The biggest and most competitive Rugby League World Cup in history kicked off last night, with Australia versus New Zealand at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.

Australia won the opening match, with a record crowd of 41,255 fans packing out Allianz Stadium.

Rugby League World Cup 2026 involves 26 teams representing 14 nations in three tournaments: Men's, Women's and Wheelchair.

Staged across nine cities in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, the Rugby League World Cup features 53 matches in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Port Moresby, Christchurch, Newcastle, Wollongong, Gold Coast and Townsville.

NSW matches include:

  • Fiji v Cook Islands at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on October 18
  • Tonga v Lebanon at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium on October 23
  • England v Papua New Guinea at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium on October 30
  • Samoa v Tonga at CommBank Stadium on November 1

Rugby League World Cup 2026 will also showcase the best of the Women’s game, with the Jillaroos’ opening match against Samoa at CommBank Stadium on October 14.

For the first time, Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair matches will be played alongside each other in Wollongong on 30 October.

Established in 1954, the Rugby League World Cup is the second oldest sporting World Cup and the 17th edition is expected to be the most competitive yet.

The rise of Pacific nations has transformed the international game alongside the traditional powerhouses of Australia, New Zealand and England.

Samoa became the first Pacific nation to reach a World Cup final in 2022 against Australia at Old Trafford, while Fiji has been a semi-finalist at three of the past four World Cups.

Rugby League World Cup 2026 is proudly supported by Destination NSW.

Learn more about the tournament here.