Wales Wheelchair have ramped up preparations for IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Wollongong afer selecting two squads to face the UK Armed Forces at Wrexham University on Saturday 14th March.

Wales coach Alan Caron has named 17 players for the two matches - eight in the main squad and a further nine in the development side.

However, each match will feature 10 players so Caron can study closely the players in contention for RLWC2026, which will feature Men's, Women's and Wheelchair tournaments being played simultaneously in October and November.

The Wheelchair World Cup will feature eight teams playing 21 matches from October 30, with the tournament to be played in its entirety at WIN Entertainment Centre.

Gary Preece of Midlands Hurricanes, who is returning to the Wales side for the first time in two years, will start the day by playing for Wales A, whilst two further players from the first match will also form part of the main Wales squad on the day, the names of whom are still to be confirmed.

Preece, joins seven of the players who beat UK Armed Forces 24-22 in Hull last November, with Jodie Boyd-Ward once again captaining the side and Stuart Williams again the vice-captain.

The Wales A side contains just two players who have not yet played for Wales, in Libbie Sargent of Cardiff Blue Dragons and Midlands Hurricanes, and Gareth Ramsey of Sheffield Eagles. All the other players have previously won full caps for Wales.

Caron said: “As head coach of Wales Wheelchair Rugby League, playing the second match against UK Armed Forces and leading the first A team match of our national programme marks a defining step forward.

“It reflects the growth of our pathway, the standards we’re setting, and the pride of representing something bigger than ourselves every time we take the court.

“It’s a big year for us, with the Celtic Cup in May in Edinburgh and the World Cup in October/November in Australia, and these matches next month form a big part of our preparation for both tournaments.”

Wales squad: Jodie Boyd-Ward (Leeds Rhinos, captain), Jonathan Gill, Matthew Turner, Jakub Wasieczko (all North Wales Crusaders), Stuart Williams (North Wales Crusaders/Edinburgh Giants, vice captain), Gary Preece (Midlands Hurricanes), Brogan Evans, Mark Williams (both South Wales Jets/Wigan Warriors) plus two TBC.

Wales A squad: Jess Booth (Cardiff Blue Dragons/Chester Gladiators), Lee Sargent, Libbie Sargent (both Cardiff Blue Dragons/Midlands Hurricanes), Harry Mitchell-Jones, Lucie Roberts, Martin Turner (all North Wales Crusaders), Gareth Ramsey (Sheffield Eagles), Jamie Reynolds, Jason Reynolds (both South Wales Jets/Midlands Hurricanes).

The Rugby League World Cup 2026 Wheelchair tournament features two groups of four:

Group A

England
Ireland
Wales
USA

Group B

France
Australia
Scotland
New Zealand

England enters the tournament as the world’s number one ranked nation and will be out to defend their 2022 World Cup crown.

The host nation, Australia’s Wheelaroos are looking to build on a semi-final finish in 2022. The Wheelaroos best previous result at a World Cup was a runner-up finish in the inaugural 2008 event.

The opening match of the tournament will coincide with a Men’s and Women’s RLWC 2026 double header at WIN Stadium on October 30.

Tickets are just $15 (AUD) for adults and $5 (AUD) for children, or kids go free with a family ticket purchase (2 adults & 2 children).

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