Papua New Guinea ambri competitors

Does Papua New Guinea deserve a national team?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, his PNG counterpart James Marape and NRL rugby league boss Peter V'landys announced the agreement on Thursday morning in Sydney's CBD, with Mr Albanese declaring it a "great day" for both countries. "Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea and PNG deserves a national team," he said.

Will Papua New Guinea join the NRL in 2028?

Under the agreement, Papua New Guinea will join the NRL in 2028 and will become the competition's 18th or 19th team, depending on what happens with other franchise bids before then. Mr Albanese confirmed that the federal government would provide $600 million over a decade to help make the team a reality.

Will Papua New Guinea get its own NRL team?

Australia and Papua New Guinea unveil a long-awaited deal handing PNG its own NRL team, confirming the league's most ambitious expansion since formation, and notching what the federal government is hailing as a major strategic victory.

Does Papua New Guinea love rugby?

Papua New Guinea is the county that loves rugby league the most, but an NRL team based there will have to face all the perils of any expansion club, plus another unique set of challenges no other side would have to imagine solving.

What if Papua New Guinea struck a policing agreement with China?

A Pacific diplomatic source told the ABC that Papua New Guinea understood that if it struck a policing or security agreement with China then Australia would be within its rights to sink the agreement and the NRL team. They also stressed that the Marape government had made it very clear to Australia that it had no intention of taking such a step.

Why is Papua New Guinea signing a 'parallel' agreement with China?

In return, Papua New Guinea has agreed to sign what has been called a "parallel" agreement on "strategic trust" between the two countries, which is designed to stop China from gaining a significant security foothold in the Pacific country.