Rugby League World Cup 2026
The Rugby League World Cup returns on 15 October 2026, and for the first time it is three tournaments at once — men’s, women’s and wheelchair — played across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. 14 nations, 26 teams, 53 matches, 31 days, nine host cities. It opens with Australia against New Zealand in Sydney and ends at Lang Park in Brisbane on 15 November.
Two of the host venues sit in country rugby league heartland: Newcastle and Wollongong. If you follow one of the NSW country competitions we cover, a World Cup match is closer than it has been in twenty years.
🏆 RLWC 2026 at a glance
| Dates | 15 October – 15 November 2026 (31 days) |
| Hosts | Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea · nine host cities |
| Opening match | Australia v New Zealand · Sydney Football Stadium · Thu 15 Oct, 8.05pm AEDT |
| Final | Sunday 15 November · Lang Park, Brisbane |
| Semi-finals | Sunday 8 November · Sydney Football Stadium |
| Scale | 3 tournaments · 14 nations · 26 teams · 53 matches |
| Tickets | Through Ticketmaster Australia |
Sources: rlwc2026.com pools announcement and tournament records, checked 11 September 2026.
Men’s World Cup pools
The format is unusual and worth understanding before the first whistle. There is one pool of four and two pools of three. The top two from Pool A go straight to the semi-finals; the other two semi-final places come from Pools B and C, whose teams play three matches each by crossing over against the opposite pool.
| Pool A | Australia · New Zealand · Fiji · Cook Islands |
| Pool B | England · Samoa · Lebanon |
| Pool C | Tonga · Papua New Guinea · France |
Pool A is the hard one. Australia and New Zealand meet in the opening game, and Fiji have reached three of the last four semi-finals. Samoa and Tonga also meet in the group stage at Western Sydney Stadium, a rematch of their 2025 Pacific Championship fixture.
Women’s World Cup pools
| Pool A | Australia · England · Samoa · Wales |
| Pool B | New Zealand · Papua New Guinea · France · Fiji |
A wheelchair tournament runs alongside both. Across the three competitions there are 26 teams from 14 nations.
Every host city and venue
| City | Venue | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Sydney Football Stadium (Moore Park) | Opening match and a semi-final |
| Brisbane | Lang Park | The final, 15 November |
| Parramatta | Western Sydney Stadium | Samoa v Tonga in the group stage |
| Newcastle | Newcastle International Sports Centre | Hunter and Newcastle RL catchment |
| Wollongong | Wollongong Showground | Illawarra and South Coast catchment |
| Gold Coast | Robina Stadium | |
| Townsville | North Queensland Stadium | North Queensland |
| Perth | Perth Rectangular Stadium | Western Australia’s only venue |
| Christchurch | Te Kaha | New Zealand |
| Port Moresby | PNG Football Stadium | Papua New Guinea’s first World Cup matches at home |
Match days
Matches are played across these dates. The tournament runs in weekend blocks rather than continuously, so there are clear gaps between rounds.
| Opening round | 15, 16, 17, 18 October |
| Round two | 23, 24, 25 October |
| Round three | 30, 31 October & 1 November |
| Quarter-final stage | 7, 8 November |
| Semi-finals | 8 November · Sydney Football Stadium |
| Final | 15 November · Lang Park, Brisbane |
Tickets
Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster Australia. We are not a ticket seller and never will be — buy through the official channel, because resale sites for tournaments like this routinely price above face value and some tickets are non-transferable.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Rugby League World Cup 2026 start?
Thursday 15 October 2026, with Australia against New Zealand at Sydney Football Stadium, kicking off at 8.05pm AEDT. The final is on Sunday 15 November at Lang Park in Brisbane.
Which countries are hosting?
Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, across nine host cities. It is Papua New Guinea’s first time hosting World Cup matches at home.
Are there World Cup matches in country NSW?
Newcastle and Wollongong both host matches — the closest the tournament comes to the NSW country competitions. Sydney and Parramatta are the other two NSW venues.
How does the pool format work?
One pool of four (Pool A) and two pools of three (Pools B and C). The top two from Pool A reach the semi-finals directly. Pools B and C cross over against each other, and the top two from those combined results take the remaining semi-final places.
More rugby on this site
We cover NSW country rugby league week to week — every 2026 premiership result, plus season guides for the Group 1 NRRRL, Group 2, the Woodbridge Cup and every group from 1 to 21. On the union side, Rugby World Cup 2027 tickets go on general sale on 1 October 2026, and the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2029 has its own guide.
