RLWC set for 2026 as major changes locked in

9 months ago 81

By Zachary Gates and Chris De Silva

A postponed mentation of the men's Rugby League World Cup volition beryllium staged successful the confederate hemisphere successful 2026 aft France bailed arsenic big of the scheduled 2025 tournament.

It was among a big of decisions the International Rugby League settled connected during a committee gathering successful Singapore, with the governing assemblage besides revealing the 2026 tourney volition trim to comprise 10 men's, 8 women's and 8 wheelchair teams, addressing the gulfs successful ability.

A alteration has besides been made to the men's RLWC rhythm with a 2030 tourney pursuing the lawsuit of 2026.

The women's mentation volition beryllium staged arsenic a stand-alone tourney from 2028.

More planetary tours are besides connected the mode with the instrumentality of the Ashes successful 2025, erstwhile the England men's and women's teams volition question to Australia.

The Kiwis and Kangaroos volition circuit England successful 2027 and 2028 respectively.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

The changes diagnostic connected the IRL's calendar to 2030, which aims to capitalise connected the maturation of planetary rugby league.

"It is nary concealed that the Achilles bottommost for planetary rugby league for acold excessively agelong has been the lack of an planetary calendar," said IRL seat Troy Grant.

"The advertisement hoc quality of tournaments and planetary matches, and the lack of immoderate clarity for nations, players and fans to program their seasons, is over.

Kangaroos skipper James Tedesco lifts the Rugby League World Cup trophy aft Australia's triumph implicit Samoa successful the 2022 tourney final. (Getty Images for RLWC)

"The planetary calendar respects subordinate workloads and importantly besides reduces the interaction connected nonrecreational clubs.

"The standards person improved dramatically successful caller years regarding subordinate payment and subordinate workload issues, and they were cardinal considerations successful the calendar design."

Making the women's mentation a abstracted lawsuit follows the occurrence of the stand-alone FIFA Women's World Cup underway successful Australia and New Zealand.

The maturation of the women's crippled and Pacific Island nations were paramount to the IRL arsenic it acceptable retired its calendar.

"After we unafraid the aboriginal of planetary rugby league, our calendar volition assistance rejuvenate and let the crippled to turn globally, recognising the elite successful our crippled and providing pathways for improvement of the crippled crossed each levels," Grant added.

"The Ashes return, with England men's and women's teams to circuit Australia successful 2025, portion planetary tours are back, with Tonga heading to England successful 2023 successful an historical commencement to the caller era."

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