Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is supporting moves for a State of Origin match to be played in Townsville.
The Queensland Rugby League wants an Origin match to be held at North Queensland's new $250 million stadium when it's completed in 2020.
"If we can get it in Townsville, why not? I'd rather see it there than in another capital city," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Tuesday.
The Origin concept has proved a lucrative roadshow for rugby league, with the NRL selling a match to Melbourne in 2018 and one to Perth in 2019.
It's yet to announce whether any matches will be played outside Brisbane or Sydney in 2020.
However, with a capacity of 25,000, the Townsville venue would struggle to compete with larger stadiums in capital cities.
The MCG can attract 100,000 fans while the new Perth stadium will have a capacity of 60,000 and Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium packs in 52,500.
Ms Palaszczuk didn't say whether her government would put up money to fill the shortfall, saying it would deal with a potential bid on a "case-by-case basis."
It comes as the Queensland government continues to eye off hosting the NRL Grand Final in Brisbane for the first time.
But Major Events Minister Kate Jones said they were still waiting for the NSW government to provide timeframes for when their various stadiums will be out of action due to renovations and upgrades.
"So until we know if one year or two years are available then we don't have any clarity at this stage," Ms Jones said on Tuesday.
"But we are absolutely committed to securing an NRL Grand Final here in Queensland if one becomes available."
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