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Rugby League World Cup 2026: What represents success for England & home nations?

Different ways to win - what Rugby League World Cup success looks like

BySteve Sutcliffe

BBC Sport journalist

"Do I believe we can win? It's not a no. Anybody who says we can't win with a finality to it - that's not my belief."

England's new men's head coach Brian McDermott has sounded a note of hope going into the Rugby League World Cup. And he is not the only coach looking forward with optimism. For now at least, everybody harbours a dream.

Not everyone taking part in the men's, women's and wheelchair tournaments over the next month is expecting to come away with a winner's medal - but they all have a target for success. For some, it's a title. For others, it's showing progress, or creating a legacy.

The men's competition kicks off first, on Thursday (10:05 BST), with reigning champions Australia facing New Zealand in a Sydney blockbuster dubbed a potential dress rehearsal for the final.

Both will certainly have their sights on lifting the trophy in Brisbane on 15 November.

It is a similar story for Australia's women - seeking a fourth successive title - as they begin their campaign against Samoa in Sydney on Friday (10:05 BST).

England, meanwhile, have high hopes of retaining their wheelchair title - they start against Wales in Wollongong on Friday, 30 October (04:30 BST).

Australia is hosting the bulk of the the three tournaments - including all of the wheelchair matches - with Papua New Guinea staging two men's and two women's games and New Zealand one of each.

Here, BBC Sport examines what would represent success at this World Cup for England, the home nations and the tournament as a whole.

Rugby League World Cup

15 October - 15 November

Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand

Listen to live commentary on every men's match, and key women's matches - with coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app

McDermott bids to reignite England men's hopes

Four years ago, England's men suffered a gut-wrenching 27-26 golden-point World Cup semi-final defeat by Samoa at Emirates Stadium.

Series wins over Tonga in 2023 and Samoa a year later banished some of those memories - but last autumn brought a 3-0 home series loss to Australia.

The manner of that defeat led to Shaun Wane's departure and a new head coach in McDermott, who is seeking to lead England to only their second final since 1995.

However, prior to his squad's arrival Down Under last week, the Gold Coast Titans assistant had not even had the benefit of a training session with his players.

There was no mid-season international this year to help England prepare for a World Cup programme that begins on Saturday against a powerful Tonga side packed with NRL talent.

England then take on France and Papua New Guinea in Pool B-C - a combined six-team group from which the top two will reach the semi-finals.

Yet despite limited preparation opportunities, England will have hope of reaching a fourth final if they find their rhythm.

McDermott's 23-man squad boasts arguably the best centre in the world in Dolphins star Herbie Farnworth, while lock Victor Radley has just helped Sydney Roosters win the Grand Final in Australia.

They are two of 10 NRL-based players selected by the former Leeds boss, who has taken advantage of utilising heritage players to call up versatile Roosters back Hugo Savala and Brisbane Broncos front-rower Ben Talty.

Huddersfield-born Canterbury Bulldogs prop Max King, who has previously appeared for New South Wales in State of Origin, will also make his bow, and with Harry Smith among seven Wigan players in contention, there will be no shortage of big-game experience in England's ranks.

While England showed plenty of passion and physicality against Australia in 2025, McDermott has emphasised that more guile is required in attack.

"We have got to do things differently," McDermott said.

"Being passionate to play for England is huge. You have to be aggressive to play our game, you have to be a warrior, a gladiator - but you have to have some smart attack as well.

"You have to play with a point of difference and attack into certain areas. I don't believe too many England teams have done that over the years."

Smith, who helped Wigan defeat Penrith in World Club Challenge in 2024, added that McDermott has shown the players how he wants them to be more positive.

"He's showed us clips from the Ashes series, where there were opportunities to go at Australia," Smith said.

"Big opportunities to break open the game which we didn't quite grab. [It's] Probably just a bit more eyes up, a bit more playing on the gainline.

"In big games, you've got to take your chances with two hands and come away with points."

The women using up annual leave for a World Cup dream

England's women, ranked third in the world, travel to Australia with memories still fresh of their record 90-4 defeat by the Jillaroos in Las Vegas in March 2025.

They will meet again at this World Cup - a Group A fixture against the world champions is bookended by matches against Wales and a showdown with Samoa in Wollongong that could determine whether they reach the last four for the fifth time.

The complexion of Stuart Barrow's squad has altered dramatically - a youthful and dynamic squad features only six of the team who featured in Nevada.

It is buoyed by the inclusion of Australia-born Jasmin Strange, with the Sydney Roosters second-row forward joined by another heritage player - Hope Millard of Canterbury Bulldogs.

Barrow's squad is also enhanced by the return of Australia-based Fran Goldthorp, Georgia Roche and Hollie-Mae Dodd.

St Helens' loose forward Jodie Cunningham, 34, provides valuable experience in her fourth and final World Cup. The new headline acts include a Wigan trio - 19-year-old Woman of Steel Jenna Foubister, Megan Williams and Eva Hunter.

"It's a huge difference in a short period of time. The result [against Australia] enhanced the desire to make change. We have lots of youth and enthusiasm," said Cunningham.

"As a squad we are probably going to be underestimated by Australia and other nations whose players predominantly play in the NRLW - and Eva [Hunter] could be one that does shock them with her physicality. She is so strong, powerful and really quick with it as well.

"Maybe that's the benefit of that scoreline in Vegas - people won't realise the talent we've got."

As in the NRL Women's Premiership (NRLW), matches at the Women's Rugby League World Cup with be played over 70 minutes, rather than 80, as it is in the Women's Super League.

Despite the improvement in standards that Women's Super League has driven, Barrow's side face an enormous task in competing with New Zealand and Australia - the only two nations to have lifted the trophy in six previous World Cups.

Players from those nations feature almost exclusively in the professional NRLW.

In contrast, the majority of the England squad have full-time jobs - as was the case four years ago.

"I know some of the girls have had to take all of their annual leave for the tournament, so they've not had a holiday all year because they've been saving it up," Leeds hooker Keara Bennett told BBC Sport.

"I think the more time we've got to invest into our training, into recovery, it just allows us to be better players and a better team.

"We're trying to create a platform and inspire the next generation, but you can't not acknowledge that money and time would really benefit and boost us."

Wigan scrum-half Isabel Rowe added: "It's definitely a struggle we have trying to make sure everybody's free and available to play.

"I don't like to use the word 'sacrifice' because we're making a choice and we choose to do it because we want to play for our country, but you have to take it into account."

'My goal in life is to create moments and memories'

England head into the wheelchair competition looking for their third title and will expect to advance from a group containing Wales, the USA and Ireland.

Head coach Tom Coyd has included five World Cup winners in his 10-player squad and the aim is simple - to replicate their triumph in 2022.

"We're going there with the attitude that we want to win," said Luis Domingos, who is one of two Sheffield Eagles players featuring.

"My goal in life is to create moments and memories, and to leave a mark. I'm confident we can win but I'm more excited about creating that memory that I can remember in 20 years.

"Me and my family - the team-mates and the staff - can create that moment, and the next generation can say: I want to do something like that."

What about the other Home Nations?

Wales make their bow in the women's competition after progressing through qualifying but will be rank outsiders in a group containing Australia, Samoa and England, who beat them 82-0 at Headingley in 2024, and 62-0 in Neath last year.

Tom Brindle has named three players who turned out in Wales' first-ever game in 2021 against England - Leanne Burnell, Kathryn Salter and Emily Hughes.

The squad is supplemented by North Queensland Cowboys winger Sian Williams, second rower Paige Travis - who has switched allegiances from England - and Canterbury Bulldogs half-back Tayla Preston.

"My grandfather was born in Wales and grew up in Wales before moving here when he was about 20," Preston said.

"I feel really honoured to be able to play for Wales in a World Cup, and hopefully we can help grow the game for girls back in Wales and inspire them to want to play."

Most of those in the Wales ranks are taking unpaid leave to play, while the Welsh wheelchair squad raised over £10,000 via crowdfunding to help pay for costs after they lost their front-of-shirt sponsor at short notice.

Ireland and Scotland will join Wales and England at the wheelchair tournament.

While Ireland were beaten in every match in the wheelchair event four years ago, they have subsequently climbed to third in the world rankings.

And a squad containing Wigan quartet Oran Spain, Toby Burton-Carter, Mel Griffith and player-coach Phil Roberts will look to reach at least the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Scotland face a huge challenge in a group containing France - the runners-up in 2022 - and a powerhouse Australia team who ran England close in two Tests last autumn.

But they do have a World Cup winner in their ranks. James Simpson-Hill - who helped England to victory four years ago - came out of retirement earlier this year and has switched to the nation where his father was born.

Where next for the international game?

While newer rugby league nations such as Greece and Jamaica delivered a feelgood factor at the last World Cup, the men's tournament has been trimmed from 16 teams to 10 this time to reduce the number of lopsided group matches. The women's and wheelchair tournaments have both stuck with eight teams.

Familiar issues remain around the health of the game, including the levels of finance it can generate commercially and the space for an international calendar.

England's men have played just nine matches since 2022, with two of those being high-scoring and rather uncompetitive wins over France.

It is a similar same story for the Kangaroos - the sport's most successful international side - who were without a Test fixture for almost three years prior to their arrival in England in 2022 and have only had nine since.

Plans to spread the gospel of the game further by staging the tournament in the US and Canada in 2025 had to be shelved because of financial concerns and French organisers then pulled out before the International Rugby League shifted it back a year and moved it to the southern hemisphere.

With Australia's men and women the overwhelming favourites to triumph, organisers face an ongoing challenge to deliver a competitive and profitable World Cup that helps grow the game.

"I don't think the future of the game rests on this World Cup," added McDermott.

"If England win the World Cup, it'd be good. But does that mean Sky is going to treble the money that they give the clubs? The answer is no.

"And the answer would be, you know, growing the game. It's a long term [thing]. [We need to] Get in better and more sustainable investment, and there are a few more things that the game needs to do."