2026 Rugby League World Cup

St.Helens’ Head Coach Kevin Walters is in charge of the Australian Men’s team, as the Kangaroos look to retain the World Cup trophy they have held since 2013.

With Walters in charge of the World Cup holders, it only adds to the excitement for the Saints’ 2027 season, with Kevvie beginning his work with the club shortly after the conclusion of the tournament.

Supporters can tune in and follow Walters and the Australian team, and, of course, our England team, in what should be a thrilling Men’s tournament.

On Monday, 19th October, 2027 Memberships go on sale, where the Saints faithful can secure their place at the BrewDog Stadium and become a Member. More details on Memberships will be shared shortly.

St.Helens Women’s captain Jodie Cunningham leads the England Women’s team, in what will be the final matches of her trailblazing career. The Women’s competition, the same as the Wheelchair tournament, will run alongside the Men’s competition, so there will be plenty of action to whet your appetite ahead of 2027!

🤔 HOW DOES IT WORK?

MEN’S TOURNAMENT

The format of the Men’s tournament is slightly different from a usual World Cup.

• Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands and Fiji
• Group B: England, Lebanon and Samoa
• Group C: France, Papua New Guinea and Tonga

The four teams in Group A will face one another, with the top two teams in that group moving to the semi-finals.

The teams in Group B will play the three teams in Group C, and vice versa, meaning they will not face the teams in their own group. Results from Groups B & C will go into a combined table, with the two highest-ranked sides moving into the semi-finals.

The team that finishes top of the Group B & C combined table will face the runner-up of Group A, and the team that comes second will play the winner of Group A.

WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

For the Women’s and Wheelchair World Cups, the format is easier, with two Groups of four; the top two from each Group will meet in the semi-finals.

• Group A: Australia, England, Samoa and Wales
• Group B: New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, France and Fiji

WHEELCHAIR TOURNAMENT

England will be out to win back-to-back World Cups, after securing the top international prize in 2022.

• Group A: England, Ireland, Wales and USA
• Group B: France, Australia, Scotland and New Zealand

🗓️ WHEN ARE THE MATCHES?

Please note that all kick-off times are listed in BST.

Thursday, 15th October

• Men’s Group A: Australia v New Zealand – Allianz Stadium, Sydney (10.05am)

Friday, 16th October

• Men’s Group B/C: Samoa v France – CommBank Stadium, Sydney (7.45am)
• Women’s Group A: Australia v Samoa – CommBank Stadium, Sydney (10.05am)

Saturday, 17th October

• Men’s Group B/C: Papua New Guinea v Lebanon – Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby (5.25am)
• Men’s Group B/C: England v Tonga – HBF Park, Perth (10.05am)
• Women’s Group B: Papua New Guinea v France – Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby (3.15am)
• Women’s Group A: England v Wales – HBF Park, Perth (7.35am)

Sunday, 18th October

• Men’s Group A: Fiji v Cook Islands – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle (6.05am)
• Women’s Group B: New Zealand v Fiji – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle (3.50am)

Friday, 23rd October

• Men’s Group B/C: Tonga v Lebanon – CommBank Stadium, Newcastle (10.05am)
• Women’s Group A: Samoa v Wales – CommBank Stadium, Sydney (7.45am)

Saturday, 24th October 

• Men’s Group B/C: Papua New Guinea v Samoa – Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby (5.25am)
• Men’s Group B/C: England v France – HBF Park, Perth (7.35am)
• Women’s Group B: Fiji v Papua New Guinea – Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby (3.15am)
• Women’s Group A: Australia v England – HBF Park, Perth (10.05am)

Sunday, 25th October

• Men’s Group A: New Zealand v Cook Islands – One NZ Stadium, Christchurch (5.05am)
• Men’s Group A: Australia v Fiji – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (9.05am)
• Women’s Group B: New Zealand v France – One NZ Stadium, Christchurch (3.00am)

Friday, 30th October

• Men’s Group B/C: England v Papua New Guinea – WIN Stadium, Wollongong (9.05am)
• Women’s Group A: England v Samoa – WIN Stadium, Wollongong (6.45am)
• Wheelchair Group A: Ireland v USA (3am)
• Wheelchair Group A: England v Wales (4.30am)

Saturday, 31st October

• Men’s Group A: New Zealand v Fiji – Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast (4.30am)
• Men’s Group A: Australia v Cook Islands – Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville (9.05am)
• Women’s Group B: Fiji v France – Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast (6.45am)
• Women’s Group B: New Zealand v Papua New Guinea – Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast (2.20am)
• Wheelchair Group B: France v Scotland (4am)
• Wheelchair Group B: Australia v New Zealand (6.30am)

Sunday, 1st November

• Men’s Group B/C: Lebanon v France – CommBank Stadium, Sydney (6.40am)
• Men’s Group B/C: Tonga v Samoa – CommBank Stadium, Sydney (9.05am)
• Women’s Group A: Australia v Wales – CommBank Stadium, Sydney (4.40am)

Tuesday, 3rd November

• Wheelchair Group B: France v New Zealand (12am)
• Wheelchair Group B: Australia v Scotland (2.30am)
• Wheelchair Group A: Ireland v Wales (5am)
• Wheelchair Group A: England v USA (7.30am)

Friday, 6th November

• Wheelchair Group B: Scotland v New Zealand (12am)
• Wheelchair Group A: Wales v USA (2.30am)
• Wheelchair Group A: England v Ireland (6am)
• Wheelchair Group B: France v Australia (8.30am)

Saturday, 7th November 

• Men’s Semi-Final 1: TBC v TBC – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle (9.05am)
• Women’s Semi-Final 1: TBC v TBC – McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle (6.45am)

Sunday, 8th November

• Men’s Semi-Final 2: TBC v TBC – Allianz Stadium, Sydney (9.05am)
• Women’s Semi-Final 2: TBC v TBC – Allianz Stadium, Sydney (6.45am)

Monday, 9th November – Tuesday, 10th November

• Wheelchair Semi-Finals (TBC)

Thursday, 12th November/Friday, 13th November

• Wheelchair Final (TBC)

Sunday, 15th November

• Men’s Final: TBC v TBC – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (8.35am)
• Women’s Final: TBC v TBC – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (5.10am)

📺 HOW CAN I WATCH?

Fans in the UK will be able to watch every match from the tournament live, with Premier Sports securing exclusive broadcast rights across the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions.

You can watch Premier Sports via Sky Q, Amazon, Virgin or Stream via the Premier Sports Player. New and returning customers can subscribe by clicking here.

Sky Q

Premier Sports is available on Sky via channels 419 and 420 for UK customers.

1. Select a subscription – you can do that by clicking here
2. Choose the “Sky box” labelled plan
3. Enter your 9-digit Sky viewing card number when prompted
4. Complete the subscription

Premier Sports Player

Fans can watch content live and on demand via:

• Web browser (PC or Mac) on the Premier Sports website
• Premier Sports app on iOS
• Premier Sports app on Android
• Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, and others via the app)
• Amazon Fire TV (Fire TV Stick / Cube) — log in with your Premier Sports account, or subscribe inside the app through Amazon. A subscription bought inside the Fire TV app only works on Fire TV — see Subscribing through the Amazon Fire TV app
• Sky Stream and Sky Glass (via the Premier Sports app)
• Chromecast/AirPlay (cast from your phone or tablet)

Amazon

Select a subscription here. Four channels are available via Amazon – Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports 2, Premier Sports Rugby and LALIGATV.

Virgin

To subscribe through Virgin Media, contact them directly:

• Website: virginmedia.com
• Phone: 0345 454 1111

This is a separate subscription from any direct Premier Sports subscription.

For any queries relating to your Premier Sports subscription, please visit the Help Centre on the Premier Sports website.