Key events
A quick reminder about the 2026 men’s rugby league world cup format.
Participants:
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The 2026 men’s RLWC features ten teams. Eight of these qualified via their performances at the last world cup, back in 2022. That is: Australia, New Zealand, England, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG, and Lebanon. The first seven countries in that list also happen to be the top seven on the IRL rankings; Lebanon are a lowly 23rd.
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The remaining qualifiers, France and Cook Islands, won regional playoffs. Cook Islands are ranked eighth in the world, by the way, France recently held that position but have slipped to 11th. In other words, the cream of the crop will be on display.
Rules:
Group phase:
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The ten teams have been distributed into three pools.
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Pool A contains Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Cook Islands. The top two from this group qualify for the semi-finals.
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The teams in Pool B (England, Samoa, Lebanon) play the teams in Pool C (Tonga, PNG, France) with the top two on a combined group table qualifying for the semi-finals.
Knockouts:
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The winner of Pool A takes on the runner-up from Pool B&C in Sydney.
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The winner of Pool B&C takes on the runner-up from Pool A in Newcastle.
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The world cup final is in Brisbane on 15 November.
Schedule:
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The group phase will take place over three weekends.
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The fourth weekend will feature the semi-finals, with the final wrapping up proceedings the following Sunday.
Venues:
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10 locations will host matches. Eight of these are in Australia: Sydney (Allianz Arena), Sydney (Commbank Arena), Brisbane, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Townsville, Wollongong, and Perth; while Port Moresby will host two Papua New Guinea matches, and Christchurch will stage one New Zealand fixture.
Team News
Australia: It’s all change for Kevin Walters’ Kangaroos as he spreads the load through the group phase of the tournament. James Tedesco, Sam Walker, Blayke Brailey and Lindsay Smith all come into the starting XIII from outside the squad, while Tom Dearden, Bradman Best, Cameron Murray, Reuben Cotter, Keaon Koloamatangi and David Fifita are promoted from the bench. Best, Walker and Brailey will all make their Test debuts while Fifita will make his Kangaroos debut after playing four Tests for Tonga at the 2022 World Cup.
Fiji: Mick Potter has gone with the same 19 that started the competition so impressively against Cook Islands. Hooker Api Koroisau is captain and lynchpin, veteran prop Jacob Saifiti provides some muscle up front, while Brandon Wakeham will aim to repeat his round one player of the match performance from halfback.
Fiji XIII
1. Bayleigh Bentley-Hape 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Waqa Blake 4. Solomone Saukuru 5. Semi Valemei 6. Kurt Donoghoe 7. Brandon Wakeham 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Apisai Koroisau (c) 10. Mitchell Prest 11. Taane Milne 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. Caleb Navale
Interchange: 14. Josese Lanyon 15. Emosi Ravosai 16. Elijah Keung 17. Ronald Philitoga 18. Jordin Leiu 19. Apenisa Driti
Australia XIII
1. James Tedesco (c) 2. Jack Bostock 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Bradman Best 5. Tom Trbojevic 6. Tom Dearden 7. Sam Walker 8. Keaon Koloamatangi 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Lindsay Smith 11. David Fifita 12. Reuben Cotter 13. Cameron Murray
Interchange: 14. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 15. Jacob Preston 16. Patrick Carrigan 17. Cameron Munster, 19. Latrell Mitchell, 21. Harry Grant
The jeopardy of losing one game in a pool of three is so harsh, it’s almost like we don’t get another chance to straighten things out. It’s just harsh that we have to take a standing eight count in that first round, but we’re ready to go again.
Nothing has gone wrong, it’s just a harsh competition in which you’ve got to hit the ground running, which we didn’t do.
I’m trying to be diplomatic here. If France held the World Cup, there would have been more teams in it and it would have been more like the usual format. I completely understand that if it has to be reduced to a 10-team competition.
It’s not the easiest thing to do and we end up with situations like this. If you lose one game, you don’t really get a chance to fix it. It’s tough because we now need to rely on other results if we are to go through.
Should England beat Papua New Guinea by a margin of 68 points in Wollongong on Friday, a Tonga victory would allow McDermott’s side to sneak through to the semi-finals. If the winning margin is smaller than 68, they would need Tonga to pick up the slack in their own winning margin. Unlikely? Perhaps.
Knockout permutations
Pool A
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If Australia beat Fiji and Cook Islands, as expected, they will top the group.
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Assuming that is the case, the winner of New Zealand v Fiji will finish second and join the Kangaroos in the semi-finals.
Pool B
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The winner of Tonga v Samoa will top the group and (probably) play New Zealand in the semi-finals.
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If Samoa win, Tonga will qualifying in second place and face Australia.
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If Tonga win, England could qualify in second place if they beat PNG and there is a cumulative differential swing of 68 points in their favour.
Round 2 Scores
It has not been the most nail-biting of rounds so far with all the favourites winning handsomely. Cook Islands kept the Kiwis on their toes for 20 minutes but the Christchurch crowd were eventually treated to a comfortable victory. The other three victors have set up a grandstand finale next weekend.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v Fiji in the 2026 men’s Rugby League World Cup. Kick-off at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane is from 7.05pm local time (8.05pm AEDT/9.05am GMT).
I won’t patronise the Guardian’s esteemed readership by setting up this blog with any hint of jeopardy. Australia should win this match comfortably, perhaps even with a total that nudges the 99 the men’s cricket team cobbled together in Gqeberha the other day. In seven previous encounters between these sides the cumulative scoreline reads 378-24.
Nonetheless, with the Kangaroos coming into this World Cup without any trial matches, every fixture is significant for Kevin Walters and the players competing for spots in his starting XIII. The hosts looked rusty in their opening hit-out against the Kiwis and were fortunate to come away with a victory. Plenty of places are still up for grabs, meaning the focus should be sharp even during a routine pummelling.
James Tedesco in particular will be keen to make a statement at fullback, while Sam Walker and Tom Dearden will duel for the right to partner Cameron Munster in the halves during the knockout stages. The Kangaroos pack was monstered by its Kiwi counterparts last weekend, opening the door for someone like David Fifita to force his way into the reckoning.
Fiji’s young squad will rely on the experience of hooker Api Korisau and prop Jacob Saifiti to keep them competitive for as long as possible, and if they gain a foothold the likes of Kurt Donoghoe, Waqa Blake, and Sunia Turuva have the class to go toe-to-toe with their direct opponent.
The Bati made light work of Cook Islands in their opening match and another strong showing this evening could add a frisson of excitement to their clash with New Zealand next weekend, which the Kiwis must win to qualify for the semi-finals.
I’ll be back with final team lists and more shortly. Please send me your emails and keep me company throughout the evening. The address is jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
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