2020 NRL Finals Series

For the 2020 NRL Finals Series, the stadia will be permitted to hold up to 50% of capacity under New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland government guidelines.^[1] For the preliminary finals Lang Park's permitted capacity was increased to 75%.^[2]

Due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, the Melbourne Storm will play their home finals at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane rather than their regular home ground of AAMI Park in Melbourne. Suncorp will hold two games, Canberra's GIO Stadium will host one match and Sydney will host the remaining six matches, between ANZ Stadium, Bankwest Stadium, Panthers Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground.^[3]

Brisbane	Canberra	Sydney
Suncorp Stadium	GIO Stadium	ANZ Stadium
Capacity: 52,500	Capacity: 25,011	Capacity: 83,500
Games: 2	Games: 1	Games: 3
Sydney (four venues) Canberra Brisbane
Sydney
Bankwest Stadium	Panthers Stadium	Sydney Cricket Ground
Capacity: 30,000	Capacity: 22,500	Capacity: 46,000
Games: 1	Games: 1	Games: 1

The system used for the 2020 NRL finals series is a final eight system. The top four teams in the eight receive the "double chance" when they play in week-one qualifying finals, such that if a top-four team loses in the first week it still remains in the finals, playing a semi-final the next week against the winner of an elimination final. The bottom four of the eight play knock-out games – only the winners survive and move on to the next week. Home ground advantage goes to the team with the higher ladder position in the first two weeks and to the qualifying final winners in the third week.

In the second week, the winners of the qualifying finals receive a bye to the third week. The losers of the qualifying final plays the elimination finals winners in a semi-final. In the third week, the winners of the semi-finals from week two play the winners of the qualifying finals in the first week. The winners of those matches move on to the Grand Final.^[4]

	Qualifying and elimination finals					Semi-finals						Preliminary finals					Grand final
	2 Oct, Panthers Stadium
	1	Penrith	29
	4	Sydney	28			9 Oct, Sydney Cricket Ground
						Sydney		18
	3 Oct, GIO Stadium Canberra					Canberra		22				17 Oct, ANZ Stadium
	5	Canberra	32									Penrith		20
	8	Cronulla-Sutherland	20									South Sydney		16			25 Oct, ANZ Stadium
																	Penrith		20
	4 Oct, ANZ Stadium											16 Oct, Suncorp Stadium					Melbourne		26
	6	South Sydney	46									Melbourne		30
	7	Newcastle	20			10 Oct, Bankwest Stadium						Canberra		10
						Parramatta		24
	3 Oct, Suncorp Stadium					South Sydney		38
	2	Melbourne	36
	3	Parramatta	24

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Crowd
QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS
Penrith Panthers	29 – 28	Sydney Roosters	2 October 2020, 7:50 pm	Panthers Stadium	Gerard Sutton	7,209
Canberra Raiders	32 – 20	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	3 October 2020, 5:40 pm	GIO Stadium Canberra	Grant Atkins	9,602
Melbourne Storm	36 – 24	Parramatta Eels	3 October 2020, 7:50 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ashley Klein	16,238
South Sydney Rabbitohs	46 – 20	Newcastle Knights	4 October 2020, 4:05 pm	ANZ Stadium	Ben Cummins	17,212
SEMI FINALS
Sydney Roosters	18 – 22	Canberra Raiders	9 October 2020, 7:55 pm	Sydney Cricket Ground	Ashley Klein	18,110
Parramatta Eels	24 – 38	South Sydney Rabbitohs	10 October 2020, 7:50 pm	Bankwest Stadium	Gerard Sutton	14,510
PRELIMINARY FINALS
Melbourne Storm	30 – 10	Canberra Raiders	16 October 2020, 7:50 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ashley Klein	37,112
Penrith Panthers	20 – 16	South Sydney Rabbitohs	17 October 2020, 7:50 pm	ANZ Stadium	Gerard Sutton	30,116

† Match decided in extra time.