2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup Explained
| Year: | 2026 |
| Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup |
| Finalists: | 8 |
| Country: | Australia |
| Tournaments: | Rugby League World Cup |
| Last: | 2021 |
| Next: | 2029 |
| Country2: | Papua New Guinea |
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,[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.
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. 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
As of 3 August 2023, the date the tournament was announced, the only qualified teams for the 2026 tournament are the semi-finalists of the 2021 World Cup.
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: 2025 Rugby League World Cup: France promises low carbon event after being named host . SportsPro . 25 March 2022 . 11 January 2022.
- Web site: 2023-08-03 . Southern hemisphere to host 2026 World Cup . 2023-08-10 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
- Web site: Reduced Rugby League World Cup to take place in 2026 Rugby league The Guardian . 2023-08-10 . amp.theguardian.com.
- Web site: 2023-08-03 . 2026 Rugby League World Cup to be hosted in southern hemisphere . 2023-08-10 . The Independent . en.
- Web site: 2023-08-03 . Rugby League World Cup 2025 to be delayed; full details announced for new look tournament . 2023-08-10 . LoveRugbyLeague . en.
- News: France 2025: 13 questions answered about the Rugby League World Cup . 25 March 2022 . . 19 January 2022.
- News: Rugby League World Cup moves to North America in 2025 . stuff sport . 20 November 2016. 21 November 2016.
- Web site: 2016-12-01 . North America to Host 2025 Rugby league World Cup . 2023-05-17 . Canada Rugby League Association . en-CA.
- News: US World Cup hosting plans torpedoed by money trouble . Sydney Morning Herald . Adrian Proszenko . 4 December 2018 . 25 March 2022.
- News: US World Cup hosting plans torpedoed by money trouble . Sydney Morning Herald . Adrian Proszenko . 4 December 2018 . 28 December 2018.
- Web site: 8 January 2022. France to host 2025 World Cup. 8 January 2022. National Rugby League.
- Web site: 2022-01-11 . France set to host the 2025 Rugby League World Cups . 2023-05-17 . Asia Pacific Rugby League . en-US . https://web.archive.org/web/20220127060604/https://asiapacificrl.com/2022/01/11/france-set-to-host-the-2025-rugby-league-world-cups/ . 2022-01-27.
- News: France pulls out of hosting Rugby League World Cup . 15 May 2023 . BBC Sport . 15 May 2023.
- News: Bower . Aaron . 2025 Rugby League World Cup in doubt after France pull out of staging event . 15 May 2023 . . 15 May 2023.
- Web site: 2024-07-24 . Australia to host 2026 World Cup . 2024-07-24 . BBC Sport . en.
- Web site: ARLC welcomes Rugby League World Cup 2026 hosting rights. 24 July 2024. National Rugby League.
France