Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Newcastle: Fixtures, Times and What the Venue Gets
Newcastle hosts four Rugby League World Cup matches in 2026 — a double-header on Sunday 18 October and both semi-finals on Saturday 7 November. Getting two semi-finals is the real prize here: only the finals at Lang Park carry more weight, and no other Australian city outside Sydney and Brisbane gets a knockout double-header.
The ground is McDonald Jones Stadium, which the tournament calls Newcastle International Sports Centre because World Cup venues drop their sponsor names.
Newcastle fixtures
| Date | Match | Kick-off (AEDT) |
| Sun 18 October | Women’s: New Zealand v Fiji | 1:50pm |
| Sun 18 October | Men’s: Fiji v Cook Islands | 4:05pm |
| Sat 7 November | Women’s semi-final | 5:55pm |
| Sat 7 November | Men’s semi-final | 8:05pm |
18 October: a Pacific double-header
The women open at 1:50pm with New Zealand against Fiji in Group B. The men follow at 4:05pm with Fiji against the Cook Islands in Pool A — the pool that also contains Australia and New Zealand, which makes this the match that decides which of the two Pacific sides has a route out of it.
7 November: why the semi-final matters so much
The men’s semi-final at Newcastle is the Pool A runner-up against the winner of Pools B and C. Pool A is Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Cook Islands. On any normal reading of that group, the Pool A runner-up is Australia or New Zealand — so Newcastle is in line to host one of the two biggest names in the sport in a knockout match, against England, Samoa, Tonga, France or Papua New Guinea.
The women’s semi-final kicks off earlier the same day, Group B winner against the Group A runner-up. Group A is Australia, England, Samoa and Wales; Group B is Fiji, France, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Where it sits in the tournament
The World Cup runs 15 October to 15 November. It opens with Australia against New Zealand at Sydney Football Stadium on 15 October, and both finals are played at Lang Park in Brisbane on 15 November. Twelve venues across nine cities are in use, including Wollongong, Parramatta, Townsville, Perth, Christchurch and Port Moresby.
For Newcastle the timing is almost comic: the Knights play a grand final on 4 October, their first since 2001, and a fortnight later the city is hosting World Cup football. Full tournament detail, pools, every venue and the complete schedule: Rugby League World Cup 2026.
