Rugby League World Cup 2026
The Rugby League World Cup returns on 15 October 2026, and for the first time it is four tournaments at once — men’s, women’s, wheelchair and physical disability rugby league (PDRL) — played across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and billed with equal prominence. It opens with Australia against New Zealand at Sydney Football Stadium and ends with both finals 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 — Newcastle hosts a semi-final in both the men’s and women’s draws.
🏆 RLWC 2026 at a glance
| Dates | 15 October – 15 November 2026 (31 days) |
| Hosts | Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea · 12 venues in 10 host cities |
| Opening match | Australia v New Zealand · Sydney Football Stadium · Thu 15 Oct, 8.05pm AEDT |
| Men’s final | Sunday 15 November, 6.35pm AEST · Lang Park, Brisbane |
| Women’s final | Sunday 15 November, 3.15pm AEST · Lang Park, Brisbane |
| Semi-finals | 7 November (Newcastle) and 8 November (Sydney) — both draws |
| Scale | 4 tournaments · 10 men’s teams · 8 women’s · 8 wheelchair · 3 PDRL · 53 matches |
| Tickets | Through Ticketmaster Australia |
Fixtures, kick-off times and venue capacities as published by the tournament. Checked 17 September 2026.
How the tournament works
The men’s format is unusual and worth understanding before the first whistle. Ten teams are split into one pool of four and two pools of three. Pool A plays as a normal round-robin, and its top two go straight to the semi-finals. Pools B and C never play inside their own pool — every team crosses over and plays all three teams from the other pool instead. Those six results form one combined table, and its top two take the remaining semi-final places.
It means a Pool B side is not competing against Pool B rivals for qualification — it is competing against Pool C on a shared ladder, having played a completely different set of opponents. The women’s tournament is simpler: two pools of four, straight round-robin, top two from each pool into the semi-finals.
Men’s World Cup pools
| Pool | Teams | Route to the semi-finals |
|---|---|---|
| Pool A | Australia · New Zealand · Fiji · Cook Islands | Round-robin. Top two qualify directly. |
| Pool B | England · Samoa · Lebanon | Each side plays all three Pool C teams. Combined B&C table decides. |
| Pool C | Tonga · Papua New Guinea · France | Each side plays all three Pool B teams. Combined B&C table decides. |
Pool A is the hard one. Australia and New Zealand meet in the opening game, and Fiji have reached the semi-finals in three of the last four World Cups. On the other side of the draw, Tonga v Samoa in Parramatta on 1 November is the fixture most likely to decide who goes through — it is the last match of the pool stage and both sides will know exactly what they need.
Men’s fixtures: every match, date and kick-off
All 18 men’s matches. Times are local to the venue — note that Perth is AWST (two hours behind Sydney in October), Christchurch is NZDT (two ahead) and Port Moresby is PNGST.
| Date | Kick-off | Match | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 15 Oct | 8.05pm AEDT | Australia v New Zealand | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney |
| Fri 16 Oct | 5.45pm AEDT | Samoa v France | Western Sydney Stadium | Parramatta |
| Sat 17 Oct | 2.25pm PNGST | Papua New Guinea v Lebanon | PNG Football Stadium | Port Moresby |
| Sat 17 Oct | 5.05pm AWST | England v Tonga | Perth Rectangular Stadium | Perth |
| Sun 18 Oct | 4.05pm AEDT | Fiji v Cook Islands | Newcastle International Sports Centre | Newcastle |
| Fri 23 Oct | 8.05pm AEDT | Tonga v Lebanon | Western Sydney Stadium | Parramatta |
| Sat 24 Oct | 2.25pm PNGST | Papua New Guinea v Samoa | PNG Football Stadium | Port Moresby |
| Sat 24 Oct | 2.35pm AWST | England v France | Perth Rectangular Stadium | Perth |
| Sun 25 Oct | 6.05pm NZDT | New Zealand v Cook Islands | Te Kaha | Christchurch |
| Sun 25 Oct | 7.05pm AEST | Australia v Fiji | Lang Park | Brisbane |
| Fri 30 Oct | 8.05pm AEDT | England v Papua New Guinea | Wollongong Showground | Wollongong |
| Sat 31 Oct | 2.45pm AEST | New Zealand v Fiji | Robina Stadium | Gold Coast |
| Sat 31 Oct | 7.05pm AEST | Australia v Cook Islands | North Queensland Stadium | Townsville |
| Sun 1 Nov | 5.50pm AEDT | Lebanon v France | Western Sydney Stadium | Parramatta |
| Sun 1 Nov | 8.05pm AEDT | Tonga v Samoa | Western Sydney Stadium | Parramatta |
| Sat 7 Nov | 8.05pm AEDT | Semi-final 1 · Pool A runners-up v Pools B&C winner | Newcastle International Sports Centre | Newcastle |
| Sun 8 Nov | 8.05pm AEDT | Semi-final 2 · Pool A winner v Pools B&C runners-up | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney |
| Sun 15 Nov | 6.35pm AEST | FINAL | Lang Park | Brisbane |
Women’s World Cup pools
| Pool | Teams |
|---|---|
| Pool A | Australia · England · Samoa · Wales |
| Pool B | New Zealand · Papua New Guinea · France · Fiji |
Australia and England are drawn together in Pool A, which means the two strongest sides in the women’s game meet in Perth on 24 October before either reaches a semi-final. Wales and Samoa qualified through the European and Asia-Pacific pathways; Fiji came through the World Series.
Women’s fixtures: every match, date and kick-off
| Date | Kick-off | Match | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 16 Oct | 8.05pm AEDT | Australia v Samoa | Western Sydney Stadium | Parramatta |
| Sat 17 Oct | 12.15pm PNGST | Papua New Guinea v France | PNG Football Stadium | Port Moresby |
| Sat 17 Oct | 2.35pm AWST | England v Wales | Perth Rectangular Stadium | Perth |
| Sun 18 Oct | 1.50pm AEDT | New Zealand v Fiji | Newcastle International Sports Centre | Newcastle |
| Fri 23 Oct | 5.50pm AEDT | Samoa v Wales | Western Sydney Stadium | Parramatta |
| Sat 24 Oct | 12.15pm PNGST | Papua New Guinea v Fiji | PNG Football Stadium | Port Moresby |
| Sat 24 Oct | 5.05pm AWST | Australia v England | Perth Rectangular Stadium | Perth |
| Sun 25 Oct | 3.50pm NZDT | New Zealand v France | Te Kaha | Christchurch |
| Fri 30 Oct | 5.50pm AEDT | England v Samoa | Wollongong Showground | Wollongong |
| Sat 31 Oct | 12.35pm AEST | Fiji v France | Robina Stadium | Gold Coast |
| Sat 31 Oct | 4.55pm AEST | New Zealand v Papua New Guinea | Robina Stadium | Gold Coast |
| Sun 1 Nov | 3.45pm AEDT | Australia v Wales | Western Sydney Stadium | Parramatta |
| Sat 7 Nov | 5.55pm AEDT | Semi-final 1 · Pool B winner v Pool A runners-up | Newcastle International Sports Centre | Newcastle |
| Sun 8 Nov | 5.55pm AEDT | Semi-final 2 · Pool A winner v Pool B runners-up | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney |
| Sun 15 Nov | 3.15pm AEST | FINAL | Lang Park | Brisbane |
The wheelchair and PDRL World Cups
Both run inside the same window and both are full World Cups, not exhibitions. The wheelchair tournament is played entirely at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre between 30 October and 13 November — eight teams, two pools of four, with ranking semi-finals and placement play-offs so every side plays a meaningful final match.
| Tournament | Pool A | Pool B |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelchair | Australia · France · New Zealand · Scotland | England · Ireland · United States · Wales |
The PDRL (physical disability rugby league) tournament is a three-team competition between Australia, England and New Zealand, running 30 October to 8 November. Group matches are at Cabramatta Stadium and the final is at Sydney Football Stadium on 8 November, as part of the same game day as the men’s and women’s semi-finals.
Every venue, capacity and what it hosts
Twelve venues across ten host cities. Most game days are double or triple headers — a women’s match and a men’s match on the same ticket at the same ground. Only three matches across the whole tournament are stand-alone fixtures, and all three involve the Australian men’s team.
| City | Venue | Capacity | What it hosts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | Sydney Football Stadium | 42,500 | Opening match, a semi-final in both the men’s and women’s draws, and the PDRL final |
| Brisbane | Lang Park | 52,500 | Both finals, 15 November — the biggest day of the tournament |
| Parramatta | Western Sydney Stadium | 30,000 | Six fixtures, including Tonga v Samoa and the Australia women’s opener |
| Perth | Perth Rectangular Stadium | 20,500 | England’s two pool matches, plus Australia v England in the women’s draw |
| Newcastle | Newcastle International Sports Centre | 33,000 | A semi-final in both draws — Hunter and Newcastle RL catchment |
| Wollongong | Wollongong Showground | 23,750 | England v PNG and England v Samoa — Illawarra and South Coast catchment |
| Wollongong | Wollongong Entertainment Centre | 6,000 | The entire wheelchair tournament |
| Gold Coast | Robina Stadium | 27,690 | Three fixtures across the men’s and women’s draws |
| Townsville | North Queensland Stadium | 25,455 | Australia v Cook Islands, 31 October |
| Christchurch | Te Kaha | 30,000 | New Zealand’s home fixtures in both draws |
| Port Moresby | PNG Football Stadium | 14,800 | Four fixtures — Papua New Guinea’s first World Cup matches at home |
| Cabramatta | Cabramatta Stadium | ~2,000 | PDRL group stage |
How the ten men’s teams qualified
Eight places were decided by the 2021 World Cup group stage — the top two from each of the four groups carried their qualification straight into 2026. The last two came through play-offs in late 2025.
| Team | Qualified via | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Winners, 2021 Group B | Defending champions |
| New Zealand | Winners, 2021 Group C | Co-hosts |
| England | Winners, 2021 Group A | Beaten 2021 semi-finalists |
| Tonga | Winners, 2021 Group D | Reached the 2021 semi-finals |
| Fiji | Runners-up, 2021 Group B | Semi-finalists in three of the last four World Cups |
| Samoa | Runners-up, 2021 Group A | 2021 finalists |
| Lebanon | Runners-up, 2021 Group C | — |
| Papua New Guinea | Runners-up, 2021 Group D | Co-hosts |
| France | Northern Hemisphere play-off | Qualified 25 October 2025 |
| Cook Islands | Southern Hemisphere play-off | Qualified 9 November 2025 |
Squads
Teams named wider squads of 40 players from September 2026, to be cut to 24 before the tournament begins. Expect withdrawals and late call-ups through the back end of the NRL and Super League seasons — the final 24-man lists are the ones worth waiting for.
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. Because most game days are double or triple headers, a single ticket usually covers more than one international, which makes the pool rounds substantially better value than the finals.
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. Both finals are on Sunday 15 November at Lang Park in Brisbane — the women’s at 3.15pm AEST and the men’s at 6.35pm AEST.
Which countries are hosting?
Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, across 12 venues in 10 host cities. It is Papua New Guinea’s first time hosting World Cup matches at home, with four fixtures at PNG Football Stadium in Port Moresby.
How many tournaments are there?
Four, all running concurrently and all billed as World Cups: men’s (10 teams), women’s (8), wheelchair (8) and PDRL (3). That is 53 matches in total across 31 days.
How does the men’s pool format work?
One pool of four (Pool A) and two pools of three (Pools B and C). Pool A is a round-robin and its top two go straight to the semi-finals. Pools B and C do not play within themselves — every team plays all three sides from the other pool, and the top two on that combined six-team table take the remaining semi-final places.
Are there World Cup matches in country NSW?
Newcastle and Wollongong both host matches — the closest the tournament comes to the NSW country competitions. Newcastle has a semi-final in both the men’s and women’s draws on 7 November, and Wollongong Showground hosts England twice. Wollongong Entertainment Centre hosts the whole wheelchair tournament.
Where is the final?
Lang Park in Brisbane, Sunday 15 November 2026. Both the men’s and women’s finals are played there on the same day, women’s first at 3.15pm AEST, men’s at 6.35pm AEST.
Who are the defending champions?
Australia, who won the 2021 tournament (played in England in late 2022). Samoa were the beaten finalists. Australia open the defence against New Zealand in the first match.
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 NRL side, our 2026 finals guide tracks the road to the grand final. 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.
Venue guides
City-by-city guides to what each New South Wales venue actually gets: Newcastle (a double-header and both semi-finals), Parramatta (seven matches, including a triple-header) and Wollongong (one night, England twice).
