SUPER League's starring role in Las Vegas at the weekend could be the first of many under ambitious plans to establish a foothold for the sport in north America.

Wigan faced Warrington at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday on a bill that also included two games from the Australian NRL – Canberra Raiders vs New Zealand Warriors and Penrith Panthers vs Cronulla Sharks – and a women's international between England and Australia.

Thousands of British fans boosted the total crowd to 45,209 – an increase of more than 5,000 on last year’s inaugural event – and Super League chiefs are determined to cash in on the unprecedented opportunity.

It was confirmed post-event that another Super League match will feature in next year’s Rugby League Las Vegas event, and the PA news agency understands that missives have been sent to all 12 top-flight clubs this week inviting expressions of interest.

Meanwhile talks are also set to take place about salvaging the World Club Challenge - which was not contested this year after being won by St Helens in 2023 and Wigan in 2024 - and potentially making that part of the Las Vegas weekend.

Rugby League Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones told the PA news agency: "In a perfect world we'd have been able to play the World Club Challenge this week in Las Vegas.

"It will certainly be a topic of conversation – if we are able to manufacture that in terms of the calendar going forward, and also in terms of whether it fits."

Super League has courted the north American market for some time, and in 2019 clubs effectively voted to allow teams from New York and Ottawa to join trailblazers Toronto Wolfpack in the domestic structure.

The collapse of the latter, whose record was expunged midway through the 2020 Super League season when they withdrew citing the financial pressures of the global pandemic, put such expansionist plans on the backburner but Jones believes the Las Vegas programme could pave the way for a united approach to the north American market.

That might include staging the 2030 Rugby League World Cup – the United States was one of five nations shortlisted last year – and ultimately lead to one or two north American leagues that would run in tandem with the Super League and NRL seasons.

In the shorter term, Jones is determined that Super League should seize the opportunity in Las Vegas to strengthen ties with the NRL, while at the same time emphasising it is strong enough to stand alone.

Jones is realistic enough to acknowledge that the NRL, which staged the inaugural Las Vegas weekend last year without Super League involvement, currently holds all the cards in terms of financial and organisational muscle.

But he insisted: "It's all about opportunity. It's an opportunity to put Super League on new international territory, to put Super League alongside the NRL and for players and coaches to experience something new and very different.

"It's also about enabling the NRL to see how we conduct ourselves not just on the field but off it in business and promotion.

“The only way you can do that is by working together on certain projects, and this has definitely been a step-change in what is hopefully a growing relationship."