NRL
Held once every four years the IRL Rugby League World Cup returns in 2026 and takes place between October 15 to November 15, 2026.
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In total, 33 matches will played across Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Australia goes into this year’s tournament as the reigning champions in both the men’s and women’s events and are strong favourites to repeat their titles from the last World Cup held in England back in 2023.
The Sporting News looks at the key details for this year’s World Cup tournament including full match schedules and TV broadcast and live streaming details.
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Rugby League World Cup 2026 — Men’s Match Schedule
- Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands (round-robin within group)
- Group B: England, Samoa, Lebanon
- Group C: Tonga, Papua New Guinea, France (Group B teams each play all of Group C, and vice versa)
Date | Match | Venue | Local Kick-off |
Thu 15 Oct | Australia v New Zealand | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 8:05pm AEDT |
Fri 16 Oct | Samoa v France | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 6:45pm AEDT |
Sat 17 Oct | Papua New Guinea v Lebanon | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 3:25pm |
Sat 17 Oct | England v Tonga | HBF Park, Perth | 6:05pm AWST |
Sun 18 Oct | Fiji v Cook Islands | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 5:05pm AEDT |
Fri 23 Oct | Tonga v Lebanon | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 8:05pm AEDT |
Sat 24 Oct | Papua New Guinea v Samoa | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 3:25pm |
Sat 24 Oct | England v France | HBF Park, Perth | 3:35pm AWST |
Sun 25 Oct | New Zealand v Cook Islands | One NZ Stadium, Christchurch | 6:05pm NZDT |
Sun 25 Oct | Australia v Fiji | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 7:05pm AEST |
Fri 30 Oct | England v Papua New Guinea | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | 8:05pm AEDT |
Sat 31 Oct | New Zealand v Fiji | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 2:45pm AEST |
Sat 31 Oct | Australia v Cook Islands | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | 7:05pm AEST |
Sun 1 Nov | Lebanon v France | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 5:50pm AEDT |
Sun 1 Nov | Tonga v Samoa | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 8:05pm AEDT |
Sat 7 Nov | Semi-Final 1: TBC v TBC | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 8:05pm AEDT |
Sun 8 Nov | Semi-Final 2: TBC v TBC | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 8:05pm AEDT |
Sun 15 Nov | Final: TBC v TBC | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 6:35pm AEST |
Rugby League World Cup 2026 — Women’s Match Schedule
- Group A: Australia, England, Samoa, Wales
- Group B: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, France, Fiji
Date | Match | Venue | Local Kick-off |
Fri 16 Oct | Australia v Samoa | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 9:05pm AEDT |
Sat 17 Oct | Papua New Guinea v France | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 1:15pm |
Sat 17 Oct | England v Wales | HBF Park, Perth | 3:35pm AWST |
Sun 18 Oct | New Zealand v Fiji | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 2:50pm AEDT |
Fri 23 Oct | Samoa v Wales | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 6:50pm AEDT |
Sat 24 Oct | Fiji v Papua New Guinea | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 1:15pm |
Sat 24 Oct | Australia v England | HBF Park, Perth | 6:05pm AWST |
Sun 25 Oct | New Zealand v France | One NZ Stadium, Christchurch | 3:50pm NZDT |
Fri 30 Oct | England v Samoa | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | 5:50pm AEDT |
Sat 31 Oct | Fiji v France | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 12:35pm AEST |
Sat 31 Oct | New Zealand v Papua New Guinea | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 4:55pm AEST |
Sun 1 Nov | Australia v Wales | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 3:45pm AEDT |
Sat 7 Nov | Semi-Final 1: TBC v TBC | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 5:55pm AEDT |
Sun 8 Nov | Semi-Final 2: TBC v TBC | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 5:55pm AEDT |
Sun 15 Nov | Final: TBC v TBC | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 3:15pm AEST |
How to watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Australia
- Free-to-air channel: Channel Seven
- Subscription channel: n/a
- Live stream: 7plus Sport
The Seven Network holds the exclusive live and free-to-air broadcast rights for the Rugby League World Cup 2026in Australia.
Every match across the men’s and women’s tournaments will be broadcast live and free on Channel Seven with streaming available via 7plus Sport.
Commentators will include Andrew Voss, Luke Keary, Corey Parker, Aaron Woods, James Graham and Shane Flanagan with Mel McLaughlin also part of Seven’s on-air team.
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MORE RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP:
- Rugby League World Cup squads: Every team list for the 2026 tournament
- Australia announces powerful Kangaroos squad for Rugby League World Cup defence
- Kangaroo killers? NZ announces scary 2026 Rugby League World Cup squad
- Rugby League World Cup: Which clubs are providing the most players?
- Tonga reveals star-studded squad for Rugby League World Cup
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