Pencil in June 18, 2022 rugby league fans.
The NRL has confirmed the draw for next season with the NZ Warriors scheduled for either homecoming against the reigning champions.
Penrith Panthers are scheduled to be the first of five games for the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium, which will all come in the second half of the season.
The Wests Tigers (July 3), Melbourne Storm (July 29), Bulldogs (August 12) and the Gold Coast Titans (September 3) are the other dates set for Auckland in 2022.
By the time they kick off in Auckland in June, it will be over a thousand days since their last game at their spiritual home.
"It'll be huge for us, It's been a long time coming," CEO Cameron George says.
"We're focused on kicking off early in the season, on the right foot, and then moving forward from there.
"If we get to go home, playing penrith at mount smart stadium on a saturday night, what a party it'll be.
"Many of the side are yet to play for the club at Mt Smart, with the side based in Australia for the past two season."
George says it will be a special night for all involved, especially the players.
"If we get the chance to get back there and play next year, they'll be really revved up for the occasion.
"While they'll understand what it's like to go and play at Mt Smart, what they will experience for the first time is what is having the support of a sell out crowd behind them which is unlike none other in the NRL.
It's the best atmosphere with the best fans, and it's something our players really want to play in front of," George says.
The Warriors begin their campaign against the St George Dragons on the Sunshine Coast on March 12, with a total of five games to be played at Moreton Daily Stadium in Redcliffe, home of the NRL's newest club, the Dolphins.
The last time the Warriors played a regular-season game in Auckland was a 31-10 loss to South Sydney in August 2019,
The club was set to play the Bulldogs in August this year, but the Delta outbreak in New Zealand and the cancellation of the trans-Tasman travel bubble meant the game was shifted to Redcliffe.
