Cronulla's 40-16 win over Newcastle on Sunday locked in the six teams who will host finals matches, with Canterbury and the Sharks the only Sydney teams.
It means only three men's matches will be played in Sydney beyond the end of the regular season, including the October 5 grand final.
There will also be no week-one games in Sydney for the first time outside of COVID, if Cronulla finish fourth by beating Canterbury next week and Brisbane lose to Melbourne.
With the top six now clear of the chasing pack and only the Sydney Roosters, Dolphins and Manly fighting to join Penrith at the bottom of the eight, the NRL can start planning the next month.
Canberra and Melbourne are both guaranteed to host two finals each after finishing first and second, while one game will be played in both Brisbane and Auckland.
A blockbuster between Melbourne and Canterbury at AAMI Park is set to kick off the series on Friday, September 12, less than a month after last week's thriller at the same ground.
Minor premiers Canberra will then host their qualifying final against fourth place the following day, ensuring the Raiders avoid a five-day turnaround out of round 27.
Any one of Brisbane, the Warriors or Sharks can secure fourth spot, with the other two to host elimination finals in the first week by finishing fifth and sixth.
The scenario means travel is likely to be a significant factor through this year's finals, with most matches to have a genuine home-city advantage.
Home teams have won 33 of 50 finals in the past decade when their rivals have had to travel away from their own city.
That record is even more significant considering Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and the Warriors have a combined 20-5 record in home finals since 2015.
It also sums up the difficult task facing seventh-placed Penrith in their bid to win a fifth straight title, given they will need to travel out of Sydney at least once to do so.
The Sydney Roosters are also a chance to hit the finals in form if they finish eighth, but would also face a similarly challenging schedule.
The Sydney finals exodus is a far cry from the norm for the NRL, given all finals were automatically played in the city until 1995.
Outside of the COVID-impacted 2021 season when the competition was moved to Brisbane, 2016 marks the only time just three finals have been in Sydney.
Otherwise six matches have been the norm for the past decade, with as many as eight finals games in the NSW capital back in 2013.
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