The men’s, women’s and wheelchair events are taking place simultaneously across host nations Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Watch the Rugby League World Cup, as Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea host the best sides on the planet for a month of top-level action.
Men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions are taking place simultaneously, with 53 matches to look forward to between now and the men’s and women’s finals on Sunday 15 November. The wheelchair tournament gets underway on Friday 30 October.
Australia are looking to defend their titles in the men’s and women’s competitions, while England are back to defend their crown in the wheelchair tournament.
Quick Guide
– Rugby League World Cup dates: 15 October-15 November, 2026
– Rugby League World Cup FREE stream: 7 Plus (Australia)
– Rugby League World Cup broadcasters: Premier Sports (UK, Ireland, US), Sky Sport (New Zealand)
– Watch Rugby League World Cup from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
The competition enters its second weekend with reigning men’s champions and favourites Australia in the driving seat after a narrow 24-22 win over their biggest rivals, New Zealand. Samoa – runners up in the last World Cup – laid down a marker with a 78-4 victory over France, but it’s England who find themselves in the most precarious position after their 30-12 defeat to Tonga. Their match against France on Saturday is now a must-win if they want to stand a realistic chance of reaching the knockout stages.
In the women’s competition, all three of the host nations picked up wins in their opening games of the tournament, with Australia and Papua New Guinea thrashing Samoa and France, respectively. New Zealand narrowly beat Fiji, with England the only northern hemisphere side to win this weekend, overcoming local rivals Wales in Perth.
This guide will tell you everything you need to know to watch Rugby League World Cup live streams wherever you are in the world – including details of free viewing options if you’re in Australia. We’ll also explain how you can use a VPN to tune in to your usual streaming services if you’re travelling away from home.
Can I watch the Rugby League World Cup for free?
If you’re in Australia, you can watch every game of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup for free on Seven and its 7plus streaming service. Watching 7plus is easy – you just need your email address to create your free account.
ThreeNow in New Zealand will also have every Kiwis match available for free, as well as the semi-finals and finals of each respective event.
Aussies travelling overseas right now don’t need to worry about missing any of the action, either. You can use a VPN to access your usual service as if you were still down under.
How to watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 from anywhere
Being away from home doesn’t have to stop you watching the Rugby League World Cup 2026. A VPN bypasses geo-blocking by changing your IP address, allowing you to stream matches as if you were at home. The tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide rate NordVPN as world number one, thanks to its low price and unrivalled ability to unblock streaming services.
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What are this week’s Rugby League World Cup 2026 fixtures?
Friday 23 October
- Samoa v Wales (Women Pool A)
CommBank Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Kick-off: 7.45am BST / 5.45pm AEDT / 7.45pm NZDT / 2.45am EDT / 11.45pm PDT (Thursday) - Tonga v Lebanon (Men Pool B)
CommBank Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Kick-off: 10.05am BST / 8.05pm AEDT / 10.05pm NZDT / 5.05am EDT / 2.05am PDT
Saturday 24 October
- Fiji v Papua New Guinea (Women Pool B)
Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Kick-off: 3.15am BST / 1.15pm AEDT / 3.15pm NZDT / 10.15pm EDT (Friday) / 7.15pm PDT (Friday) - Papua New Guinea v Samoa (Men Pool B)
Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Kick-off: 5.25am BST / 3.25pm AEDT / 5.25pm NZDT / 12.25am EDT / 9.25pm PDT (Friday) - England v France (Men Pool B)
HBF Park, Perth, Australia
Kick-off: 7.35am BST / 5.35pm AEDT / 7.35pm NZDT / 2.35am EDT / 11.35pm PDT (Friday) - Australia v England (Women Pool A)
HBF Park, Perth, Australia
Kick-off: 10.05am BST / 8.05pm AEDT / 10.05pm NZDT / 5.05am EDT / 2.05am PDT
REMEMBER THAT UK CLOCKS GO BACK ONE HOUR AT 2am ON SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER.
Sunday 25 October
- New Zealand v France (Women Pool B)
One NZ Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand
Kick-off: 3.00am GMT / 2.00pm AEDT / 4.00pm NZDT (local) / 11.00pm EDT (Saturday) / 8.00pm PDT (Saturday) - New Zealand v Cook Islands (Men Pool A)
One NZ Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand
Kick-off: 5.05am GMT / 4.05pm AEDT / 6.05pm NZDT (local) / 1.05am EDT / 10.05pm PDT (Saturday) - Australia v Fiji (Men Pool A)
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia
Kick-off: 9.05am GMT / 8.05pm AEDT / 10.05pm NZDT / 5.05am EDT / 2.05am PDT
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for results so far.
Other Rugby League World Cup viewing options around the world
- United Kingdom: In the UK every game of the competition is available via Premier Sports. You can watch online, or through your TV via Sky Q, Prime Video, STV Player or Virgin Media. Costs are £18.99 a month on a rolling basis, £13.99 a month on a year-long contract, or £130 a year (less than £11 per month) if you pay up front.
- Ireland: Premier Sports is also the Rugby League World Cup rights holder in Ireland. Existing Sky Sports customers can add the service to their subscription as part of the Sports Extra pack. This costs €10 per month for the first six months, before rising to €25 per month for the next six months.
- United States: Every Rugby League World Cup match is on Premier Sports in the US. You can get a RLWC26 Pass to watch every game for $25.
- New Zealand: You need to head to Sky Sport NZ to watch Rugby League World Cup live streams in New Zealand. Subscriptions cost $59.99 per month or $549.99 per year, though you can get day passes for $29.99 if you only want to tune into specific games. ThreeNow also have select fixtures available for free as alluded to above.
- Rest of the world: If you’re not sure where to find Rugby League World Cup live streams in your country, chances are it’s also on Premier Sports, which is showing the competition in over 120 countries around the world on its Premier Sports Player. Prices vary by region.
Rugby League World Cup 2026 results so far
Thursday 15 October
- Australia 24 v 22 New Zealand (Men Pool A)
Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Friday 16 October
- Samoa 78 v 4 France (Men Pool B)
CommBank Stadium, Sydney, Australia - Australia 40 v 0 Samoa (Women Pool A)
CommBank Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Saturday 17 October
- Papua New Guinea 58 v 4 France (Women Pool B)
Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - Papua New Guinea 42 v 18 Lebanon (Men Pool B)
Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- England 70 v 6 Wales (Women Pool A)
HBF Park, Perth, Australia - England 12 v 30 Tonga (Men Pool B)
HBF Park, Perth, Australia
Sunday 18 October
- New Zealand 18 v 12 Fiji (Women Pool B)
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia - Fiji 40 v 12 Cook Islands (Men Pool A)
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia
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