Rugby League World Cup Guide: Key Dates, Fixtures and Format

After an extra year of waiting, the Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) is finally back in 2026.

Across the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments, 14 different nations will be represented, set to play their fixtures throughout the host nations of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

With the 2021 edition held in England, the competition was originally planned to stay in Europe after France’s successful bid was announced in 2022, however their withdrawal sees the tournament welcomed back to the southern hemisphere.

Ranging from key dates to fixtures, this guide outlines everything you need to know about all three tournaments at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

Men’s Rugby League World Cup

Dates: 15 October – 15 November

Previous Winners: Australia

Format: 10 teams are sorted into one group of four teams and two of three. Group A is a standalone group with teams playing each other once and the top two in the group progressing to the semi-finals. 

The other two groups overlap, with each Group B side playing each Group C team once. The points of all six nations are combined into a joint B+C table, with the top two qualifying for the semi-finals.

Groups

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji

Group B: England, Lebanon, Samoa

Group C: Papua New Guinea, France, Tonga

Anything Else I Should Know?

This edition of the men’s RLWC is a smaller one, with 10 teams instead of 16. This decision was taken, in part, due to the competitive balance of the competition, with previously one-sided scorelines doing “nothing for the commercial position or integrity of the World Cup,” according to International Rugby League chairman, Troy Grant.

Women’s Rugby League World Cup

Dates: 16 October — 15 November

Previous Winners: Australia

Format: 8 teams are sorted into two groups of four, playing each other once. The top two from each group progress to the semi-finals.

Groups:

Group A: Australia, England, Samoa, Wales

Group B: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, France

Anything Else I Should Know?

In line with the NRLW and Women’s Pacific Championships, matches will be 70 minutes long.

Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup

Dates: 30 October — 13 November

Previous Winners: England 

Format: 8 teams are sorted into two groups of four, playing each other once. The top two from each group progress to the semi-finals.

Ranking matches are also played, meaning each team plays at least 5 matches overall.

Groups:

Group A: England, Ireland, United States, Wales

Group B: Australia, France, New Zealand, Scotland

Anything Else I Should Know?

Similar to the women’s competition, the 2026 edition was originally planned to double the number of participating teams, though the decision was overturned due to the rescheduling of the tournaments.

Article by Zakaria Anani