The NRL is expected to confirm as early as next week a team from Papua New Guinea will enter the competition later this decade.
The PNG bid, propped up by $600 million of Australian government assistance, has appeared likely for months following two years of productive talks between the nations' hierarchies and the Australian Rugby League Commission.
But AAP understands the rugby-league mad nation's NRL dream will finally become a reality when PNG Prime Minister James Marape visits Australia next week.
Both Marape and Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese are expected to be in attendance at a historic announcement in Sydney, where further details will be confirmed.
The NRL is understood to have briefed its 17 existing clubs of the PNG situation this week, telling representatives there were still some hurdles to be worked through.
Nothing has yet been signed ratifying the team's entry, but there is confidence on both sides that expansion talks are in the final stages.
“The Australian Government, the PNG Government and the NRL are aligned on the fundamentals of an agreement. We are very optimistic that we will be in a position to sign an agreement shortly," said a spokesperson for Pat Conroy, Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
“Australia and PNG share a unique historical bond and a love of rugby league. A PNG NRL team will tie us closer together. It will advance Australia’s national interest in contributing to a safe, stable and prosperous Pacific region.”
Assisting in PNG's entry into the NRL is seen as a way to strengthen ties in the crucial Pacific region, but Marape said in October the proposed entry went beyond security.
"For PNG and Australia, we have deeper sentimental values," he told the ABC at the time.
"Both nations love rugby league, both nations have a strong affinity."
The PNG team's entry had initially been slated for 2028, but the timing is likely to rely on the NRL's ongoing plans to expand into Western Australia.
The Western Bears had been on track to beat PNG to enter the NRL and join as the 18th team, until a consortium comprising local investors and the North Sydney Bears had its bid rejected.
The NRL has since engaged the WA Government in talks over funding, with the Bears bid also keen to revise their pitch.
