind of thing we have to do. We have to aim high.”

Warrington coach Sam Burgess, whose high profile in Australia and friendship with Hollywood star Russell Crowe was undoubtedly seen as an asset to the promotion of the event, is firmly behind the idea.

“We’re putting Super League on the world stage,” he said. “We are very excited. The boys are looking forward to what will be a great week in one of the most famous cities on Earth.”