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.
The competition was to be held in during October and November 2025, but was moved to 2026 following the withdrawal of France as hosts nation. The competition will run in parallel with the men's and women's tournaments.
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.
Ahead of the tournament, Australia and New Zealand were reclassified as Tier 2 nations for the wheelchair game by the International Rugby League in recognition of England's and France's domination of the sport since its inception.
Host selection
The International Rugby League (IRL) originally decided in 2016 to have the tournaments hosted in the United States and Canada. 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.
After re-opening the bidding to host the tournaments, the IRL awarded the hosting rights to France. 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.
On 3 August 2023 it was confirmed that the tournament would be moved to 2026 and held in the Southern Hemisphere. On 24 July 2024, the IRL announced that Australia would host the 2026 tournament.
Teams 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:
The final four wheelchair rugby league nations, all being European Rugby League representatives, would have to submit applications for the final two places.
On 10 September 2025, the two successful European applicants were announced as:
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.
Draw The draw was announced on 23 November 2025.
Group AGroup B
Squads
Group A
Englandhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/c8zxz2r57k0zo
Player ClubMason Billington London RoostersJack Brown Halifax PanthersNathan Collins Leeds RhinosJoe Coyd London RoostersLuis Domingos Sheffield EaglesRob Hawkins Halifax PanthersChris Haynes Sheffield EaglesLewis King London RoostersTristan Norfolk Leeds RhinosFinlay O'Neill Halifax Panthers
Irelandhttps://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1634011202059708&set=a.532567432204096
Player Club (RLI) Club (RFL)Oran Spain Leinster Wigan WarriorsCian Horgan Munster Halifax PanthersBledar Suxha Leinster Toby Burton-Carter Leinster Wigan WarriorsMel Griffith (vc) Leinster Wigan WarriorsTom Martin Ulster Bradford BullsPhil Roberts Connacht Wigan WarriorsPeter Johnston Ulster Midlands HurricanesJoseph Calcott (c) Connacht Halifax PanthersJames McCarthy Munster Midlands HurricanesMaurice Noonan Leinster Jack Mangan Munster Waleshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/cjy5zvnv9p3vo
Player Club (RFL) Club (WRL)Stuart Williams Edinburgh Giants North Wales CrusadersJodie Boyd-Ward Leeds Rhinos Andrew Higgins Midlands Hurricanes Lee Sargent Midlands Hurricanes Cardiff Blue DragonsJonathan Gill North Wales CrusadersFionn McCabe North Wales CrusadersMartin Turner North Wales CrusadersGareth Ramsey Sheffield Eagles Sid Ramsey Sheffield Eagles Matthew Turner Wigan Warriors North Wales CrusadersMark Williams Wigan Warriors South Wales Jets John Berriman York RLFC
Group B
Australiahttps://www.nrl.com/news/2026/09/23/australian-wheelaroos-named-for-2026-rugby-league-world-cup/
PlayerBayley McKenna (C)Daniel AnsteyPeter ArbuckleCory CannaneDiab KarimLiam LuffToby PoppleStephan RochecousteZac SchumacherAdam Tannock
New Zealandhttps://www.nrl.com/news/2026/10/02/new-zealand-wheel-kiwis-squad-named-for-wheelchair-rlwc/
PlayerJack BrownRyan CharlesHayden DelvesNikia Fa’atauJoshua Hirini-BarclayJayson Hooker (C)Kauri Murray (VC)Pele SulusiMitch StoneJamie Tapp
Venue
In November 2025, it was announced that all matches in the tournament would be held at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre.
Group Stage Group A
Group B
Knockout stage Ranking finals Ranking Bracket
Ranking semi-finals
Seventh place play-off
Fifth place play-off
Main finals Main Bracket
Semi-finals
Third place play-off
Final
See also 2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup 2026 Women's Rugby League World Cup
Notes
References