2024 NRL Finals Start Date and Format

Ryan Tucker

Editor

Last updated: 09 Aug 2024

Add to Calendar

Listen

Share

Ryan Tucker 09 Aug 2024

Share this article

NRL Finals start on Sept 13 with Week 1 of Finals
Top 8 teams compete over 4 weeks in a play-off format.
Grand Final scheduled for Oct 6 at 7:30pm AEST.

The Panthers players and coaching staff celebrate victory. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

When and where are the NRL Finals played in 2024? Dates, Format and where to watch

When and where are the NRL Finals played in 2024? Dates, Format and where to watch
When do NRL Finals start?
How do NRL Finals work?
Week 1 - Qualifying/Elimination Finals
Week 2 - Semi Finals
Week 3 - Preliminary Finals
Week 4 - Grand Final
Where to watch the NRL Finals?

The 2024 NRL Finals are edging closer for every week. The teams are sorting themselves out in the top 8 and soon enought there will be some clarity in who will be playing finals footy and who will be taking an early holiday.

It has been a tight race this year and there are still a number of teams sitting just outside that can still make the top 8. Check out our article about NRL Premiership Odds to get the latest odds for teams to make it or break it.

Here is everything you need to know for the 2024 NRL Finals:

When do NRL Finals start?

The first week of NRL Finals is set to start on Friday September 13th with 4 games played over the weekend.

The Semi-Finals take place a week later generally taking place on a Friday and Saturday night 20th - 21st September

The Preliminary Finals are played the following week 27th - 28th September with 4 teams trying to secure a ticket to the big dance.

The 2024 NRL Grand Final is scheduled to start at 7:30pm AEST on Sunday 6th October

How do NRL Finals work?

The NRL employ a popular play-off system, the same as AFL and a number of other leagues in Australia and around the world. The top 8 teams from the regular season are ranked in order then participate in a 4 week tournament with 2 teams eliminated in each of the first 3 weeks of the championship. This culminates in two teams remaining that compete in the Grand Final for ultimate glory.

The design of the system is specifically to reward teams that finish higher on the ladder during the regular season with the top 4 teams needing only to win 2 games to reach the Grand Final compared to 3 games for the bottom 4 teams. The top 4 teams also get a "second chance" if they lose the Qualifying Final in Week 1.

Week 1 - Qualifying/Elimination Finals

Game	Matchup
Qualifying Final 1	1st vs 4th
Qualifying Final 1	2nd vs 3rd
Elimination Final 1	5th vs 8th
Elimination Final	6th vs 7th

Week 2 - Semi Finals

Game	Matchup
Semi Final 1	Loser QF1 vs Winner EF1
Semi Final 2	Loser QF2 vs Winner EF2

Week 3 - Preliminary Finals

Game	Matchup
Preliminary Final 1	Winner QF1 vs Winner SF1
Preliminary Final 2	Winner QF2 vs Winner SF2

Week 4 - Grand Final

Game	Matchup
Grand Final	Winner PF1 vs Winner PF2

Where to watch the NRL Finals?

If you can’t get in front of a TV to watch the NRL game you’ve punted on, or your significant other has done something criminal like organise a night out when your team is playing, you’ll still be able to watch the game on your smart phone with a number of live streaming options.

Subscribers to both Kayo and Foxtel have smart phone streaming options and the NRL Digital Pass costs just $3.99 a week or $99 for the year to watch every single NRL game online.