STATE OF ORIGIN will make history next year when a match is held in New Zealand.

Auckland’s Eden Park will host Game Two of the annual three-match series between New South Wales and Queensland on Wednesday, June 16.

The only previous Origin encounter to take place outside Australia came 40 years prior, when the Blues won 30-18 in Long Beach, California.

However, while that fixture had official State of Origin status, it didn’t contribute towards the 1987 series, which the Maroons had already won 2-1.

The 50,000-capacity Eden Park is a famed fortress for the New Zealand rugby union side, who are unbeaten in their last 53 Test matches there stretching back to 1994.

It has also hosted eleven rugby league internationals, starting with the 1988 World Cup final – won by Australia, 25-12 against the Kiwis in front of 47,363, still a record 13-a-side crowd in the country – which makes it the only venue to have staged the global showpiece match in both codes.

New Zealand Warriors, whose regular Auckland home is the 25,000-capacity Go Media Stadium, have played six matches at Eden Park, with another two to follow next season – an Anzac Round game in April, then another ahead of the Origin clash on Sunday, June 13.

The announcement comes with the Warriors battling at the top of the NRL table and leading the way by selling the most tickets of any club for October’s Grand Final in Sydney.

Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said: “It’s not just the Origin match fans can look forward to – we are planning a week of rugby league festivities in the lead-up to the event.

“It’s going to be a complete takeover of Auckland showcasing the best of our game to New Zealanders and fans travelling from all over the world.”

Having played season-opening matches in Las Vegas in each of the past three years, the NRL are planning to continue their pursuit of a wider audience by launching a ‘Global Round’, either next season or in 2028.

London is among their prime targets as a host city, with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the desired choice of venue.