The pain of last year’s Ashes defeat is driving the Wheelaroos as they look to unseat defending champions England in this year’s Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup.

The Australian side fell agonisingly short of a historic victory over their fierce rivals during last year’s series, with England's Joe Coyd scoring in the 78th minute to break their hearts and secure a 2-0 series win on the Gold Coast. 

The focus of the wheelchair rugby league world will shift south to Wollongong for the 2026 World Cup in October, with tickets going on sale for the tournament last the weekend. 

England won back the trophy by defeating France in the final of the 2021 World Cup, while the Wheelaroos were eliminated in the semi-finals.

This year’s tournament will be the first Wheelchair World Cup to be held in Australia since 2008 and veteran Brad Grove said the home-crowd support will spur his side on. 

“We played England in the Ashes on the Gold Coast last year,” Grobe said. “It was the first time we’ve played them since the last World Cup and they beat us with a couple of minutes to go. 

“We’ve taken that into consideration, we’re really excited because we think we’ve got a chance to win that World Cup here. 

“Last year it was really close, to win here at home, we don’t know when the next game in Australia is going to be so we want to get as many wins here as possible.”

The Wheelchair World Cup will be held at WIN Entertainment Centre from Friday October 30 with eight teams battling it out for the trophy.

Twenty games will be played over 15 days as the tournament builds to a crescendo on Friday November 13.  

Adult tickets are available for $15, with juniors and concessions $5. 

The wheelchair tournament will be played alongside the men’s and women’s World Cups, with the adjacent WIN Stadium hosting a double-header on October 30.

Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown is thrilled to welcome the world’s best athletes to her city and expects fans to pack out the stands for the event. 

“It’s another opportunity to put Wollongong on the world stage,” Brown said. “Last year we had the World Triathlon, in 2022 we had the UCI [Road World Championships]. We’ve shown we can put on world-class events and I can’t wait for October 30 when the Wheelaroos roll on to the court at WIN Entertainment Centre. 

“The visitor economy always takes a boost whenever we have these events on, particularly when it’s over a week. People will come and stay for a period of time, spend their money around the city and that’s good for all of us.”

Wheelchair rugby league has grown considerably since the inaugural World Cup in 2008 with participation surging and more countries taking up the sport. 

From four teams at the first edition to eight teams in 2026, New Zealand is now preparing to compete in their first World Cup. 

Grove has played wheelchair rugby league since 2010 and has watched the game expand throughout the past 16 years.

Aware he’s approaching retirement, the veteran is determined to showcase his sport to a wide audience and attract new fans.

“This will be my third World Cup, I’ve been playing the sport since 2010,” Grove said. “Everyone always says winning means a lot but it really does because I don’t know how much longer I’ve got playing the sport, I’m getting older now.

“It will be great for our sport to grow with a win here. It’s more about trying to build this sport as much as it can.”

Tickets are on sale through https://www.rlwc2026.com