2026 Rugby League World Cup: Dates, Pools, Fixtures — SkimNews
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- The 2026 Rugby League World Cup runs October 15 to November 15 across Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, hosting men's, women's, and wheelchair tournaments
- Australia defend their titles in both the men's and women's tournaments, while England are the reigning wheelchair world champions
- England men open against Tonga on October 17 at HBF Park, Perth (10.05am BST), then face France on October 24 and Papua New Guinea on October 30
- England women start their campaign against Wales on October 17 (7.35am BST), with a crucial group-stage meeting against Australia scheduled for October 24 at HBF Park
- The men's tournament uses an inter-pool format in which Group B (England, Lebanon, Samoa) and Group C (France, Papua New Guinea, Tonga) play each other in a combined 6-team ladder, with only the top two advancing to the semi-finals
- The men's tournament opens October 15 with Australia v New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Sydney, and concludes with the final on November 15 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Why it matters: The men's inter-pool structure collapses Groups B and C into a single 6-team table where only the top two reach the semi-finals — meaning England must outrank Lebanon, Samoa, France, PNG, and Tonga just to reach the knockouts. Spread across three host nations and six time zones, the schedule forces UK viewers into 3–7am BST kick-offs for the entire group stage.
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