The 2026 Rugby League World Cup began in Sydney this week and runs until 15 November, with men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments played across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
The Rugby League World Cup 2026 runs from 15 October to 15 November across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, according to the NRL’s announcement of the fixtures and a preview by Sportstralia. The event includes men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions, with 53 matches involving 26 teams from 14 nations, according to the same previews.
The men’s tournament opened in Sydney. A sports roundup published on 14 October says that the men’s World Cup kicked off with the defending champions and world number ones, Australia, taking on New Zealand in a Group A game. The sources reviewed do not give the result, the venue or the score, so Delima News does not report them.
The women’s tournament opens on Friday, 16 October, when the hosts Australia play Samoa at CommBank Stadium at 8:05 pm Sydney time, according to the search summary of the fixtures. The same roundup describes the women’s competition as starting on Friday morning in British time, which matches that kick-off.
The three competitions are played under the same tournament banner. The men’s event is the oldest and the best known, and the women’s and wheelchair events are played in the same period, which means that the 53 matches cover all three tournaments, a point that the previews make by listing them together. The sources reviewed do not give the number of matches in each competition, so no split is given here.
The numbers allow a few simple calculations. The tournament lasts 32 days, from 15 October to 15 November inclusive, and 53 matches over that period is an average of about 1.7 matches a day, which are Delima News’ own calculations. With 26 teams from 14 nations, some nations enter more than one team, since the men’s, women’s and wheelchair events each have their own entries, but the previews do not say how many teams are in each competition.
The calendar is simple to describe. The tournament starts on Thursday, 15 October and ends on Sunday, 15 November, which are weekdays that Delima News has worked out from the dates, and the women’s tournament opens a day after the men’s. The sources reviewed do not give the dates of the finals of each competition, so it is not known whether they will be played on the same day.
Australia are the favourites by ranking. They are the defending men’s champions and the world number one side, according to the roundup. The sources reviewed do not give the draw, the other teams in Group A or the format of the knockout stage, and Delima News does not guess them.
The host countries are Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, according to the NRL announcement. The sources reviewed do not list the venues in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea or the stage of the tournament that will be played in each country.
The tournament is also a test of broadcasting and access. Cybernews has published a guide on how to watch the competition from different countries, and the headline refers to free viewing options, but the guide was not opened, so Delima News does not list the broadcasters.
Delima News will report the results of the opening matches when the scores are confirmed.
Image: CommBank Stadium in Sydney, venue of the women’s opener (file photo). Photo: JC Kotisow / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
