The semi-finals for the 2026 World Cup are locked and loaded after a pulsating weekend that saw England bow out, Australia and the Kiwis fine tune and Tonga and Samoa produce an instant classic in front of a record CommBank Stadium crowd.

The round opened in Wollongong with England needing to rack up a big win over PNG and then hope Tonga could do the same against Tonga.

After bursting out of the blocks to lead 22-0 after 22 minutes, England lost their way and could manage only two more tries in the remaining 58 minutes while the Kumuls grabbed two of their own.

That left England needing Tonga to beat Samoa by 47 points if they were to sneak into the semis but realistically Brian McDermott's men left the Gong knowing they were done.

The Kiwis and Kangaroos went through the motions with big wins on Saturday before the eyes of the rugby league world turned to CommBank Stadium for the showdown between two Pacific powerhouses in front of 29,411 fans.

Before the main event began the crowd got an unexpected bonus when Lebanon and France produced a golden point classic decided in the 85th minute by an Abbas Miski try after Arthur Mourgue rolled the dice on a chip kick 10m out from his own line and came up empty.

Just five minutes earlier the French fullback had been the hero when he sent the game into golden point with a 40-metre field goal but he was left distraught after Miski picked off his kick and raced away to give the Cedars an emotional win.

That set the stage for the most anticipated game of the tournament and it delivered on every level as Tonga and Samoa went toe-to-toe in a battle worthy of a World Cup final.

In the end it was Tonga prevailing 20-18 thanks to a late Addin Fonua-Blake and some desperation goal line defence that they will need to reproduce if they are to get past New Zealand in Newcastle on Friday night.

The Kiwis go into the match without winger Ronaldo Mulitalo who copped a one-game ban after being sent off for a high shot on Fiji winger Ronald Philitoga.

Beaten but unbowed, Samoa turn their attention to a semi-final against the Kangaroos - a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final won 30-10 by the green and golds in Manchester.

Judiciary: Ronaldo Mulitalo (Kiwis) - Grade 2 Careless High Tackle
Guilty - early plea. 1-match ban.

Brandon Wakeham (Fiji) - Grade 2 Striking
Early plea - 1-match ban. Guilty at panel - 2-match ban.

Nixon Putt (Kumuls) - Grade 1 Careless High Tackle.
Early plea - Warning. Guilty at panel - 1-match ban.

England v PNG, Friday 8.05pm AEDT at WIN Stadium, Wollongong

England 34 bt Papua New Guinea 12 - 30-Oct-2026

New Zealand v Fiji, Saturday 3.30pm AEDT at Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast

New Zealand 78 bt Fiji 0 - 31-Oct-2026

Australia v Cook Islands, Saturday 8.05pm at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville

Australia 66 bt Cook Islands 6 - 31-Oct-2026

Lebanon v France, Sunday 5.40pm AEDT at CommBank Stadium, Sydney

Lebanon 24 bt France 20 - 01-Nov-2026

Tonga v Samoa, Sunday 8.05pm AEDT at CommBank Stadium, Sydney

Tonga 20 bt Samoa 18 - 01-Nov-2026