Historic tournament across Australia, PNG & New Zealand. 11 stadiums, 26 teams, 53 matches. Three championships in one with Men's, Women's and Wheelchair tournaments.
53 matches across three tournaments from October 15-November 15, 2026
70 years of Rugby League World Cup history from Great Britain's first win to Australia's modern dominance
From Sydney's iconic Allianz Stadium to Brisbane's legendary Suncorp Stadium
Te Kaha's grand opening and PNG's passionate rugby league heartland
The Rugby League World Cup was born in 1954 in France, the brainchild of the French Rugby League Federation who had been campaigning for an international tournament since 1935. The inaugural competition featured just four teams: France, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, establishing the foundation for what would become rugby league's premier international competition.
Great Britain claimed the first championship with a 16-12 victory over France at the Parc des Princes in Paris, setting the stage for an era where the tournament would alternate between formats and continents. The early years saw innovative tournament structures, including league formats without finals in 1957 and 1960, demonstrating the experimental nature of international rugby league in its infancy.
From 1975 onwards, Australia established unprecedented dominance in international rugby league, winning 12 of the 16 World Cups contested. This era saw the tournament evolve from experimental formats to the modern structure, with Australia's golden generation of players like Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis, and later Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith establishing the Kangaroos as rugby league's most successful international team.
The most shocking moment came in 2008 when New Zealand, led by Benji Marshall and featuring a spine of Nathan Fien, Thomas Leuluai, and Jerome Ropati, defeated Australia 34-20 at Suncorp Stadium to claim their first and only World Cup. This victory remains one of rugby league's greatest upsets and demonstrated the growing strength of Pacific Island rugby league.