Magic Weekend 2022 rugby: What is the Dacia Magic Weekend and who is playing over the two days in Newcastle?

Next year will be the fifth time St James Park has hosted the event. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

The weekend is a big fixture in the rugby league calendar.

Rugby league’s Magic Weekend is set to return to Newcastle in 2022, and with the fixtures now announced for the annual event, fans are planning on flocking to Newcastle in July.

Next year will see the first time the event has been played in the middle of the summer after previous editions saw teams battle it out in September.

What is the Dacia Magic Weekend?

The Magic Weekend is organised by rugby’s Super League in which an entire round of the competition is played over a single weekend in one stadium.

The event started in 2007 and has been hosted at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Manchester’s Etihad Stadium and Anfield in Liverpool, in addition to St James’ Park.

The next Magic Weekend will be played over the weekend of Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July 2022.

What are the fixtures for the 2022 event?

Fixtures for the 2022 edition were announced in November, starting on the Saturday with a local rivalry between reigning champions St Helens and Wigan sandwiched in between Wakefield Trinity against newly promoted Toulouse Olympique and Leeds Rhinos vs Castleford Tigers, which will also act as a derby fixture as the closing spectacle for the first day of action.

Sunday will begin with Huddersfield Giants facing off against Salford Red Devils before Catalans Dragons play Warrington Wolves. The weekend is set to end with a bang and another intense derby with Hull KR locking horns with Hull FC.

Fixtures were decided based on the position teams finished in the previous season.

When are Magic Weekend tickets going on sale?

Fans can buy tickets from Monday 29 November via the Super League’s website and the league are offering a flash sale to fans who book early. The deal involves a full weekend ticket for the price of a one-day ticket for the first two weeks of sales opening.

Season ticket holders and members of the clubs involved can pick up a ticket from their club’s official ticket office at a 50% discount.

Tickets are expected to be priced between £40.00 and £75.00.