The 2022 NRL grand final will be played in Sydney after a last-minute pitch from the NSW government kept the event in its traditional home.

The NRL confirmed on Thursday that the October 2 season decider would be played at Accor Stadium, opting against taking the match to Queensland.

The news ends four months of speculation around the hosting rights, after the NSW government and NRL clashed over funding for suburban ground upgrades.

At a packed press conference, ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys revealed that Queensland had been front runners to secure the event as recently as Wednesday evening.

However a late offer from the NSW government meant it was no longer a clear financial winner for the match to be played at Suncorp Stadium, leaving it in Sydney.

“After extensive negotiations we have made a decision which we believe is in the best interest of fans, and that is to hold the game in Sydney this year,” V’landys said.

“Up until last night’s commission meeting, if you asked me at that point of time it would have gone to Queensland.

“And if we didn’t have discussions with the NSW government yesterday afternoon, it probably would have gone that way.”

Crucially, V’landys said that the decision was only in the form of a one-year deal, leaving the NRL free to take the decider elsewhere from 2023.

It means that the initial deal signed in 2018 to keep the game in Sydney until 2042 is no longer in place, after the NSW government opted against an Accor Stadium upgrade.

It means the match could be treated as a Super Bowl-type fixture and sold off to cities each year, or shared between NSW and Queensland on a rotating basis.

“This is solely a one-year deal for the grand final and the rental terms for the grand final,” V’landys said.

“It’s got to the situation now where out of negative is a positive.

“And the positive here is we have four clubs in Queensland. If you look at it pro-rata, one in every four years should be in Queensland, by rights.”