NRL Grand Final 2026: Roosters v Knights Kick-Off Times, Team Lists and How to Watch

The 2026 NRL Grand Final between the Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights kicks off at 7.30pm AEDT on Sunday 4 October 2026 at Accor Stadium, live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Daylight saving begins at 2am that morning in several states, so the clock labels below matter. We have pinned this guide to Saturday 3 October 2026, before a ball is kicked, and every team name is subject to late changes.

What time is the NRL Grand Final in each Australian state?

Kick-off is 7.30pm AEDT, which is 7.30pm in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania, 7.00pm in South Australia, 6.30pm in Queensland, 6.00pm in the Northern Territory and 4.30pm in Western Australia. Daylight saving starts at 2am on Sunday 4 October in NSW, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not observe it.

What time is the NRL Grand Final in New Zealand, the UK and North America?

The match starts at 9.30pm on Sunday 4 October in New Zealand, 9.30am that morning in the UK and Ireland, and between 1.30am and 4.30am in the US and Canada. These are our own conversions from the 08:30 UTC start.

What else is on at Accor Stadium on Grand Final day?

Gates open at 1.00pm AEDT, followed by the NRL State Championship final at 1.20pm, the NRLW Grand Final between the Roosters and Broncos at 4.00pm and the NRL Grand Final at 7.30pm. NRL.com’s schedule gives the times, and Nine’s release names the State Championship pairing as the Penrith Panthers and the Redcliffe Dolphins.

Adam Gee referees the NRL decider, his second grand final after 2023, with Chris Butler as senior review official. Belinda Sharpe referees the NRLW final, according to NRL.com.

How do I watch the NRL Grand Final?

In Australia the Grand Final is live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now, and Australia’s public broadcaster reports it will not be shown on Kayo or Fox Sports. Nine’s own release lists its Grand Final coverage from 6.30pm AEDT, with Mathew Thompson, Andrew Johns and Billy Slater commentating. It also lists a second-screen Battlecam on 9Now, with dedicated cameras following Kalyn Ponga and Sam Walker. Radio coverage is on ABC, Triple M (Brisbane and Sydney), 2GB, 4BC and NRL Nation, according to NRL.com.

Overseas, NRL.com lists the broadcasters below. Ireland is not named on that list, so check the NRL’s Watch Overseas page.

Roosters fans have an official watch party at Easts Bondi Junction and a family watch party at Waverley Greens. Knights fans have Wests venues and a free ticketed live site at McDonald Jones Stadium (gates 3.30pm AEDT), though local reports say registrations have filled.

Which players are in the Roosters and Knights teams?

Each club has named 13 starters, with Connor Watson out for the Roosters and Harrison Graham starting at hooker for the Knights, according to NRL.com’s 24-hour update on Saturday 3 October 2026. The final 17 is confirmed closer to kick-off, so treat every name as subject to late changes.

Each club also named a six-man interchange squad, with Egan Butcher the Roosters’ reserve and Diesel Hagan the Knights’. Watson was ruled out on Friday 2 October after an independent neurologist did not clear him following a head knock in the preliminary final, so Benaiah Ioelu comes in. Knights hooker Phoenix Crossland is unavailable after the NRL Judiciary banned him for four matches for Dangerous Contact, to which he pleaded guilty, over a hip-drop tackle in the Knights’ preliminary final win. Trent Robinson coaches the Roosters, and Justin Holbrook, once an assistant on Robinson’s staff, coaches the Knights.

Who is performing before the NRL Grand Final?

The pre-game entertainment is reported to be an all-Australian ensemble led by Amy Shark, with members of The Screaming Jets, Grinspoon, Peking Duk and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, performing a tribute to retired South Sydney player Jai Arrow. Arrow announced his retirement and his motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis himself on 20 May 2026. Reports say the acts will perform cover songs including “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, that each fee is being donated to MND causes and that Arrow will take a lap of honour. Those details come from media reports, and the NRL’s published schedule gives no start time for the performance.

How do I get to Accor Stadium, and are tickets still available?

The Grand Final is sold out, according to NRL.com, so a ticket already in hand is the only way in. The closest station is Olympic Park, about a 10-minute walk via Olympic Boulevard, and train travel is included in the match ticket. Express and limited-stop trains run to Olympic Park from Central and Western Line stations from mid-afternoon. Major event buses run between 1.35pm and 6.05pm AEDT, and the last return bus leaves at 11pm. Transport for NSW has the full plan.

How did the Roosters and Knights reach the Grand Final?

The Roosters finished fourth on the ladder and the Knights seventh, and the Knights won all three of their finals while the Roosters won their last two. Each side’s own score is listed first.

NRL.com says the Roosters are in their first decider since 2019 and the Knights, last year’s wooden spooners, in their first since 2001, with a win giving the Knights a third premiership and the Roosters a 16th.

What should I check before kick-off?

Check NRL.com’s team lists and late mail on Sunday 4 October 2026, because the final 17 for each side can still change before 7.30pm AEDT. This guide was written on Saturday 3 October 2026, contains no result and uses no betting odds, tips or win probabilities.