THE BEST and most competitive Rugby League World Cup is coming to Wollongong in just 100 days and for the first time fans will be able to watch Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair games together.

WIN Stadium will host a double-header on October 30, featuring England Men against Papua New Guinea Kumuls and England Women against Fetu Samoa.

The Wheelchair tournament kicks off on the same day and will be staged in its entirety at WIN Entertainment Centre.

World champions England will play Wales in a Wheelchair double-header, also featuring Ireland versus USA, which will then be followed by the Men’s and Women’s double-header.

It will be the first time Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair internationals have been played at the same sporting precinct on the same day and will be the only chance to watch all three tournaments together at Rugby League World Cup 2026.

For England fans, it is a rare opportunity to support all three England teams live on the same day, with the October 30 fixtures comprising:

MEN
England v Papua New Guinea (8.05pm)

WOMEN
England v Fetu Samoa (5.45pm)

WHEELCHAIR
England v Wales (3.30pm)
Ireland v USA (1pm)

More than 100,000 tickets have already been sold for RLWC26, and with tickets starting from just $19 for the Men’s and Women’s double-header fans are encouraged to take advantage of the accessible ticket pricing as matches are expected to sell out.

Established in 1954, the Rugby League World Cup is the second oldest sporting World Cup, and the 17th iteration is set to be the most competitive yet as Australia, New Zealand, England, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, France, Cook Islands and Lebanon battle it out for the Paul Barrière Trophy.

It is also the most inclusive sporting World Cup, with the Women’s and Men’s Rugby League World Cups played concurrently for the first time at RLWC2017 and the Wheelchair tournament added at RLWC2021, which was staged in 2022 due to COVID.

MEN

Tonga started a Pacific revolution at the 2017 World Cup and Samoa went a step further at RLWC2021 by creating history as the first Pacific nation to qualify for a World Cup final.
Since then, New Zealand have twice won the Pacific Cup, including a record 30-0 defeat of Australia in 2023, while Tonga qualified for the2024 final and Samoa played in last year’s final against the Kiwis.

The format of the pool stages for RLWC2026 ensures a cut-throat element to the Men’s tournament, with crossover games and head-to-head results potentially determining semi-final spots and ensuring every match is must win.

England’s match against Papua New Guinea at WIN Stadium on October 30 is likely to determine a semi-final berth for the winner.

Round 1 & 2 Games

Oct 17: England v Tonga (HBF Park, Perth)
Oct 24: England v France (HBF Park, Perth)
Oct 17: PNG v Lebanon (Santos Stadium, Port Moresby)
Oct 24: PNG v Toa Samoa (Santos Stadium, Port Moresby)

Previous history

England eliminated PNG in the quarter-final of the 2017 and 2022 World Cups

The 10-team Men’s tournament will include one pool of four and two pools of three nations.

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands
Group B: England, Samoa, Lebanon
Group C: Tonga, Papua New Guinea, France

Group A teams will each play three matches against the other teams in Group A. Group B and C teams will each play three matches against the teams in the adjacent group (ie Group B teams will play Group C teams only).

The Men’s tournament will kick off at Allianz Stadium on Thursday, October 15, with the heavyweight clash between the top two world-ranked teams, the Kangaroos and the Kiwis.

The top two teams from Group A will progress to the Semi-Finals, while the top two teams from a combined table of Group B and Pool C will progress to the Semi-Finals.

WOMEN

In the Women’s World Cup, eight nations are set to take to rugby league’s ultimate stage and the all-conquering Jillaroos will not have everything their own way as the growth of the NRLW and eligibility rule changes strengthen other nations.

After dominating Women’s Rugby League until their first defeat by Australia in the 2013 World Cup final, the Kiwi Ferns are again building and will be bolstered by big name stars switching from the Jillaroos and the addition of cross-code athletes.

England and Fetu Samoa out to challenge Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns as the top Women’s teams.

Round 1 & 2 Games

Oct 17: England v Wales (HBF Park, Perth)
Oct 17: Fetu Samoa v Australia (CommBank Stadium)
Oct 24: England v Australia (HBF Park, Perth)
Oct 24: Fetu Samoa v Wales (CommBank Stadium)

Past history

England were beaten by New Zealand in semi-final of 2022 World Cup
Samoa has not played in a Women’s World Cup since 2008

Group A: Australia, England, Samoa, Wales
Group B: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, France, Fiji

The Women’s tournament will kick off on Friday, October 16 with a clash between the Jillaroos and Samoa that will headline a double-header at CommBank Stadium with the Samoa v France Men’s match.

Each team will play three matches against the other teams in their Group. The top two teams from each Group will progress to the Semi-Finals.

WHEELCHAIR

Just as the 2017 World Cup took Women’s rugby league to new heights, the Wheelchair World Cup is set to expose new fans to a form of the code that underlines why rugby league is known as the greatest game for all.

England will be aiming for back-to-back Wheelchair World Cups, while France will be out to avenge their defeat in the RLWC2021 final and Australia’s Wheelaroos will be aiming to win on home soil.

The eight-team Wheelchair tournament will be played in its entirety at Wollongong’s WIN Entertainment Centre.

Opening Games (October 30)

Ireland v USA
England v Wales

Wheelaroos Draw

October 31: Australia v New Zealand
November 3: Australia v Scotland
November 6: Australia v France

Group A: England, Ireland, Wales, USA
Group B: France, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand

England’s opening match against Wales on October 30 will coincide with the England Men’s and Women’s teams playing afterwards in a double-header at the adjacent WIN Stadium, with Papua New Guinea and Fetu Samoa their respective opponents.

Rugby League World Cup 2026 returns to Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Where nations clash, heroes rise, and legends are forged. 3 World Cups. 26 Teams. The World’s Best. Tickets are now on sale from $19. Don’t miss the pinnacle of global Rugby League.

Full draw/tickets: rlwc2026.com

All matches will be broadcast live and exclusive in Australia on Seven and 7Plus, on Sky Sport in New Zealand and Digicel in Papua New Guinea.

Recap

100 Days To Go until Rugby League World Cup 2026 comes to Wollongong, with Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair matches on Friday, October 30.
Opening Wheelchair matches at WIN Entertainment Centre (WEC)
Men’s and Women’s double-header at WIN Stadium
England Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair teams all in action on same day at same venue
Big contingent of English fans expected to provide a great atmosphere
Men’s and Women’s finals spots on the line
Head-to-head results to determine Men’s semi-finalists, meaning the winner is likely to advance
Best and most competitive Men’s World Cup ever
England and Fetu Samoa out to challenge Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns as top Women’s teams
England Wheelchair team won the last World Cup in 2022, beating France in an epic final
The entire Wheelchair tournament will be played in Wollongong
Australia will kick off their Wheelchair campaign on Saturday, October 31
Tickets from just $19 for Men’s and Women’s double-header