International Rugby League World Cup 2026

Who will host the RLWC2026?


  • Total voters
    20
Rugby League World Cup 2026
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Context: the 2025 World Cup was originally supposed to be in USA and Canada but the offer was withdrawn due to financial concerns, hosting was subsequently awarded to France. In May 2023 the French organisers pulled out of hosting the World Cup and it’s been delayed until 2026 as they try to find someone… anyone who will host it!
 
Still gutted it’s not in France.
Looking at the possible options really rams how much the sport revolves around Australia.
We really need to give the sport a push in the northern hemisphere- we need a strong presence there to have a legit international scene. But oRiGiN….
 
Still gutted it’s not in France.
Looking at the possible options really rams how much the sport revolves around Australia.
We really need to give the sport a push in the northern hemisphere- we need a strong presence there to have a legit international scene. But oRiGiN….
It’s up to Australia to make the sport not about Australia.

At the moment I see league as a professional club sport and tests are a glorified chance for the players to see the world 😉
 
Australia makes everything about Australia - look at the fact they still have Aussie refs for Roos games.

They'll probably throw us a couple of meaningless pool games and botch the rest of the scheduling - can't wait for Samoa v Tonga on a Thursday night in Canberra!

They will do what will make them the most money, the thing is that to them means putting it at Accor thinking they will fill it out with no regard for atmosphere, and they will put the game at some ridiculous hour to cater to broadcasters lol Hopefully, the tournament is in NZ to negate that influence a bit.

My gripe at the moment is that it is planned to be just 10 teams, which is 1. Just too few, and 2. Will mean an unbelievably stupid format. The last time they had 10 teams, they had one pool of 4 teams, and two pools of 3 teams.. Also If the Pacific Championship is kept up, it would mean the RLWC is just that, plus Lebanon and England.

(Pointlessly) Crossing my fingers that they change their mind and go to 12 teams, and go with four pools of 3. Which is small but at least it can be scaled up easily so we aren't changing formats all the time. The pool games are really just warm-ups for the top teams anyway. gotta throw in a Bronze Medal Final, with such a short tournament too
 
They will do what will make them the most money, the thing is that to them means putting it at Accor thinking they will fill it out with no regard for atmosphere, and they will put the game at some ridiculous hour to cater to broadcasters lol Hopefully, the tournament is in NZ to negate that influence a bit.

My gripe at the moment is that it is planned to be just 10 teams, which is 1. Just too few, and 2. Will mean an unbelievably stupid format. The last time they had 10 teams, they had one pool of 4 teams, and two pools of 3 teams.. Also If the Pacific Championship is kept up, it would mean the RLWC is just that, plus Lebanon and England.

(Pointlessly) Crossing my fingers that they change their mind and go to 12 teams, and go with four pools of 3. Which is small but at least it can be scaled up easily so we aren't changing formats all the time. The pool games are really just warm-ups for the top teams anyway. gotta throw in a Bronze Medal Final, with such a short tournament too
The international game is crying out for a billionaire investor. Unfortunately that will probably never happen but you have to fight fire with fire. Say a billionaire comes along and wants to underwrite everything you could pretty much do whatever you wanted to and grow the game globally. You could have a 16 team World Cup in Japan or wherever. While the nrl have the money we will always play with their refs at their times and only when they want us to play them. The ship has sailed unfortunately and we will only get tokenism from the Aussies moving forward.
 

IRL RECEIVES 22 EOIS FROM 11 COUNTRIES TO HOST WORLD CUPS

International Rugby League is pleased to announce that 22 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) have been received to host IRL Rugby League World Cups from 2026 to 2030.

The IRL Rugby League World Cup is the pinnacle of the game and 11 countries representing all four IRL regions – Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East Africa – have submitted EOIs for:
  • 2026 IRL Men’s, Women’s, Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup
  • 2028 IRL Women’s Rugby League World Cup
  • 2029 IRL Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup
  • 2030 IRL Men’s Rugby League World Cup
A number of nations have submitted EOIs for more than one Rugby League World Cup, with the 2028 Women’s World Cup proving to be the most popular tournament.

The IRL has received eight EOIs to host the Women’s World Cup in 2028, highlighting the growth and importance of the women’s game. There are also five countries interested in hosting the 2029 Wheelchair World Cup, while seven have nominated for the 2030 Men’s World Cup.

In addition, two EOIs have been submitted for the 2026 IRL World Cup in the Southern Hemisphere, which was advertised internally after the withdrawal of France 2025.

Details of the bids to host a 10-team Men’s World Cup and eight team Women’s and Wheelchair World Cups in 2026 will be announced after the confirmation of tenderers on November 24, 2023.

IRL Chair Troy Grant said: “The IRL Board made the decision in July that future Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair World Cups would be staged as stand-alone events after RLWC2026 and the level of interest in hosting those tournaments confirms that was the right decision.

“The response to the ITT [Invitation to Tender] process also underlines the strategic approach behind the IRL Board’s decision to reduce the size of the World Cup finals in order to cultivate more host countries, which will make rugby league a more global sport and the World Cups more accessible events.

“It is one of the many benefits of the international calendar that the IRL is able to schedule three World Cups in three years to provide more countries with an opportunity to host one or more of the game’s flagship tournaments.”

The deadline for confirmation of tenderers for the 2028, 2029 and 2030 IRL Rugby League World Cups is February 16, 2024. Details of the bidding nations for each tournament will then be announced.
 
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