The countdown is on.
The Rugby League World Cup 2026 kicks off on 15 October, bringing the world's leading rugby league nations together for a month of international competition across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
For New Zealand and Pacific rugby league supporters, there's plenty to look forward to.
The Kiwis begin their campaign against Australia. Samoa return after their historic run to the previous World Cup final. Tonga continues their rise as an international force, and the Cook Islands line up alongside Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
And for fans at home, there's a rare opportunity to see World Cup rugby league in New Zealand, with the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns playing a double-header in Christchurch.
Here's our guide to Rugby League World Cup 2026.
The Men's Rugby League World Cup begins on Thursday 15 October 2026, when Australia face New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
The tournament concludes on Sunday 15 November, when Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium hosts both the Men's and Women's World Cup finals.
RLWC26 brings together three competitions: the Men's, Women's and Wheelchair Rugby League World Cups, involving 26 teams representing 14 nations and 53 matches across nine host cities.
Matches will be played in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Port Moresby, Christchurch, Newcastle, Wollongong, the Gold Coast and Townsville.
The Rugby League World Cup was first played in 1954, and the 2026 tournament will be its 17th edition.
For New Zealand supporters, the standout moment remains 2008.
The Kiwis produced one of New Zealand rugby league's greatest performances, defeating Australia 34–20 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to become world champions for the first time.
Eighteen years later, the Kiwis return to Australia looking to add another chapter to their World Cup story.
Ten nations will compete in the Men's World Cup.
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Cook Islands
England
Samoa
Lebanon
Tonga
Papua New Guinea
France
The tournament uses an unusual format.
The four Group A nations play each other once, with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.
Teams in Groups B and C don't play the other nations in their own group. Instead, each Group B nation plays the three Group C nations.
The top two teams from a combined Group B and Group C table progress to the semi-finals.
This format creates some outstanding international match-ups: England v Tonga, Papua New Guinea v Samoa and, potentially, Samoa v Tonga.
The Kiwis couldn't have been given a much bigger opening assignment.
Australia v New Zealand opens the Men's World Cup at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on 15 October.
It's another chapter in one of international rugby league's great rivalries.
After facing Australia, the Kiwis return home for their only World Cup match in New Zealand.
On Sunday 25 October, the Kiwis face the Cook Islands at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch.
It's part of a World Cup double-header, with the Kiwi Ferns playing France before the men's match.
It's also the only Rugby League World Cup fixture staged in New Zealand, and demand has been strong, with organisers recently reporting limited tickets remain.
The Kiwis then complete their group programme against Fiji on the Gold Coast on Saturday 31 October.
The World Cup also brings a new generation of New Zealand rugby league apparel.
The Kiwis NZRL Replica Home Jersey 2026 combines some classic Kiwis elements with a modern design. The traditional chevron returns, the Rugby League World Cup 26 logo appears on the arm, and a commemorative detail at the bottom hem remembers the Kiwis' 2008 World Cup triumph.
RYOS also has a selection of 2026 Kiwis training and supporter apparel, including the RLWC26 Baseball Shirt, Training Singlet, Media Polo and Performance Hoodie.
Kiwis Rugby League Merchandise
The Women's Rugby League World Cup runs alongside the men's tournament.
The Kiwi Ferns are in Group B alongside Papua New Guinea, France and Fiji, while Australia, England, Samoa and Wales make up Group A.
The top two teams from each group progress to the semi-finals.
For New Zealand fans, the highlight comes in Christchurch, when the Kiwi Ferns face France at One NZ Stadium on 25 October, immediately before the Kiwis take on the Cook Islands.
The Women's World Cup culminates alongside the Men's tournament at Suncorp Stadium on 15 November.
Few nations demonstrate the changing face of international rugby league better than Samoa.
At the previous World Cup, Toa Samoa became the first Pacific nation to reach a Rugby League World Cup final, eventually meeting Australia at Old Trafford.
In 2026, Samoa are in Group B, but the crossover format means their matches are against the three Group C nations: France, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.
Their campaign begins against France in Sydney on 16 October before they travel to Port Moresby to face Papua New Guinea on 24 October.
Then comes one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament.
Sunday 1 November at CommBank Stadium, Sydney.
Samoa against Tonga has become one of international rugby league's great Pacific rivalries.
The match also comes at the end of the group stage, meaning it could have a major bearing on which country progresses to the semi-finals.
RYOS currently has official Toa Samoa 2026 merchandise, including the new Training T-Shirt featuring lightweight recycled polyester performance fabric and sublimated team branding.
Shop Toa Samoa Rugby League Merchandise
Tonga's transformation into a major international rugby league nation has been one of the game's great stories of the past decade.
Their breakthrough came at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, helping ignite what World Cup organisers describe as a Pacific rugby league revolution.
Tonga is in Group C alongside Papua New Guinea and France, but under the crossover format they face England, Lebanon and Samoa.
Their tournament begins with a major test against England in Perth on 17 October, followed by Lebanon in Sydney on 23 October.
Then comes Samoa on 1 November.
For Tongan supporters, that alone makes this a World Cup worth watching.
Shop Tonga Rugby League Merchandise
The Cook Islands may be one of the smaller nations at RLWC26, but they'll be playing on a very big stage.
They've been drawn in Group A alongside Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
Their tournament begins against Fiji in Newcastle on 18 October, followed by New Zealand in Christchurch on 25 October and Australia in Townsville on 31 October.
For Cook Islands supporters in New Zealand, the Christchurch match should be particularly special.
RYOS currently has official Cook Islands Rugby League 2026 merchandise, including the Cook Islands Rugby League Training T-Shirt.
Shop Cook Islands Rugby League Merchandise
One of the great stories of RLWC26 will be the strength of Pacific rugby league.
New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands make up six of the ten nations in the Men's World Cup.
And they're not simply there to make up the numbers.
New Zealand have won the past two Pacific Championships.
Samoa reached the previous World Cup final.
Tonga have established themselves at the top level of the international game.
Fiji have reached the semi-finals at three of the past four World Cups, while Papua New Guinea have won the Pacific Bowl for the past three years.
For rugby league supporters in New Zealand, that creates something quite different from the weekly NRL season. Club loyalties take a back seat. For a month, it's about country.
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 15 October | Australia v New Zealand | Allianz Stadium, Sydney |
| 16 October | Samoa v France | CommBank Stadium, Sydney |
| 17 October | England v Tonga | HBF Park, Perth |
| 18 October | Fiji v Cook Islands | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle |
| 23 October | Tonga v Lebanon | CommBank Stadium, Sydney |
| 24 October | Papua New Guinea v Samoa | Port Moresby |
| 25 October | Kiwi Ferns v France | One NZ Stadium, Christchurch |
| 25 October | New Zealand v Cook Islands | One NZ Stadium, Christchurch |
| 31 October | New Zealand v Fiji | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast |
| 31 October | Australia v Cook Islands | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville |
| 1 November | Samoa v Tonga | CommBank Stadium, Sydney |
| 7 November | Men's & Women's Semi-final 1 | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle |
| 8 November | Men's & Women's Semi-final 2 | Allianz Stadium, Sydney |
| 15 November | Men's & Women's World Cup Finals | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
The World Cup is bigger than the Men's tournament.
The Men's, Women's and Wheelchair World Cups are being staged together, with 26 teams from 14 nations competing across the three tournaments.
That means a month celebrating international rugby league in all its forms before the champions are crowned in November.
A Rugby League World Cup is different.
For most of the year, rugby league in New Zealand revolves around the NRL and club loyalties.
The World Cup changes that. It's the black and white of the Kiwis, the blue of Toa Samoa, the red of Tonga, and the green of the Cook Islands.
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