St. James’ Park hosts the opening game of RLWC 2021
Featured image credit: Rob Ridley
International Rugby League (IRL) has announced that Australia and Papua New Guinea will stage what it claims will be the “most competitive and culturally rich” Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) in 2026, featuring men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments.
RLWC2026, which has been awarded to the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) by the IRL Board, will be contested by a total of 26 teams – comprising of 10 men’s, eight women’s and eight wheelchair teams – in October and November 2026.
The tournament will include matches in Papua New Guinea with a view to showcasing the cultures of the Pacific, where the majority of men’s and women’s teams are set to hail from. The schedule is expected to include double-headers and triple-headers to give fans added value for ticket prices.
Today’s (Wednesday’s) announcement was made nearly a year on from the decision that the next edition of the RLWC would take place in 2026 in the southern hemisphere as IRL adopted a new hosting model for the national team tournament.
France had been due to stage the next Rugby League World Cup in 2025 but the country pulled out of hosting due to funding-related issues. IRL later announced that Qatar, New Zealand, South Africa and Fiji had declared an interest in hosting in 2025, only to confirm that the event would be pushed back 12 months to 2026. A decision on the host nations was due to be made by the end of last year.
First held in France in 1954, the RLWC is the second oldest sporting world cup after the FIFA World Cup and has followed a variety of formats, with the number of teams ranging from four to 10 in 2008, 14 in 2013 and 16 in 2017 and 2022.
IRL chair, Troy Grant, said: “On behalf of the IRL Board, I would like to congratulate ARLC chair Peter V’landys, the ARLC Board, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo and his team on the quality of their bid and I have every confidence that they will deliver the best World Cup on record.
“We have all been impressed by the ARLC’s ventures into Las Vegas, led by Peter and Andrew, and have no doubt that they will elevate the Rugby League World Cup to a new level. Rugby league has never been stronger in Australia and the Pacific, with sold-out stadiums, record television ratings and much excitement about Pacific expansion.
“The 2026 World Cup in Australia, with matches to played in Papua New Guinea, will see the rise of the game in the Pacific reach greater heights and ensure rugby league is the No.1 sport in the region.
“The condensed format at RLWC2026 will mean every single match is competitive, while the possibility of some games being played as double or triple headers represents great value for fans wanting to see the best rugby league talent on the planet. The culture, diversity and competitiveness of the nations involved will capture the attention of global audiences and grow the game ever further.”
Australia has recently staged successful World Cups in 2008 and 2017, which featured the women’s tournament being played alongside the men’s tournament for the first time. The Wheelchair World Cup was also played simultaneously with the Men’s and Women’s World Cups at RLWC2021 in England.
V’landys said: “We will host matches across Australia and in Papua New Guinea to showcase the game’s best players to inspire the next generation, and cement rugby league as the number one sport in the Pacific.
“The partnership between the two countries provides a unique opportunity to combine Australia’s experience in delivering world class and commercially viable events, while building capacity and capability in PNG, where the passion for the game is unrivalled and the potential for the game is untapped.
“The social and cultural legacy of this tournament will be wide-reaching and long-lasting, as we celebrate and promote diversity and inclusion, bringing communities together to tackle important social issues through the game of rugby league.”
IRL added that tenders to host the standalone 2028 Women’s World Cup, 2029 Wheelchair World Cup and 2030 Men’s World Cup will be announced next week.
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