Key Points
- World Cup Final In Brisbane
- Australia looking for fourth successive WC title win
- Kiwis looking for first successive since 2008
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup is almost over as we have reached the semi-final stage with New Zealand taking on Tonga on Saturday with favourites Australia battling it out against Samoa in a repeat of the last World Cup Final.
The format of this World Cup has received a lot of criticism for the way it has favoured the Kangaroos, Kiwis, Samoa and Tonga. The cynics will say the organisers have got the semi-final line-ups they wanted with the Samoans and Tongans expected to fill the stadiums with passionate fans.
Rugby League expert Dave Kuzio
will go through the RLWC Final and pick out his favourite bets and try scoring bets, you can check his RLWC betting tips here.
What Is The 2026 RLWC?
International rugby league is not deemed as important as it would be in other sports. In rugby union, the international stage is bigger than club rugby, and we know how excited people get for a football World Cup when England are involved.
There is not that same excitement for a Rugby League World Cup, which is a shame because over the next month we will get to see some of the best players in the world vying out to be a world champion - more eyes should be on the sport and this tournament in general.
The 2026 edition of the Rugby League World Cup will 10 teams in three different groups - but there is a bit of a twist. Pool A sees Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands and Fiji, while Pool B and Pool C combine together to make a six-team Pool.
England, Lebanon and Samoa are in Pool B, while France, Papua New Guinea and Tonga are in Pool C. Now, here is the twist. The teams in Pool B will not play each other, all the teams in Pool B will play the teams in Pool C. The top two from Pool A and the top two from Pool B & C will qualify for the semi-finals.
Can you understand now why I said it is stacked heavily in favour of the Kangaroos and Kiwis? They should finish top two in their group, while many feel that the same has been accounted for Tonga and Samoa to do the same - hopefully England will throw a spanner in the works in that one.
2026 RLWC Group Stage
Below are the following Pools for the group stages with the top two qualifying for the RLWC semi-finals.
Pool A
- Australia
- Cook Islands
- Fiji
- New Zealand
Pool B
Pool C
- France
- Papua New Guinea
- Tonga
Rugby League World Cup Fixtures
Below is a table with all the men's World Cup Fixtures.
| Date/Round/Pool | Team A | Team B | Venue | Time/Result |
| October 15 Round 1 Pool A | Australia | New Zealand | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 24-22 |
| October 16 Round 1 Pool B/C | Samoa
| France | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 78-4 |
| October 17 Round 1 Pool B/C | PNG | Lebanon | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 42-18 |
| October 17 Round 1 Pool B/C | England | Tonga | HBF Park, Perth | 12-30 |
| October 18 Round 1 Pool A | Fiji
| Cook Islands | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 40-12 |
| October 23 Round 2 Pool B/C | Tonga | Lebanon | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 36-0 |
| October 24 Round 2 Pool B/C | PNG | Samoa | Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby | 6-64 |
| October 24 Round 2 Pool B/C | England | France | HBF Park, Perth | 82-0 |
| October 25 Round 2 Pool A | New Zealand | Cook Islands | One NZ Stadium, Christchurch | 82-16 |
| October 25 Round 2 Pool A | Australia | Fiji | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 36-22 |
| October 30 Round 3 Pool B/C | England
| PNG | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | 34-12 |
| October 31 Round 3 Pool A | New Zealand | Fiji | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast | 78-0 |
| October 31 Round 3 Pool A | Australia | Cook Islands | Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville | 66-6 |
| November 1 Round 3 Pool B/C | Lebanon | France | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 24-20 |
| November 1 Round 3 Pool B/C | Tonga | Samoa | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | 20-18 |
| November 7 Semi Final 1
| New Zealand | Tonga | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle | 34-10 |
| November 8 Semi Final 2 | Australia | Samoa | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 44-12 |
| November 15 Final | Australia
| New Zealand | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 08:35 BST |
Rugby League World Cup Tables
Pool A
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | Qualification
|
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | Advance to semi-finals |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | Advance to semi-finals |
| Fiji | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Cook Islands | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
Pool B/C
| Team | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | Points | Qualification
|
| Tonga | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | Advance to semi-finals |
| Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | Advance to semi-finals |
| England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Papua New Guinea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Lebanon | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
2026 RLWC Betting Tips
Obviously, I want England to win the World Cup, but the smart money has to be on Australia. They will be playing all their games on home soil, they do not have to travel to New Zealand or Papua New Guinea. Their only traveling is from Sydney to Brisbane. I have mentioned that this tournament looks tailor made for Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa to reach the final - I am backing England to throw a massive spanner in the works.
Granted, this is not a brilliant England squad under new coach Brian McDermott. He is too reliant on having NRL based players in his squad, rather than players who can turn games in the drop of a hat. Overlooking a player like Umyla Hanley for Hugo Savala - who was not selected by Sydney Roosters in the Grand Final - is a mistake for me. If he is not good enough for the Grand Final, how can he be good enough for England?
Having said that, McDermott does have some quality in his squad. Although the games against Tonga, France and PNG will be difficult, there is enough talent to advance to the semi-finals. I am backing Australia to win the RLWC, but I am also backing them to face England.
- Australia to win the 2026 RLWC - 8/11 @ Star Sports
- England to qualify for 2026 RLWC Final - 5/2 @ Star Sports
- Pool A Winner - Australia - 4/6 @ Star Sports ✅
- Pool B/C Winner - England - 5/4 @ Star Sports
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2026 Rugby League World Cup Final Betting Acca
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup comes to a close this Sunday with Australia and New Zealand - as expected - battling it out to be crowned the best rugby league country in the world at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
These two have already met in the tournament with Australia narrowly beating the Kiwis with Jack Bostock completing his hat-trick with five minutes remaining to secure a 24-22 win.
New Zealand were the better team on the night, but two interception passes that resulted in tries for Bostock and Tom Trbojevic proved to be the difference. Kalyn Ponga broke his arm in the defeat, but he managed to return ahead of schedule to star in the semi-final win over Tonga.
This week, I am going with a Bet365 acca bet with some of the best bets for the Rugby League World Cup Final. I backed Australia to win the tournament before it started, but New Zealand look very good.
My heart says New Zealand, but I have to stay with my head. I expect an absolute cracker of a game with the Kangaroos winning by 6-10 points. It would not be a shock to me if New Zealand won the game, but I just feel when it gets tough in the final 20 minutes, the Aussies will have what it takes to get over the line.
- Australia to win by 1-12 points - 15/8 @ Bet365
- Jack Bostock to score a try anytime - 20/21 @ Bet365
- Casey McLean to score a try anytime - 7/5 @ Bet365
- Tom Trbojevic to score a try anytime - 11/10 @ Bet365
- RLWC Final Acca - 23/1 @ Bet365
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First Try Scorer Rugby League World Cup Final Betting Odds @ Betfred
Here is a list of players that are capable of scoring the first try in their World Cup matches this weekend. Remember, if your selected player scores first and scores a second later on, you will get double the odds.
Australia vs New Zealand 1st Try Scorer Betting Tips
- Jack Bostock - 15/2 @ Betfred
- Tom Trbojevic - 15/2 @ Betfred
- Casey McLean - 10/1 @ Betfred
- Jamayne Isaako - 9/1 @ Betfred
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2026 RLWC Betting Bonus Offers
Betfred might not be sponsoring Super League anymore, but they still have some generous price boosts and offers available for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
Below is the Betfred offers that will go hand in hand with the RLWC. These will obviously change each week, but it is a good starting point when it comes to the Rugby League World Cup.
Dynamic Duo
Betfred have created a special Dynamic Duo price deal for the Australia versus New Zealand RLWC Final on Sunday. You can get odds of 9/2 from 7/2 that Australian winger Tom Trbojevic and Kiwi star Jamayne Isaako will both score tries in Brisbane. Trbojevic has been playing out of position on the wing, but he has scored 8 tries already. Isaako has picked up the most of his points from the boot, but he has scored three tries thanks to his hat-trick against the Cook Islands.
Tom Trbojevic & Jamayne Isaako to score a try - Was 7/2 NOW 9/2
Get £50 in Free Bets When You Bet £10
Betfred Highlights
- Variety of betting markets
- "Pick Your Punt" feature
- Daily draw prizes of £800 from a £1 stake
New customers only. Register, deposit with a Debit Card, and place a first bet of £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports, to be settled within 7 days, to get £30 in Sports Free Bets and £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
Where Can I Live Stream The 2026 Rugby League World Cup?
The RLWC has been on terrestrial television for as long as I can remember, but for the first time ever the 2026 Rugby League World Cup will be behind a paywall.
The BBC has decided against showing the RLWC, meaning a new broadcaster had to be found. Every single game from the RLWC will be shown live on Premier Sports.
This has not gone down well with UK rugby league fans, but at least you can still watch the games somehow. Fans can add Premier Sports to their existing Sky or Virgin deals and watch it on their TVs.
You can also stream the games live by buying an online subscription through the Premier Sports website and download the app to your television or mobile device.
