One World Cup, Three Codes, Three England Teams
Rugby league's biggest stage just got a lot bigger. From 15 October to 15 November 2026, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea host the Rugby League World Cup, with the Men's, Women's and Wheelchair competitions once again running together as one combined event across all three host nations. It's the trailblazing format rugby league first pioneered at the 2021 World Cup in England, now taken to an even bigger, three-nation stage.
That matters more than it might first appear. Rugby league has long been brilliant at producing standout moments in each discipline, but it's still rare for all three to get equal billing on the same stage at the same time. RLWC 2026 keeps wheelchair rugby league and the women's game right alongside the men's, under the same banner, carrying forward a push for parity the sport has worked hard to build on since 2021. For a sport that has spent years chasing exactly this kind of equal footing, seeing it continue at this scale is a genuinely significant step.
England are competing across the board. The Men's squad open their campaign against Tonga on 17 October at HBF Park in Perth, before facing France (24 October, also in Perth) and Papua New Guinea (30 October at WIN Stadium, Wollongong) to complete their group stage. The Women's squad was only named on 28 September, with several debutants earning their first senior call-up, a reminder of how much depth is now coming through the women's pathway in England. And England's Wheelchair side arrive as the defending World Cup champions, having won the title on home soil in 2022, with a fiercely loyal and growing following that deserves every bit of the spotlight this combined format gives them.
Why a Home Nations Fan Should Care About a Tournament on the Other Side of the World
It's easy to assume a World Cup played thousands of miles away, in a very different time zone, is something you watch rather than something that touches your local club. In our experience, it's almost always the opposite.
Big international tournaments are proven recruitment moments for grassroots sport. Kids (and plenty of adults) watch England pull on the shirt, get swept up in it, and turn up at the local club wanting to have a go themselves. We saw it with the Rugby League World Cup on home soil in 2021/22, and we saw the same pattern with the Red Roses and Black Ferns driving interest in rugby union. A World Cup doesn't just crown a champion, it fills out beginners' sessions for months afterwards.
The opportunity is arguably biggest in exactly the two areas that most need it: women's rugby league and wheelchair rugby league. Both have been growing steadily at grassroots level in the UK, but both still have far more capacity than they have players. A newly capped Women's debutant on TV, or England's Wheelchair side defending their title against the world's best, is precisely the kind of visible proof that these aren't niche sidelines, they're serious, competitive, well-supported parts of the sport. If a World Cup moment nudges even a fraction of the people watching to look up their nearest open, women's or wheelchair rugby league club, that's a genuine, lasting win for the grassroots game.
How to Actually Get Involved This Autumn
If England's campaign has you curious, the good news is that getting into rugby league at grassroots level is far more straightforward than people expect.
- Find your nearest club. The RFL and your regional rugby league bodies hold searchable club directories, and most community clubs are very happy to hear from total beginners, not just people with a playing background.
- Ask specifically about women's and wheelchair sections. Not every club runs one yet, but numbers are growing fast, and if your nearest club doesn't have one, a neighbouring club very likely will.
- Time it around the tournament. Plenty of clubs run taster sessions and open training nights to coincide with England's group matches, a great low-pressure way to try the sport while the World Cup conversation is fresh.
- Juniors can start with tag. For younger players, or anyone nervous about contact, tag rugby league (no tackling, just a belt and flags) is a brilliant, low-barrier way in before stepping up to the full-contact game.
Kitting Up for Your First Season
Whether you're a parent signing a child up for their first ever session or an adult joining an open or women's section for the first time, you don't need much to get started, just the right basics.
For younger beginners, a pair of entry-level junior rugby boots at £19.99 is a sensible first step, with something like the Razor Junior boots a good step-up once they're settled in. Adults heading into their first open or women's session are well covered with a pair of senior rugby boots.
A mouthguard is non-negotiable from your very first contact session, and a simple mouthguard does the job for an individual player. Clubs welcoming a fresh intake of beginners this autumn might find a mouthguard pack useful for having spares on hand.
If you're starting with the non-contact game, a tag belt and flag set is all you need. And if the World Cup has put you in the mood, an England-design rugby ball is a fun way to get the whole family involved, while a solo skills ball is ideal for keeping your passing and handling sharp through the darker autumn and winter evenings between sessions.
For the full range, head over to our rugby collection.
A Big Autumn for the Whole Sport
Three England teams, one combined World Cup, and a genuine chance for the women's and wheelchair games to reach the audience they deserve, this is shaping up to be one of the most important tournaments rugby league has staged. Whatever happens in Perth and Wollongong, the real impact will be felt on training nights and Sunday mornings at clubs up and down the country. Get down to your local club this autumn, have a go, and be part of it.
Ready to kit up for your first session? Shop our rugby range here.
