The NRL’s annual festival of footy returns to Brisbane in May next year, with Magic Round 2026 set to light up Suncorp Stadium from May 14-17.
Eight blockbuster fixtures, 16 clubs, and thousands of travelling fans will descend on Queensland’s capital for one of the sport’s most anticipated weekends.
The draw has thrown up plenty of intriguing matchups, club narratives, and statistical quirks.
Here are the biggest storylines and trends to remember for the Magic weekend.
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Friday, May 15
Sharks vs Bulldogs: Premiership contenders
Magic Round will kick off with two of Sydney’s most improved clubs in recent seasons.
The Bulldogs have made an aggressive roster overhaul and are on the rise, meanwhile the Sharks want to continue from their run to the preliminary finals last season and show that they are a serious premiership contender.
Expect a high-energy clash between these two sides as both clubs aim to prove their legitimacy at the top of the league.
Dolphins vs Rabbitohs: Battle of Bennett’s Flocks Past and Present
Wayne Bennett continues to coach in the NRL and this is the second season since he finished helping the Dolphins build from scratch.
The Rabbitohs have struggled under the bright lights of Suncorp around this time with a 1-4 record, meanwhile the Dolphins have home advantage…well, kind of.
Isaiya Katoa vs Cody Walker offers a fascinating orthodox playmaking contrast, as well as seeing David Fifita wearing the red and green where lots of people will be keeping an eye on the back-rower with a lot to prove.
Saturday, May 16
Tigers vs Sea Eagles: Desperate for light at the end of the tunnel
The first Saturday match brings together two clubs looking for a way to find consistency and hoping that they will have better days ahead of them.
The Tigers have been competitive in some periods of the 2025 season, but remain winless in their last four Magic Round appearances.
Manly will be two months into the season without Daly Cherry-Evans at the club and with how that development played out, Sea Eagles fans will hope that by the time this match rolls around or exactly this game with the Tigers, they are in a positive direction and continue their luck of the magic with a big win or blowout, as they have historically done in this round.
Roosters vs Cowboys: Reece Robson’s Reunion
Reece Robson for the first time will face his former side the North Queensland Cowboys since leaving the club, in what is anticipated to be an emotional and fiery game.
The Roosters have thrived in the Magic Round setting, winning three of the last four, meanwhile the Cowboys will be looking to prove their resilience after fading late in 2025.
The tri-colours will be removed from the Victory Radley suspension by the time this game rolls around and the anticipated battle of the middle is also significant to watch in a match that could have top eight implications.
Storm vs Eels: Dominance vs a chance to climb
Melbourne Storm vs Parramatta Eels has become not only a round one defining fixture, but also part of the Magic Round identity.
The utter dominance of the Storm is quite clear at the beginning of the season and this occasion in particular, with Eels fans still trying to wipe the memories away of 48-16 in 2024 and the famous 64-10 demolition in 2019.
The Eels will hope that with the changes and additions to the roster they have made, particularly upgrading their spine, that they will have a chance against the new-look Storm.
Craig Bellamy will be hoping that their status in this round continues with another big performance.
Sunday, May 17
Titans vs Knights: Magic Round specialists collide
The triple header on Sunday begins with two clubs who have surprisingly strong records at the event.
The Knights have a 4-1 record at the event and they will want to continue their run at Suncorp Stadium at this stage of the season.
Their new look team with Dylan Brown in the halves will be must-see TV as this could potentially be the round’s most open contests with fast-paced play and a lot of scoring from both sides.
Broncos vs Warriors: Heavyweights under bright lights
The Sunday slate opens with a genuine blockbuster between two sides stacked with forward power and creative flair.
Luke Metcalf’s last game in the 2025 season was against the Broncos in round 17 and if he is available to play, he will be marking this game on the calendar to prove his Dally-M worthy status, as he was leading the way for the award prior to his injury.
The Broncos will have a defending the premiership mindset and the Warriors will have top four ambitions.
Dragons vs Panthers: Chasing their first Magic win
The Dragons misery in this round has become almost folklore with 0 wins from 5 appearances since the event’s inceptions.
They’ll face arguably the toughest possible opponent in Penrith, who have been the benchmark in the modern era for consistency.
For Flanagan’s men, this match will be about pride and progress as they will have a young halves combination and for the Panthers, they will want a better start to the season and to be dominant and avoid complacency.
BYE: Canberra Raiders