International Rugby League World Cup 2026

Who will host the RLWC2026?

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RLWC2026 men's qualifying play-offs announced​

Papua New Guinea will be decided in Northern and Southern Hemisphere play-off matches later this year.

France will host Jamaica in Albi on October 25, while Cook Islands will meet South Africa in an RLWC2026 qualifier to be hosted by the ARLC alongside the Pacific Championships.

The winners will claim the final two places at the 2026 World Cup, which will also be hosted by the ARLC.

They will join Australia, England, Fiji, Lebanon, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga – the quarter-finalists at the last World Cup in England in 2022 in the 10-team World Cup.

The matches are being played as Northern and Southern Hemisphere RLWC2026 qualifiers as there was no viable bid to host a men’s World Series following a tender process.

France, who beat Wales in the final of the European qualifying tournament after overcoming Ukraine in the semi-final, will host the Northern Hemisphere play-off against Jamaica as the higher ranked nation.

Jamaica are the only IRL Full Member from the Americas region.

Cook Islands are the only non-qualified IRL Full Member for RLWC2026 from the Asia-Pacific region, while South Africa are the only non-qualified IRL Full Member in the Middle East & Africa region.

The Southern Hemisphere play-off will be hosted by the ARLC alongside the Pacific Championships, which Cook Islands are participating in and have the “home” advantage as the highest ranked side.

Cook Islands - Charles Carlson (Chairman): “Our dream has always been to compete on the greatest stage at the Rugby League World Cup. Though we are a small nation competing at this elite level, vision with passion and determination know no bounds. No doubt South Africa will be a formidable opponent but will rise to the challenge and make our people and nation proud”.

France – Dominique Baloup (President): "We are delighted to welcome Jamaica to France for the final stages of the IRL Rugby League World Cup Qualifiers in 2026. This match is very important for both teams, and home advantage is essential for us. The support of the French public reinforces our team's efforts, as it did during last year's European Qualifiers. We are delighted to once again be able to host a varied program of international matches here in France".

Jamaica – Romeo Monteith (Director of Rugby): "Rugby League Jamaica is looking forward to the men's qualifiers. With the format confirmed, our focus is now solely on doing our best in France in what will be an extremely difficult show down with the French. When we last played in France we played in front of a large crowd, and it was a fantastic experience which we hope to repeat this Autumn".

South Africa – Frans Erasmus (President): "We are looking forward to this critical clash with the Cook Islands. This will be a decisive IRL Men's World Cup Qualification match, where every moment counts. The Rhinos will play with passion and typical South African pride. We understand that only victory leads to World Cup 2026. Our players, staff, and fans are united behind a single goal: to show the world the true heart of South African Rugby League".

France last hosted Jamaica in 2017 in a friendly (their only meeting), which saw the hosts win 34-12 in front of a crowd over 6,500 in Perpignan.

Cook Islands and South Africa have also met only once previously, a 66-6 win to the Cooks in 2019 in Sydney – the RLWC2021 Repechage Match.

The ARLC will host the 2026 World Cup, which will be the last time that the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair tournaments are staged simultaneously.

The three tournaments will then be split, with a standalone Women’s World Cup to be held in 2028, Wheelchair World Cup in 2029 and Men’s World Cup in 2030.
 

NZWarriors.com

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WA Warrior said:
This will make Toa pretty formidable if both defect.

Haas on verge of Kangaroos defection, another Origin star also considering it

Haas on verge of Kangaroos defection, another Origin star also considering it
www.foxsports.com.au
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That would be awesome for Samoa if Haas and Tino join them. Instant first choice picks.

Taumalolo doesnt get enough credit to kickstarting this revolution where players are opting to play for the island teams over the traditional power houses. Makes the intl game so much more exciting
 
I have been a little critical of Ben Gardiner the Samoan coach but he deserves credit for being so aggressive in trying to recruit big name players.
Last week was about Haas and Tino thinking about a switch now Hammer has come out saying he is weighing it up too.
Be huge to get those 3.
 
Watched a bit of that 100% footy tonight and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard Gus make so much sense- have the origin eligibility as strict as u want but scrap the tiers.
Gal was the only one who disagreed and came across as a bit of an idiot.
I get the feeling Australia are starting to see Samoa and Tonga as more of a threat (and probably more embarrassing to lose to) than nz and they can see that giving the kiwis an even playing field could actually weaken those two nations to an extent.
I could see them changing the rules soon because they’ve painted themselves into a bit of a corner.
 
I have found some of the recent eligibility comments in the NRL media the last week or so quite funny.

Last night on NRL360 the media old man yelling at clouds section, they were yelling what about Australia. Playing for Australia should be the pinnacle. Yes, if you are Australian but they has also put so much importance on Origin that they have deemed it more important than International football.

A lot of their problems they have done to themselves. They pick and choose when they decide International football is important. They have also turned a blind eye when NRL clubs have pulled New Zealand, Samoan & Tongan players from the end of season tests as they need to rest, train, and recover from surgery. Then they leave the Australian players alone and let them play International football. There may be a few instances recently of Australian players being pulled but overall it has affected the other countries more.

They also need to accept that the player base has changed and the eligibility should change with it.
 
Defence said:
Watched a bit of that 100% footy tonight and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard Gus make so much sense- have the origin eligibility as strict as u want but scrap the tiers.
Gal was the only one who disagreed and came across as a bit of an idiot.
I get the feeling Australia are starting to see Samoa and Tonga as more of a threat (and probably more embarrassing to lose to) than nz and they can see that giving the kiwis an even playing field could actually weaken those two nations to an extent.
I could see them changing the rules soon because they’ve painted themselves into a bit of a corner.
Click to expand...
If I watched the same segment one of the key points was raised by Jarome Hughes. We have young New Zealanders having to decide if they want to play for NZ or Origin.

This is backwards. The decision should be what country you want to play for not country vs Origin. This is a result of the Australians' own doing making Origin the pinnacle of the sport, giving it the majority of the hype, the highest match payments.

I like Origin as the quality of the football is high. I don't watch it as religiously as I did when I was younger. I also lose interest in the NRL during the Origin period when there are weakened teams. One suggestion that comes up every so often has been to rest the NRL for a few weeks and have Origin and tests matches between NZ, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG.

That has been shut down for various reasons. If the mid-year tests were continued and they took off, imagine how the league media would have reacted to some of these defections. The complaints would be the Samoa vs Tonga clash is too big it takes away from Origin. Where the more big clashes the better in my opinion.
 
V’Landys said today it’s not on their agenda to touch the eligibility rules, it’s being driven by the media.
Looks like the rules will stay the same.
As a Toa and Kiwi guy I’m happy for the Pacific nations but at the same time this does effect the Kiwis the most as stated before by others.
One positive is the Kiwis seem to have a great culture started under Madge where players love wearing the black jersey so I can’t imagine players defecting on mass.
 
snake77 said:
If I watched the same segment one of the key points was raised by Jarome Hughes. We have young New Zealanders having to decide if they want to play for NZ or Origin.

This is backwards. The decision should be what country you want to play for not country vs Origin. This is a result of the Australians' own doing making Origin the pinnacle of the sport, giving it the majority of the hype, the highest match payments.

I like Origin as the quality of the football is high. I don't watch it as religiously as I did when I was younger. I also lose interest in the NRL during the Origin period when there are weakened teams. One suggestion that comes up every so often has been to rest the NRL for a few weeks and have Origin and tests matches between NZ, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG.

That has been shut down for various reasons. If the mid-year tests were continued and they took off, imagine how the league media would have reacted to some of these defections. The complaints would be the Samoa vs Tonga clash is too big it takes away from Origin. Where the more big clashes the better in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Yeah Hughes spoke really well on it- that was kinda a mic drop moment.
Saw foran talking about it today too- moved to Australia when he was 8 and grew up with Mitchell Pearce but had to choose.
 
AJ Brimson looking at playing for England now.
He has played for Australia in 9s like Ponga so he would need dispensation to play.
Hopefully he goes through the process soon so Ponga can go the same route if Brimson is successful.
Some people think it’s just Islanders and Kiwis who are proud of their Ancestry but English, Scottish etc are just as proud as theirs.
 
WA Warrior said:
AJ Brimson looking at playing for England now.
He has played for Australia in 9s like Ponga so he would need dispensation to play.
Hopefully he goes through the process soon so Ponga can go the same route if Brimson is successful.
Some people think it’s just Islanders and Kiwis who are proud of their Ancestry but English, Scottish etc are just as proud as theirs.
Click to expand...
Brimson will get the ok. Ponga will have to sit it out for 78 years
 
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