IRL announces Premier Sports as RLWC26 broadcast partner for SE Asia and Canada

International Rugby League is pleased to announce that Premier Sports has been awarded the broadcast rights for IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 in Canada and South-East Asia.

Kicking off in Sydney on October 15 with a heavyweight clash between Australia and New Zealand, RLWC26 will be the best and most competitive Rugby League World Cup yet and Premier Sports will broadcast matches in 21 countries across the two regions.

With 26 teams from 14 nations playing across Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair tournaments, RLWC26 showcases the growing strength and diversity of international rugby league while celebrating a proud history - since 1954 - as the second oldest sporting World Cup.

In South-East Asia, Rugby League World Cup 2026 matches will be shown on the Premier Sports Asia network in Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan.

In Canada, matches will be shown on Premier Sports’ dedicated rugby streaming service, launched at the start of 2026.

Premier Sports will broadcast up to 53 World Cup matches, including all 18 men’s fixtures, in each region.

IRL Secretary-General Danny Kazandjian said the broadcast deal reflected the growth of the game in both regions, with Canada hosting the inaugural IRL Women’s World Series and the inaugural Asian Championships being staged in Philippines last year.

“IRL is delighted to be partnering with Premier Sports in two regions which hold a lot of promise for rugby league development,” he said.

“Canada’s growing rugby league community and strong viewing figures for last year’s IRL Women’s Rugby League World Series are signals that the world cup will be very popular.

“Asia has shown a lot of interest in the sport recently. IRL is currently working on membership applications from three countries that are covered by Premier Sports’ broadcast, in addition to our existing Asian member nations.

“We’re very pleased that viewers in both territories will now be able to watch the very best that the sport has to offer.”

Ryle Nugent, CEO Premier Sports Asia and Canada, said: "Premier Sports are delighted to secure the exclusive broadcast rights to IRL Rugby League World Cup in both Southeast Asia and Canada.

"Rugby League World Cup 2026 promises to be a fantastic celebration of Rugby League and we look forward to bringing our viewers the very best of the action, starting with a cracker of a fixture between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney on October 15th." 

The broadcast deal with Premier Sports follows the appointment last December of leading sports marketing agency IMG as IRL’s exclusive global media rights partner for IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026.

IMG has previously had a decade-long association with IRL during the 2008, 2013 and 2017 IRL Rugby League World Cups that resulted in an expanding global viewership of the sport’s pinnacle world event.