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The Rugby League World Cup 2026 is underway as the world's best players head to the southern hemisphere for a month of thrilling action.
Held once every four years, this year's tournament takes place between October 15 and November 15, across venues in Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Australia head into this year's tournament as the reigning champions in both the men's and women's events and are strong favorites to repeat their titles from the last World Cup held in England in 2023.
The Sporting News looks at the key details for this year's World Cup tournament including TV broadcast and live streaming details and full match schedules.
How to watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in USA
- TV channel: N/A
- Live stream: Premier Sports
Premier Sports is the exclusive rights holder of the Rugby League 2026 World Cup.
Fans can sign up to watch all 53 games live of the men's, women's and wheelchair games for a fee of just $25.
Rugby League World Cup 2026 - Men's match schedule
- Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands (round-robin within group)
- Group B: England, Samoa, Lebanon
- Group C: Tonga, Papua New Guinea, France (Group B teams each play all of Group C, and vice versa)
Date | Match | Venue | Kickoff time (ET) |
Thu 15 Oct | Australia v New Zealand | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 5:05 a.m. ET |
Fri 16 Oct | Samoa v France | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 2:45 a.m. ET |
Sat 17 Oct | Papua New Guinea v Lebanon | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 12:25 a.m. ET |
Sat 17 Oct | England v Tonga | HBF Park, Perth | 5:05 a.m. ET |
Sun 18 Oct | Fiji v Cook Islands | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 1:05 a.m. ET |
Fri 23 Oct | Tonga v Lebanon | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 5:05 a.m. ET |
Sat 24 Oct | Papua New Guinea v Samoa | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 12:25 a.m. ET |
Sat 24 Oct | England v France | HBF Park, Perth | 2:35 a.m. ET |
Sun 25 Oct | New Zealand v Cook Islands | One NZ Stadium, Christchurch | 12:05 a.m. ET |
Sun 25 Oct | Australia v Fiji | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 4:05 a.m. ET |
Fri 30 Oct | England v Papua New Guinea | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | 4:05 a.m. ET |
Fri 30 Oct | New Zealand v Fiji | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 11:45 p.m. ET |
Sat 31 Oct | Australia v Cook Islands | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | 4:05 a.m. ET |
Sun 1 Nov | Lebanon v France | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 1:50 a.m. ET |
Sun 1 Nov | Tonga v Samoa | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 4:05 a.m. ET |
Sat 7 Nov | Semi-Final 1: TBC v TBC | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 4:05 a.m. ET |
Sun 8 Nov | Semi-Final 2: TBC v TBC | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 4:05 a.m. ET |
Sun 15 Nov | Final: TBC v TBC | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 3:35 a.m. ET |
Rugby League World Cup 2026 - Women's match schedule
- Group A: Australia, England, Samoa, Wales
- Group B: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, France, Fiji
Date | Match | Venue | Kickoff time (ET) |
Fri 16 Oct | Australia v Samoa | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 5:05 a.m. ET |
Fri 16 Oct | Papua New Guinea v France | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 10:15 p.m. ET |
Sat 17 Oct | England v Wales | HBF Park, Perth | 2:45 a.m. ET |
Sat 17 Oct | New Zealand v Fiji | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 10:50 p.m. ET |
Fri 23 Oct | Samoa v Wales | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 2:50 a.m. ET |
Fri 23 Oct | Fiji v Papua New Guinea | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 10:15 p.m. ET |
Sat 24 Oct | Australia v England | HBF Park, Perth | 5:05 a.m. ET |
Sat 24 Oct | New Zealand v France | One NZ Stadium, Christchurch | 9:50 p.m. ET |
Fri 30 Oct | England v Samoa | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | 1:50 a.m. ET |
Fri 30 Oct | Fiji v France | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 9:35 p.m. ET |
Sat 31 Oct | New Zealand v Papua New Guinea | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 1:55 a.m. ET |
Sat 31 Oct | Australia v Wales | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 11:45 p.m. ET |
Sat 7 Nov | Semi-Final 1: TBC v TBC | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 1:55 a.m. ET |
Sun 8 Nov | Semi-Final 2: TBC v TBC | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 1:55 a.m. ET |
Sun 15 Nov | Final: TBC v TBC | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 12:15 a.m. ET |
