The 2026 NRL season is the 119th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 29th run by the National Rugby League. Seventeen teams compete across 27 regular season rounds, with the top eight qualifying for the finals series ahead of the Grand Final on 4 October at Accor Stadium.
NRL 2026 Ladder
The ladder below reflects all completed results in the 2026 NRL season. Teams are ranked by competition points, with points differential used as the tiebreaker when teams are level.
| Position | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Byes | Points For | Points Against | Points Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Penrith Panthers (Q) | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 503 | 223 | +280 | 32 |
| 2nd | New Zealand Warriors | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 470 | 276 | +194 | 28 |
| 3rd | Sydney Roosters | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 412 | 336 | +76 | 28 |
| 4th | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 468 | 345 | +123 | 26 |
| 5th | Newcastle Knights | 17 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 441 | 402 | +39 | 26 |
| 6th | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 458 | 372 | +86 | 24 |
| 7th | Dolphins | 17 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 452 | 388 | +64 | 24 |
| 8th | North Queensland Cowboys | 17 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 408 | 424 | -16 | 24 |
| 9th | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 17 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 441 | 309 | +132 | 22 |
| 10th | Melbourne Storm | 17 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 414 | 416 | -2 | 20 |
| 11th | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 16 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 292 | 394 | -102 | 20 |
| 12th | Canberra Raiders | 17 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 345 | 436 | -91 | 18 |
| 13th | Wests Tigers | 17 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 355 | 485 | -130 | 18 |
| 14th | Brisbane Broncos | 16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 315 | 441 | -126 | 16 |
| 15th | Parramatta Eels | 17 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 331 | 507 | -176 | 16 |
| 16th | Gold Coast Titans | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 297 | 409 | -112 | 14 |
| 17th | St. George Illawarra Dragons (X) | 16 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 244 | 483 | -239 | 10 |
(Q) Qualified for finals series. (X) Cannot qualify for finals.
NRL 2026 Points System
The NRL uses a competition points system to determine ladder positions across the 27-round regular season.
- A win awards 2 competition points
- A draw awards 1 competition point to each team
- A loss awards 0 competition points
- A bye awards 2 competition points
- Each team receives three byes across the 27-round season due to the 17-team structure
- When two or more teams finish on equal competition points, points differential (Points For minus Points Against) is used as the primary tiebreaker
- If points differential is also equal, further tiebreakers such as points scored (Points For) and head-to-head record may be applied
How NRL 2026 Finals Qualification Works
The top eight teams on the ladder at the end of 27 regular season rounds qualify for the NRL finals series, which runs across four weeks.
- The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the finals
- Week 1 features two Qualifying Finals (1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd) and two Elimination Finals (5th vs 8th and 6th vs 7th)
- Qualifying Final winners advance directly to the Preliminary Finals, while losers receive a second chance in Week 2
- Week 2 features two Semi-Finals: losers of the Qualifying Finals play the winners of the Elimination Finals
- Week 3 features two Preliminary Finals to determine the Grand Final participants
- The Grand Final is played at Accor Stadium on Sunday 4 October 2026
- Higher-ranked teams earn home ground advantage throughout the finals series
NRL 2026 Teams
Seventeen teams compete in the 2026 NRL season across five Australian states and territories plus New Zealand. The lineup remained unchanged for the fourth consecutive year.
| Team | Season | Home Ground | Head Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos | 39th | Suncorp Stadium | Michael Maguire | Adam Reynolds |
| Canberra Raiders | 45th | GIO Stadium | Ricky Stuart | Joseph Tapine |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 92nd | Accor Stadium | Cameron Ciraldo | Stephen Crichton |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 60th | Ocean Protect Stadium | Craig Fitzgibbon | Cameron McInnes |
| Dolphins | 4th | Suncorp Stadium / Kayo Stadium | Kristian Woolf | Tom Gilbert |
| Gold Coast Titans | 20th | Cbus Super Stadium | Josh Hannay | Tino Fa’asuamaleaui |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 77th | 4 Pines Park | Kieran Foran | Tom Trbojevic |
| Melbourne Storm | 29th | AAMI Park | Craig Bellamy | Harry Grant |
| Newcastle Knights | 39th | McDonald Jones Stadium | Justin Holbrook | Kalyn Ponga |
| New Zealand Warriors | 32nd | Go Media Stadium | Andrew Webster | Mitchell Barnett |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 32nd | Qld Country Bank Stadium | Todd Payten | Reuben Cotter |
| Parramatta Eels | 80th | CommBank Stadium | Jason Ryles | Mitchell Moses |
| Penrith Panthers | 60th | CommBank Stadium | Ivan Cleary | Nathan Cleary |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 117th | Accor Stadium | Wayne Bennett | Cameron Murray |
| St. George Illawarra Dragons | 28th | Jubilee Stadium / WIN Stadium | Dean Young (interim) | Damien Cook |
| Sydney Roosters | 119th | Allianz Stadium | Trent Robinson | James Tedesco |
| Wests Tigers | 27th | CommBank Stadium / Leichhardt Oval | Benji Marshall | Apisai Koroisau |
Seventeen teams across five states and New Zealand contest the 2026 NRL season.
