Which team won the first State of Origin rugby league match in 1980?

Queensland won the first State of Origin rugby league match in 1980.

Queensland defeated New South Wales 20–10 at Brisbane’s Lang Park on 8 July 1980. The fixture was designed to select players according to their state of origin rather than the state in which they were currently playing club rugby league. That principle helped Queensland select players who had moved south to join New South Wales clubs.

The match became the foundation of one of rugby league’s most important annual rivalries. Queensland’s victory gave the new concept an immediate competitive identity, and later series established State of Origin as a major event in the Australian sporting calendar.

State of Origin is different from an ordinary interstate match because eligibility is based primarily on where a player began senior football. The teams represent Queensland and New South Wales, not clubs, cities or the Australian national side. The first match was a single fixture; later series normally used multiple games.