2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup

Last updated
2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup
Number of teams8
Host countriesFlag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Papua New Guinea
Tournaments
 < 2021
2029 > 

The 2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup will be the fifth staging of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup, and will be one of three major tournaments part of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.

Contents

The competition was to be held in during October and November 2025, [1] but was moved to 2026 following the withdrawal of France as hosts nation. [2] [3] [4] [5] The competition will run in parallel with the men's and women's tournaments. [6]

Due to the rescheduling, the competition will feature 8 teams only. An expansion was planned to double the number of teams for the original 2025 tournament. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Host selection

The International Rugby League (IRL) originally decided in 2016 to have the tournaments hosted in the United States and Canada. [7] [8] In December 2019 however, the IRL withdrew the hosting rights due to the promoters, Moore Sports International, being unable to guarantee the staging of the tournaments. [9] [10]

After re-opening the bidding to host the tournaments, the IRL awarded the hosting rights to France. [11] [12] On 15 May 2023, the France 2025 organising committee was forced to withdraw from hosting the tournament, due to financial concerns from the new French government elected in May 2022. [13] [14]

On 3 August 2023 it was confirmed that the tournament would be moved to 2026 and held in the Southern Hemisphere. [2] [3] On 24 July 2024, the IRL announced that Australia would host the 2026 tournament, with a number of games played in Papua New Guinea. [15] [16]

Qualification

On 3 August 2023, the date the tournament was confirmed, the only qualified teams for the 2026 tournament were the semi-finalists of the 2021 World Cup.

On 15 April 2025, the International Rugby League announced two further participants as representatives of The Americas and Asia-Pacific Rugby League respectively: [17]

The final four wheelchair rugby league nations, all being European Rugby League representatives, would have to submit applications for the final two places. [17]

On 10 September 2025, the two successful European applicants were announced as: [18]

The application process assessed teams based on senior international matches played since the 2021 World Cup, preparation for the 2026 World Cup, domestic competition strength, and participation impact for the 2026 World Cup. [18]

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "2025 Rugby League World Cup: France promises low carbon event after being named host". SportsPro. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
    2. 1 2 3 "Southern hemisphere to host 2026 World Cup". BBC Sport. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
    3. 1 2 3 "Reduced Rugby League World Cup to take place in 2026 | Rugby league | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
    4. 1 2 "2026 Rugby League World Cup to be hosted in southern hemisphere". The Independent. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
    5. 1 2 "Rugby League World Cup 2025 to be delayed; full details announced for new look tournament". LoveRugbyLeague. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
    6. ↑ "France 2025: 13 questions answered about the Rugby League World Cup". The Guardian . 19 January 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
    7. ↑ "Rugby League World Cup moves to North America in 2025". stuff sport. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
    8. ↑ "North America to Host 2025 Rugby league World Cup". Canada Rugby League Association. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
    9. ↑ Adrian Proszenko (4 December 2018). "US World Cup hosting plans torpedoed by money trouble". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
    10. ↑ Adrian Proszenko (4 December 2018). "US World Cup hosting plans torpedoed by money trouble". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
    11. ↑ "France to host 2025 World Cup". National Rugby League. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
    12. ↑ "France set to host the 2025 Rugby League World Cups". Asia Pacific Rugby League. 2022-01-11. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
    13. ↑ "France pulls out of hosting Rugby League World Cup". BBC Sport. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
    14. ↑ Bower, Aaron (15 May 2023). "2025 Rugby League World Cup in doubt after France pull out of staging event". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
    15. ↑ "Australia to host 2026 World Cup". BBC Sport. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
    16. ↑ "ARLC welcomes Rugby League World Cup 2026 hosting rights". National Rugby League. 24 July 2024.
    17. 1 2 "New Zealand, USA confirm Wheelchair berths at RLWC2026". International Rugby League. 15 April 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
    18. 1 2 https://www.intrl.sport/article/504/ireland,-scotland-secure-remaining-irl-wheelchair-rlwc26-berths
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