Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) is a supporter of the bid, as it looks to bring the two nations closer together. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, has reportedly come to an agreement with Australia’s rugby league governing body, the ARL Commission, to dispense as much as A$600 million (US$410 million) to bring a National Rugby League (NRL) franchise to Papua New Guinea.

The reported deal-in-principal would see the Papua New Guinea franchise become the league’s 19th, and the team would enter the competition from the 2028 season onward.

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Federal government funding allocated by Albanese would be dispensed in stages, with the first A$60 million assigned to fund the team’s license fee (A$3.5 million each for the league’s 17 current sides), A$290 million to fund the team over its first 10 years of operations, while the remaining A$250 million will be utilized for community initiatives, education, and infrastructure development.

The plan aims to ensure that the franchise, which will be based in the nation’s capital of Port Moresby, is completely self-sustainable by 2037.

The move is part of a push by the Australian prime minister to strengthen relations in the wider Pacific region.

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The NRL is set on expanding to 20 franchises by 2032, with Papua New Guinea just one of “10 or 11” prospective bidders according to Anthony Hill, the bid’s lead consultant.

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Peter V’landys, the ARL commissioner, also attempted to put cold water on the rumors of Papua New Guinea’s acceptance, saying that nothing is in stone and that bidders in “Perth, Christchurch (New Zealand) and Brisbane” are also in the frame.

Perth, in particular, through the mooted Western Bears prospective franchise, is widely tipped to be the league’s 18th side and could enter as soon as 2025.

Both the Bears and the Papua New Guinea franchise could be announced by the end of 2024, most likely following the resolution of the 2024 NRL season, which will conclude with its October 6 Grand Final.