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The NRL and NRLW grand finals are the culmination of the rugby league seasons in Australia, with the men's and women's finals traditionally held on the same day. Stadium Australia has been the primary venue for NRL grand finals since 1999, except for 2021 due to the pandemic.
The final day of the NRL and NRLW seasons is here. The grand finals for the men and women will be held today.
In the women's decider, the Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos face off in a rematch of last year's grand final.
In the men's grand final, the Sydney Roosters are facing the Newcastle Knights.
Here's everything you need to know about NRL and NRLW grand finals day.
What time are the NRL and NRLW grand finals?
The NRL and NRLW grand finals will be held on Sunday, October 4, the first day of daylight saving time in many states and territories across the country.
Here is when each grand final begins in each state and territory.
NRL grand final
7:30pm AEDT: NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania
7pm ACDT: South Australia
6:30pm: Queensland
6pm: Northern Territory
4:30pm: Western Australia
NRLW grand final
4pm AEDT: NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania
3:30pm ACDT: South Australia
3pm: Queensland
2:30pm: Northern Territory
1pm: Western Australia
How can you watch and listen to the grand final?
The game will be on Channel 9 and 9Now, but be aware that it will not be shown on Kayo or Fox Sports. It is the only game of the entire NRL season that is exclusive to Channel 9.
To listen to the grand final, join your local ABC Sport radio team, and follow along with the ABC Sport live blog at abc.net.au.
Where are the NRL and NRLW grand finals being played?
The NRL and NRLW grand finals are being played at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Stadium Australia has hosted every NRL grand final since 1999, with the exception of the 2021 decider which was played at Brisbane's Lang Park during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the NRLW's inception in 2018, all grand finals have been played at Stadium Australia, again with 2021 being the exception. That decider was played at Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe.
Who is playing in the NRL grand final?
The Sydney Roosters face the Newcastle Knights for the NRL premiership.
The Roosters finished the season fourth on the ladder, and lost their opening match of the finals before victories over Cronulla and the Dolphins.
The Newcastle Knights finished seventh on the ladder. After defeating Souths in the first week of the finals, the Knights went to Auckland and defeated the Warriors, then beat Penrith while being down to 12 players for all of the second half.
Who is playing in the NRLW grand final?
The Sydney Roosters are undefeated in 2026, winning all 11 matches in the home-and-away season, then defeating the Canberra Raiders in last week's preliminary final.
It mirrors Sydney's fantastic NRLW season in 2025, where they were undefeated until losing in last year's decider to the Brisbane Broncos.
The Broncos finished third on the table, with a record of 8–3 in the home-and-away season. The Broncos suffered a three-game losing run in the middle of the season, but have won their past five matches, including last weekend's preliminary final against the Gold Coast Titans.
What pre-match entertainment is taking place at the NRL grand final?
After talks between the NRL and Australian artist Tones And I, the grand final appeared set to take place without any pre-match entertainment.
However, on Friday it was revealed that an all-star ensemble of Australian musicians, led by Amy Shark, will lead a tribute to recently retired player Jai Arrow, who was diagnosed with MND earlier this year.
Shark will be joined by members from Newcastle favourites and Better hit-makers The Screaming Jets, electronic duo Peking Duk, plus rock groups Grinspoon, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.
Shark previously performed at the 2020 NRL grand final, and is set to perform a series of cover songs, including the Gerry and the Pacemakers' song and Liverpool FC anthem You'll Never Walk Alone.
Each musician's appearance fee is reportedly being donated to motor neurone disease causes.
Mike Brady, 78, performed the unofficial AFL anthem 'Up There Cazaly' at the September 26 grand final after recovering from a horrific fall that fractured his leg, ankle and foot in 12 places, defying medical expectations to walk on stage and receive a roaring response from the 100,000-strong crowd.
Australian women's singles participation at the China Open concluded with just one player remaining after Kimberly Birrell and Storm Hunter suffered second-round losses. Birrell, 28, lost to Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-4 despite winning the Korea Open the prior week. Hunter, 182nd-ranked, fell 6-2, 6-2 to Maria Sakkari in 73 minutes. Notable upsets included world number one Elena Rybakina's defeat by unseeded Alina Charaeva, a 24-year-old Russian-born Armenian ranked 118th, who became the lowest-ranked player since 1975 to beat a world number one after losing the first set.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen secured his first pole position of the season at the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, joined on the front row by Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Australian swimmer Lani Pallister won four gold medals at the Australian short course championships, including the 800m freestyle, securing her place in the Dolphins squad for the world championships in Beijing. She then competed in and won the Bluff to Bar ocean swim on the Sunshine Coast after an early wake-up, highlighting her dedication to her surf club. Pallister also noted her surprise at her performance in the 200m freestyle, while Cam McEvoy earned a wildcard spot via a World Cup win in Baku.
On December 9, 2025, Sydney Roosters players met with Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Jewish community leaders at Chabad of Bondi, learning about Jewish customs and antisemitism concerns. Five days later, Schlanger was killed in the Bondi Beach mass shooting. The Roosters expressed grief and engaged in community tributes afterward.
The full Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic emblems, inspired by the cockatoo and shaped like Queensland, were accidentally revealed in a preview image for an 'Emblem Explainer' video on the Games' official YouTube channel before the scheduled Monday unveiling. The image was removed by 7:12pm, with the official reveal still set for Monday night in Brisbane following a regional tour.