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Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 live streams
The eyes of the rugby league world turn to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea for the next month as the sport’s best international men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams gather Down Under for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
As if the Kangaroos really need homefield advantage, Australia became the official host nation when the US, Canada and France all dropped out over the last few years. They’ve won the tournament in nine of its last 10 editions (the only blip coming in 2008 when New Zealand won it for the first time) and they’ve gone into the 2026 competition as odds on favorites — the number 1 ranked team in the world have lost only one game of international rugby this decade.
That said, the Kangaroos came within four minutes of an upset in the very first game of the tournament, an instant classic against New Zealand that they eventually came through 24-22. Unsurprisingly, it will be those two Antipodean giants of the game who will meet in both the men’s and women’s finals on Sunday, with France vs England facing each other in Friday’s wheelchair final.
Follow our guide below for information on where to watch Rugby League World Cup live streams in 2026 with a VPN — and potentially for FREE. We’ve also got details of the full schedule of tournament fixtures and results.
How can I watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 for free?
You can watch all 53 games of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup — men’s, women’s and wheelchair — for FREE thanks to Seven and the 7plus streaming website and app in Australia.
In New Zealand, ThreeNow will also stream select free-to-air matches, with every men’s and women’s game, including the semi-finals and final, available to watch free of charge on the platform.
If you’re outside Australia or New Zealand right now use a VPN to access your free RLWC live streams from anywhere…
Watch Rugby League World Cup streams from abroad
You won’t be able to watch your go-to Rugby League World Cup live stream while traveling overseas. The streaming service will spot that you’re in a foreign country and block you.
You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It’s a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it’s in a different country, allowing you to watch your preferred Rugby League World Cup live stream from anywhere in the world.
We rate NordVPN one of the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you’re not happy with the service.
Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 live in US
Sports streaming specialist Premier Sports has won the rights to show the 2026 Rugby League World Cup in 129 countries — including the USA.
The platform will let those Stateside watch every single game for a one-off payment of $25.
Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in the UK
Unlike previous Rugby League World Cups, there will be no free-to-air coverage in the UK. Instead, you’ll need a Premier Sports subscription.
It costs £18.99 for a month of use, or get a whole year of Premier Sports from £150. You also have the option to add it to your existing Sky, Virgin Media or Prime Video subs.
Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Australia
Australian footy fans have the best deal of anyone, with every single game of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup going out for free on TV across the Seven Network‘s channels.
That means every single game can also be streamed for free online thanks to 7plus, which is available on laptops, smartphones, tablets, a wide range of streaming devices, and gaming consoles.
You need a free account to watch. Register with your name, birth year and Australian postcode (e.g. 4064).
Australian viewers travelling abroad can access their free Rugby League World Cup streams using NordVPN.
Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Canada
Just like south of the border, Premier Sports is the streaming service with exclusive rights to show Rugby League World Cup 2026 matches in Canada.
Premier’s plans cost $29.99 for a rolling monthly plan. Alternatively, pay $79.99 for six months or $139.99 for a whole year of access.
Watch Rugby League World Cup 2026 in New Zealand
Sky Sport is the primary New Zealand broadcast partner for the Rugby League World Cup and will broadcast every game across its multiple channels.
If you don’t have Sky then you can still watch thanks to Sky Sport Now, which costs $29.99 a day, $59.99 a month or $549.99 for a whole year.
ThreeNow will show selected free-to-air coverage as well. Every New Zealand men’s and women’s game along with the semi-finals and final will be shown at no cost on the platform.
Rugby League World Cup Fixture List
Men’s
Thursday 15th October
Australia 24-22 New Zealand
Friday 16th October
Samoa 78-4 France
Saturday 17th October
Papua New Guinea 42-18 Lebanon
England 12-30 Tonga
Sunday 18th October
Fiji 40-12 Cook Islands
Friday 23rd October
Tonga 36-0 Lebanon
Saturday 24th October
Papua New Guinea 6-64 Samoa
England 82-0 France
Sunday 25th October
New Zealand 82-16 Cook Islands
Australia 36-22 Fiji
Friday 30th October
England 34-12 Papua New Guinea
Saturday 31st October
New Zealand 78-0 Fiji
Australia 66-6 Cook Islands
Sunday 1st November
Lebanon 24-20 France
Tonga 20-18 Samoa
Saturday 7th November
SF1: New Zealand 34-10 Tonga
Sunday 8th November
SF2: Australia 44-12 Samoa
Sunday 15th November
Final: Australia vs New Zealand — 3.35am ET / 8.35am GMT / 7.35pm AEDT
Women’s
Friday 16th October
Australia 40-0 Samoa
Saturday 17th October
Papua New Guinea 58-4 France
England 70-6 Wales
Sunday 18th October
New Zealand 18-12 Fiji
Friday 23rd October
Samoa 76-0 Wales
Saturday 24th October
Papua New Guinea 4-40 Fiji
Australia 78-0 England
Sunday 25th October
New Zealand 92-0 France
Friday 30th October
England 6-24 Samoa
Saturday 31st October
Fiji 54-6 France
New Zealand 40-12 Papua New Guinea
Sunday 1st November
Australia 124-6 Wales
Saturday 7th November
SF1: New Zealand 32-0 Samoa
Sunday 8th November
SF2: Australia 30-14 Fiji
Sunday 15th November
Final: Australia vs New Zealand — 12.15am ET / 5.15am GMT / 4.15pm AEDT
Wheelchair
Friday 30th October
Ireland 110-10 United States
England 98-18 Wales
Saturday 31st October
France 114-0 Scotland
Australia 112-14 New Zealand
Tuesday 3rd November
France 120-10 New Zealand
Australia 104-24 Scotland
Ireland 68-28 Wales
England 134-0 United States
Friday 6th November
Scotland 62-18 New Zealand
Wales 92-18 United States
England 68-32 Ireland
Australia 69-34 France
Monday 9th November
Ranking SF 1: Scotland 44-12 United States
Ranking SF 2: Wales 64-36 New Zealand
Tuesday 10th November
SF 1: France 82-26 Ireland
SF2: England 86-18 Australia
Thursday 12th November
Seventh place play-off — 7pm ET (Wed) / 12am GMT / 11am AEDT
Fifth place play-off — 9.30pm ET (Wed) / 2.30am GMT / 1.30pm AEDT
Friday 13th November
Third-place play-off: Australia vs Ireland — 1.15am ET / 6.15am GMT / 5.15pm AEDT
Final: France vs England — 3.45am ET / 8.45am GMT / 7.45pm AEDT
Rugby League World Cup 2026: Groups
Men’s Rugby League World Cup Groups
Group A
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Cook Islands
Group B
England
Samoa
Lebanon
Group C
Tonga
Papua New Guinea
France
Women’s Rugby League World Cup Groups
Group A
Australia
England
Samoa
Wales
Group B
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
France
Fiji
Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Groups
Group A
England
Ireland
Wales
USA
Group B
France
Australia
Scotland
New Zealand
Rugby League World Cup 2026: Preview
While a team boasting the likes of Harry Grant, James Tedesco and captain Isaah Yeo will intimidate any 13 on the planet, Australia’s adversaries will take heart that at least 2026’s Dally M Player of Year Nathan Cleary will be missing. The horror injury he suffered towards the end of the NRL season was bad enough to prevent Penrith’s star man from adding to his ever increasing roll of honor.
So which teams are best positioned to capitalize? Stacey Jones’s New Zealand are the men most likely to, and much will be learned when the Kangaroos and Kiwis clash in Sydney in the tournament curtain raiser on Thursday 15th October. Lots will be expected of uncapped Kalyn Ponga after his remarkable coast-to-coast try in the recent Grand Final. Samoa and England were the last two losing finalists and Tonga are the only other team to beat Australia this century.
It’s a similar story in the women’s tournament, with reigning champions Australia — the so-called Jillaroos — heavily tipped to make it a four straight titles, with neighbors New Zealand and Samoa the nations most likely to challenge. While it’s a very different picture in the wheelchair tournament; England and France have been the dominant force in that discipline, sharing the spoils with two titles each in its four-tournament history.
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