The 2026 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2026) is a collection of

world cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

s in the sport of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

and is a replacement tournament for the

2025 Rugby League World Cup The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will be the seventeenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and will be held in France in October and November 2025. Beyond the Rugby League World Cup, there will be several other separate World Cups under the t ...

. Like

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, the 2026 World Cup will see the men's,

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

, and

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

world cups simultaneously. However unlike 2021, the men's tournament will feature ten teams only, and the planned expansion of the women's and wheelchair tournament will be delayed keeping team numbers at eight in each.

Host selection

Originally due to be staged in the US and Canada in 2025, the offer was withdrawn due to financial concerns. In 2022 hosting was awarded to France. In May 2023 the French organisers pulled out of hosting the games. On 3 August 2023 the 2025 tournaments were cancelled by the sport's governing body with the announcement that a new reduced-size tournament would take place in the southern hemisphere in 2026.

Nations

10 nations had already qualified for the tournaments: * (M, W, WC) * (M, W, WC) * (M) * (WC) * (M) * (M, W) * (M, W) * (M) * (M) * (WC) Note: M= Men's tournament, W=

Women's tournament A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

, WC= Wheelchair tournament

Competitions

As with 2021, the men's, women's, and wheelchair rugby league world cups will be held simultaneously in equal prominence.

Men

Women

Wheelchair

Legacy

With the announcement of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup,

International Rugby League The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the ''Rugby League Imperial Board'', the '' International Rugby League Board'' and latterly the ''Rugby League Internat ...

also announced a long awaited international rugby league calendar dating from 2023 to 2030, citing the cancellations of the 2025 tournament as "the perfect opportunity" to refresh the international game. The calendar confirmed the already arranged 2023 Tonga tour of England, and also announced a 2025 Lions and Lionesses tour of Australia (which will include the revival of

The Ashes The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, ''The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first Te ...

), 2027 Kiwi tour of England, 2028 Kangaroo tour of England, and a 2029 tour between England and an unconfirmed Pacific Nation. The announcement also stated a 2024 Samoa tour of England would be likely, as this was already being discussed by the two nations, however Samoa eventually declined the offer. The calendar also announced that the

Women's Rugby League World Cup The Women's Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament, contested by the women's national team of the International Rugby League (IRL). The competition has been held since 2000 in Great Britain and since 2008 has been ...

would be a stand alone event staring in

2028 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 – Books, films, and other works published in 1932 will enter the public domain in the United States. * January 12 – Partial lunar eclipse. * January 26 – Small annular solar eclip ...

. In addition, there would be a renewed focus on regional tournaments to aid in developing lesser rugby league nations. A later announcement confirmed the

Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup The Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup is an international wheelchair rugby league tournament contested by the top national teams. The tournament was first held in 2008 as part of the Festival of World Cups held in Australia. The first winners we ...

would also be a stand alone event staring in

2029 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 – Books, films, and other works published in 1933 will enter the public domain in the United States, one prominent example being the original ''King Kong''. * January 14 – A solar eclips ...

References

{{Rlwc

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

World Cup 2026