IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 rules confirmed

The International Rugby League Board has approved competition-specific rules for IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

RLWC2026 will kick off on October 15 with defending World Cup holders and 2025 Ashes winners Australia taking on 2025 Pacific Cup champions New Zealand at Allianz Stadium and conclude on November 15 with the Men’s and Women’s finals at Suncorp Stadium.

The Wheelchair World Cup will be played concurrently with the Men’s and Women’s tournaments.

The IRL Board endorsed a proposal from tournament hosts, the Australian Rugby League Commission, to adopt the 2026 NRL and NRLW Premiership Rules and Interpretations as RLWC2026 Laws and Interpretations.  

This will enable RLWC2026 to seamlessly integrate key technology used in the NRL and NRLW, including the Video Review Bunker, Captain’s Challenge and Shot Clocks for scrums, goal line dropouts and goal kicks.

The Match Review and Judiciary process, HIA policy and on-field rules for trainers will be the same as those in place for the NRL and NRLW.

Adopting the policies of the tournament hosts for disciplinary matters and head injuries has been standard practice at previous World Cups.

Golden Point will be used for all RLWC2026 Men's and Women's matches if needed to ensure a winner, which is crucial under the draw structure for the tournament.

Women’s matches will be 70 minutes duration, as is standard in the NRLW and Women’s Pacific Championships matches.

The competition-specific rules for RLWC26 will ensure consistency and familiarity for fans, broadcasters and key tournament stakeholders, as well as coaches and players – the majority of whom are expected to be drawn from the NRL and NRLW.

In addition, seven of the 10 Men’s teams – Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga – and five of the eight Women’s teams – Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa - play under NRL/NRLW interpretations during the Pacific Championships.

Lebanon Men, whose coach Michael Cheika is on the coaching staff of Sydney Roosters, will also comprise mostly of Southern Hemisphere-based players after the decision not to send any domestic players due to the impact of events in Lebanon since the last World Cup.

Newly appointed England coach Brian McDermott is on the coaching staff of Gold Coast Titans, while FFRXIII Director of Rugby Trent Robinson is the head coach of Sydney Roosters.

RLWC2026 officials are working closely with the governing bodies of all nations to ensure clear comprehension of the rules and interpretations in the lead up to the tournament.

The RLWC2026 Wheelchair tournament, which will be staged in Wollongong from October 30 to November 14, will be played under the recently updated IRL Laws for Wheelchair Rugby League.