Australian government will invest £300m in a new rugby league team based in Papua New Guinea. But there’s a catch – and it has nothing to do with the sport

Papua New Guinea (PNG) will join Australia's national rugby league competition, after signing a deal that obligates them to shun security ties with China. The Pacific nation has produced many stars of Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) and has long been lobbying to join the franchise.

A team from the Pacific nation will join Australia’s National Rugby League in a $400 million deal that deepens ties while denting China’s regional security push.

Australia pledges A$600 million to help Papua New Guinea (PNG) enter the National Rugby League, aligning this with a security arrangement. The partnership aims to bolster strategic ties amidst China's growing influence in the Pacific.

A team from rugby league hotspot Papua New Guinea will enter the National Rugby League from 2028 after officially being granted a license. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape met in Sydney on Thursday to shake hands over the deal,

A team from rugby league hotspot Papua New Guinea will enter the National Rugby League from 2028 after officially being granted a license

Papua New Guinea will gain its own team in Australia’s rugby league in a soft diplomacy deal announced Thursday linked to limiting Chinese influence in the South Pacific. The Australian government will spend 600 million Australian dollars ($380 million) over a decade to add a team from its nearest neighbor to the National Rugby League from 2028.

Australia will spend US$385 million to establish a team from Papua New Guinea in its rugby league competition, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday, a move designed to help ward