K-pop, Foo Fighters and Robbie Williams force NRL to scrap Accor Stadium move for Samoa-Tonga World Cup clash

Concert season at Sydney Olympic Park means the Pacific powerhouses will play at sold-out CommBank Stadium

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published25 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Sources3 outlets

The NRL had hoped to shift Sunday night's Rugby League World Cup match between Samoa and Tonga to Accor Stadium, where a crowd of 60,000 was expected, but concert season at the venue, including performances by K-pop group BigBang, Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters, meant the game could not be moved, leaving it at sold-out CommBank Stadium.

CommBank Stadium in Parramatta holds 30,000, less than half Accor's capacity. The NRL could have moved to Allianz Stadium for an extra 10,000 seats but chose not to take the Samoan and Tongan fan bases out of western Sydney.

ARL Commission executive chairman Peter V'landys confirmed discussions about shifting the match to Accor Stadium but said the venue had begun "concert season". K-pop sensation BigBang is set to perform this weekend, drawing more than 70,000 fans, with the playing surface unable to be prepared for a rugby league game 24 hours later. Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters also have upcoming shows.

"We were keen to go to Accor, but we quickly found out it was not available because of concert season," V'landys said. He said he was mindful of inconveniencing fans who had already bought tickets to CommBank. "I'm confident we would have got around 60,000 fans at Accor had we gone there. It just goes to show you how popular future Pacific Championships will be."

Tonga coach Woolf praised the growth of Pacific Tests. "You only have to look at the 45,000 people we had last year at Suncorp Stadium," he said. "It's a huge occasion and I've got no doubts it would have brought in a really big crowd if it was able to [relocate to Accor Stadium]."

Tonga have already secured a semi-final berth. Samoa need to win on Sunday night to qualify, or rely on other results.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The match is a sellout, but thousands of fans miss out on a larger venue.
The clash between major concerts and sporting events shows scheduling pressures on Sydney's biggest stadium.
The strong interest reflects the rapid growth of international rugby league among Pacific communities.

Background

The match is part of the current Rugby League World Cup. The Pacific Championships have grown in popularity; last year 45,000 attended at Suncorp Stadium. Samoa and Tonga are both strong teams, with deep community support in western Sydney. Tickets were priced as low as $19, with families of five paying $90.

Key Perspectives

ARL Commission executive chairman Peter V'landys: said the NRL was keen to move to Accor but it was unavailable, and he believed 60,000 would have attended. Tonga coach Woolf: said the occasion is huge and would have drawn a big crowd if relocated.

What to Watch

The outcome of Sunday night's game, which will decide semi-final qualification. Future scheduling of major events at Accor Stadium. The long-term growth of the Pacific Championships as a standalone international series.

Sources

How K-pop, Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters ruined the NRL’s Samoan and Tongan plans · Brisbane Times
How K-pop, Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters ruined the NRL’s Samoan and Tongan plans · The Sydney Morning Herald
How K-pop, Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters ruined the NRL’s Samoan and Tongan plans · The Age

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedK-pop, Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters forced the NRL to abandon plans to move the Samoa-Tonga match to Accor Stadium.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “One of the biggest K-pop bands in the world, along with Robbie Williams and Foo Fighters, forced the NRL to abandon plans of shifting Sunday night’s World Cup epic between Samoa and Tonga to Accor Stadium where a crowd of 60,000 was expected.”
Partly supportedConcert season at Sydney Olympic Park made the teams play at sold-out CommBank Stadium.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Concert season at Accor Stadium, including Robbie Williams and The Foo Fighters, meant the NRL could not move Samoa and Tonga to the bigger venue.”
SupportedThe NRL had hoped to move the match to Accor Stadium, where 60,000 fans were expected, but it stayed at sold-out CommBank Stadium.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The two popular Pacific league powerhouses will play at a sold-out CommBank Stadium.”
Partly supportedBigBang was set to perform that weekend, drawing more than 70,000 fans, and the playing surface could not be prepared for a game 24 hours later.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The three-piece boy band are expected to draw more than 70,000 fans, and there was no way the playing surface could have been prepared in time for a rugby league game just 24 hours later.”
Partly supportedCommBank Stadium holds 30,000, less than half Accor Stadium’s capacity.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Capacity at the Parramatta venue is 30,000 – but Cup organisers were confident they could have doubled that number by moving to nearby Sydney Olympic Park.”
SupportedThe NRL could have moved the game to Allianz Stadium for 10,000 extra seats but chose not to take the fan bases out of western Sydney.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The NRL had the option to shift the game to Allianz Stadium, where an extra 10,000 fans could have been accommodated, but did not want the Samoan and Tongan fan bases to have to leave their western Sydney base.”
SupportedPeter V’landys confirmed discussions about moving the game to Accor Stadium.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “ARL Commission executive chairman Peter V’landys confirmed there had been discussions about moving the one-off game to Accor Stadium”
SupportedV’landys said, “We were keen to go to Accor, but we quickly found out it was not available because of concert season.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““We were keen to go to Accor, but we quickly found out it was not available because of concert season,” V’landys said on Sunday.”
SupportedV’landys said, “I'm confident we would have got around 60,000 fans at Accor had we gone there. It just goes to show you how popular future Pacific Championships will be.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““I’m confident we would have got around 60,000 fans at Accor had we gone there. “It just goes to show you how popular future Pacific Championships will be.”
SupportedWoolf said, “You only have to look at the 45,000 people we had last year at Suncorp Stadium.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““You only have to look at the 45,000 people we had last year at Suncorp Stadium …”
SupportedWoolf said, “It's a huge occasion and I've got no doubts it would have brought in a really big crowd if it was able to [relocate to Accor Stadium].”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““It’s a huge occasion and I’ve got no doubts it would have brought in a really big crowd if it was able to [relocate to Accor Stadium].””
Partly supportedTonga had secured a semi-final berth, while Samoa needed to win Sunday night or rely on other results to qualify.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Tonga are already assured a semi-final berth, while if Samoa triumph on Sunday night, at 8pm – or 10pm for those tuning in on the islands – they will also qualify. Even if Samoa lose, they would still require England to beat Papua New Guinea by a big scoreline.”