After the official 2021 Rugby League World Cup kick-off was postponed 12 months ago, players, coaches, officials and especially fans are ready for the tournament to finally begin.
From team lists to match times, referees to rule changes, we have everything you need to know right here.
There will be 20 nations represented across the three tournaments with 61 matches over the course of the next month.
Australia will go into the men’s tournament as the raging hot favourites while the Jillaroos are also expected to triumph in the women’s event but with the rise of so many other nations in recent years, the green and gold sides will not have it all their own way.
There are 16 teams in the men’s competition, eight women’s nations and there is also a wheelchair rugby league trophy up for grabs with eight teams participating.
The Rugby League World Cup men’s captains. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
The first RLWC was held in France in 1954. There have been 14 tournaments since then held around the world, with Australia holding the record for the most wins with 11.
2017 – Australia
2013 – Australia
2008 – New Zealand
2000 – Australia
1995 – Australia
1989-92 – Australia
1985-88 – Australia
1977 – Australia
1975 – Australia
1972 – Great Britain
1970 – Australia
1968 – Australia
1960 – Great Britain
1957 – Australia
1954 – Great Britain
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
The 16 nations are spread across four pools, with every team from each pool playing each other once.
Pool A
England, France, Greece, Samoa
Pool B
Australia, Fiji, Italy, Scotland
Pool C
Ireland, Jamaica, Lebanon, New Zealand
Pool D
Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Wales
Australian viewers can watch every match live on Foxtel/Kayo.
In the men’s tournament, the top two nations from each pool will progress to the finals. With 48 pool games, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, and of course the Grand Final, there is plenty of sensational footy coming our way.
All of Australia’s pool games fall on weekends which is handy, but you will need to set your alarm clocks for the early starts.
Australia vs Fiji – Sunday 16th October, 5.30am
Australia vs Scotland, Saturday 22nd October, 5.30am
Australia vs Italy, Sunday 30th October, 5.30am
Check out the full list of fixtures for every game here
The pool matches, quarter-finals, and semi-finals will be played between 16 venues across England, with the Grand Final to be held at Old Trafford, Manchester
St. James’ Park, Newcastle
Emerald Headingley Stadium, Leeds
Kingston Park, Newcastle
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens
Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Leigh
Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry
University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton
MKM Stadium, Hull
Bramall Lane, Sheffield
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield
DW Stadium, Wigan
Elland Road, Leeds
Emirates Stadium, London
Old Trafford, Manchester
(Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
NRL Grand Final referee Ashley Klein will lead a team of NRL officials heading over to take charge of the men’s and women’s World Cup matches.
Along with Klein, the NRL has sent Gerard Sutton, Grant Atkins, Kasey Badger, Darian Furner, Adam Gee, Wyatt Raymond, Belinda Sharpe, and Todd Smith to England.
Grant Atkins, (NRL), Kasey Badger (NRL), Dean Bowmer (RFL), Ben Casty (FFRXIII), James Child (RFL), Darian Furner (NRL), Adam Gee (NRL), Tom Grant (RFL), Marcus Griffiths (RFL), Robert Hicks (RFL), Neil Horton (RFL), Chris Kendall (RFL), Ashley Klein (NRL), Aaron Moore (RFL), Liam Moore (RFL), Paki Parkinson (NZRL), Geoffrey Poumes (FFRXIII), Wyatt Raymond (NRL), Liam Rush (RFL), Belinda Sharpe (NRL), Michael Smaill (RFL), Jack Smith (RFL), Todd Smith (NRL), Gerard Sutton(NRL), Rochelle Tamarua (NZRL), Ben Thaler (RFL), Warren Turley (RFL), James Vella (RFL).
Each country has named a 24-man squad, with Australia selecting 13 debutants to wear the green and gold.
You can check out the list of every squad here
The Aussies are overall favourites to take out back-to-back titles, but the Kiwis price has shortened considerably after naming such a strong squad.
The matches will be played under International Rugby League Rules, with a mix of current Super League and NRL interpretations coming into play.
Field goals will only be worth one point no matter where they are kicked from.
There will be no penalties for ruck infringements, they will all receive a set restart regardless of where they take place on the field.
Captain’s challenges have been introduced for the first time at a World Cup. The NRL is the only competition that currently has them.
If a player cannot return to the field after a failed HIA, they are automatically ruled out for 11 days.
This is the sixth installment of the Women’s Rugby League World Cup since it began in 2000. New Zealand holds the record for the most tournaments with three, and reigning champions Australia has claimed the other two.
With the popularity and participation of women’s rugby league through the roof, this World Cup sees the largest number of nations competing with eight, with Brazil the newest addition to the fold.
Ruan Sims, Steph Hancock and Renae Kunst of the Jillaroos (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
2017 – Australia
2013 – Australia
2008 – New Zealand
2003 – New Zealand
2000 – New Zealand
Group A
England, Brazil, Canada, Papua New Guinea
Group B
Australia, Cook Island, France, New Zealand
| Pool stage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Fixture | Time (AEDT) | Venue |
| Wed Nov 2 | England vs Brazil | 1:30am | Emerald Headingly Stadium, Leeds |
| Wed Nov 2 | Papua New Guinea vs Canada | 4:00am | Emerald Headingly Stadium, Leeds |
| Thu Nov 3 | New Zealand vs France | 4:00am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Thu Nov 3 | Australia vs Cook Islands | 6:30am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Sat Nov 5 | England vs Canada | 11:00pm | DW Stadium, Wigan |
| Sun Nov 6 | Papua New Guinea vs Brazil | 4:00am | MKM Stadium, Hull |
| Mon Nov 7 | New Zealand vs Cook Islands | 4:00am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Mon Nov 7 | Australia vs France | 6:30am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Thu Nov 10 | Canada vs Brazil | 4:00am | Emerald Headingly Stadium, Leeds |
| Thu Nov 10 | England vs Papua New Guinea | 6:30am | Emerald Headingly Stadium, Leeds |
| Fri Nov 11 | France vs Cook Islands | 4:00am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Fri Nov 11 | Australia vs New Zealand | 6:30am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Tue Nov 15 | Semi Final 1 | 4:00am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Tue Nov 15 | Semi Final 2 | 6:30am | LNER Community Stadium, York |
| Sun Nov 20 | Final | 12:15am | Old Trafford, Manchester |
There have been three Wheelchair Rugby League World Cups since its inception in 2008, but this is the first time it will be played as part of the traditional RLWC.
Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, USA, Wales, and France will all battle it out for the title, with the French team eager to take out three consecutive World Cup wins.
2017 – France
2013 – France
2008 – England
| Date | Fixture | Time (AEDT) | Venue |
| Fri Nov 4 | Spain vs Ireland | 4:00 am | The Copper Box Arena London |
| Fri Nov 4 | England vs Australia | 6:30 am | The Copper Box Arena London |
| Fri Nov 4 | France vs Wales | 10:00 pm | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Sat Nov 5 | Scotland vs USA | 12:30 am | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Sun Nov 6 | England vs Spain | 11:00 pm | The Copper Box Arena London |
| Mon Nov 7 | Australia vs Ireland | 1:30 am | The Copper Box Arena London |
| Tue Nov 8 | France vs Scotland | 4:00 am | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Tue Nov 8 | Wales vs USA | 6:30am | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Wed Nov 9 | Australia vs Spain | 10:00pm | The Copper Box Arena London |
| Thu Nov 10 | England vs Ireland | 12:30am | The Copper Box Arena London |
| Thu Nov 10 | France vs USA | 10:00pm | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Fri Nov 11 | Wales vs Scotland | 12:30am | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Sun Nov 13 | Semi Final 1 | 12:30am | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Mon Nov 14 | Semi Final 2 | 1:30am | The EIS Sheffield, Sheffield |
| Sat Nov 19 | Final | 6:30am | Manchester Central, Manchester |
For all of your World Cup needs, look no further than right here at The Roar. We will have our very own Mike Meehall Wood and Mary Konstantopoulos on the ground covering the men’s and the women’s tournaments, as well as the rest of the team in Australia keeping you up to date with the lastest RLWC news.
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