The pool draws have been released for the Rugby League World Cup 2026, which will be played across three countries and nine host cities.
The Vodafone Fiji Bati are in Group A with Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands.
Group B is made up of England, Samoa and Lebanon while Group C consists of Papua New Guinea, Tonga and France.
Group A teams will each play three matches against the other teams in Group A.
Group B and C teams will each play three matches against the teams in the adjacent group (ie Group B teams will play Group C teams only).
The Men’s tournament will kick off at Allianz Stadium on Thursday, October 15 2026 with the heavyweight clash between the top two world-ranked teams, the Kangaroos and the Kiwis.
The opening weekend will also feature a clash between England and Tonga at Perth’s HBF Park, on Saturday, October 17 2026.
The Group stage culminates with a match between Pacific giants Tonga and Samoa, at CommBank Stadium, on Sunday, November 1.
The top two teams from Group A will progress to the Semi-Finals, while the top two teams from a combined table of Group B and Pool C will progress to the Semi-Finals.
Men’s matches will be played across Sydney, Port Moresby, Perth, Newcastle, Christchurch, Brisbane, Wollongong, Gold Coast and Townsville.
Source: foxsports.com.au
