Rugby League World Cup records explained

See main article: Rugby League World Cup.

Rugby League World Cup records have been accumulating since the first Rugby League World Cup tournament was held in 1954.

Team Records

All-time record

See also: Rugby League World Cup overall record.

Top four finishes

Team	Champions	Runners-up	Third / Fourth / Losing Semi-finalists
	12 (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2013, 2017, 2021)	3 (1960, 1972, 2008)	1 (1954)
	3 (1954, 1960, 1972)	4 (1964, 1970, 1977, 1992)	2 (1968, 1988)
	1 (2008)	3 (1985–88, 2000, 2013)	11 (1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1992, 1995, 2021)
		3 (1975, 1995, 2017)	4 (2000, 2008, 2013, 2021)
		2 (1954, 1968)	6 (1957, 1960, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1992)
		1 (2021)
			3 (1975, 1995, 2000)
			3 (2008, 2013, 2017)
			1 (1988)
			1 (2017)

• Tournaments between 1954–1992 did not feature semi-final and quarter-final rounds.

Title win rate

!Team!Win rate

	75.00%
	33.33%
	6.67%

Biggest wins

Rank	Winner	Score	Loser	Points	Year
1		110-4		106	2000
2		94-4		90	2021
3		84-0		84
4		92-10		82	2021
5		86-6		80	1995

Individual records

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Country(s)	Years	Apps
1	Kurt Sorensen		1975–1989	25
2	John Atkinson		1970–1980	17
	Bob Fulton		1968–1978
	Cameron Smith		2008–2017
5	Mal Meninga		1982–1994	15
	Michael O'Connor		1985–1990
	Chris Hill		2013-

Top try scorers

Rank	Player	Country(s)	Years	Tries
1	Billy Slater		2008–2017	16
2	Jarryd Hayne		2008–2017	14
	Ryan Hall		2013–
4	Bob Fulton		1968–1975	13
	Valentine Holmes		2017–

Top points scorers

Rank	Player	Country(s)	Years	Points
1	Johnathan Thurston		2008–2017	124
2	Shaun Johnson		2013–2017	120
3	Mick Cronin		1975–1982	112
4	Michael O'Connor		1985–1990	108
5	George Fairbairn		1975–1982	94

Most tries in a tournament

Tries	Player	Year
12		2017
12		2021
10		2000
9	Jarryd Hayne	2013
		2013
		2021
7		2008

Most tries in a match

Tries	Player	Year
6		2017
5		2017
		2021
		2021

Miscellaneous

Winning captains and coaches

A foreign coach has never managed a World Cup-winning team.

Year	Captain	Coach	Team
1954	Dave Valentine	G Shaw
1957	Dick Poole	Dick Poole
1960	Eric Ashton	William Fallowfield
1968	Johnny Raper	Harry Bath
1970	Ron Coote	Harry Bath
1972	Clive Sullivan	Jim Challinor
1975	Arthur Beetson	Graeme Langlands
1977	Arthur Beetson	Terry Fearnley
1988	Wally Lewis	Don Furner
1992	Mal Meninga	Bob Fulton
1995	Brad Fittler	Bob Fulton
2000	Brad Fittler	Chris Anderson
2008	Nathan Cayless	Stephen Kearney
2013	Cameron Smith	Tim Sheens
2017	Cameron Smith	Mal Meninga

Draws

Team	Score	Opponent	Date
	13–13		7 November 1954
	10–10*		11 November 1972
	17–17		21 June 1975
	10–10		28 June 1975
	12–12		17 October 1975
	6–6		9 November 1985
	10–10		16 February 1986
	28–28		10 October 1995
	22–22		5 November 2000
	14–14		11 November 2017

• After Extra Time

Nil points

Team	Score	Opponent	Date
	0–9		8 October 1960
	0–6		28 October 1970
	0–27		15 June 1975
	0–25		12 November 1975
	0–18		7 July 1985
	0–22		7 December 1985
	0–52		13 December 1986
	0–42		24 October 1987
	0–34		3 December 1989
	0–14		24 November 1990
	0–36		7 March 1992
	0–46		11 October 1995
	0–66		14 October 1995
	0–46		14 October 1995
	0–64		29 October 2000
	0–16		2 November 2000
	0–52		16 November 2008
	0–48		1 November 2013
	0–42		2 November 2013
	0–50		9 November 2013
	0–16		10 November 2013
	0–62		16 November 2013
	0–64		23 November 2013
	0–46		5 November 2017
	0–34		11 November 2017
	0–64		12 November 2017
	0–46		17 November 2017
	0–6		2 December 2017
	0–84		21 October 2022^[1]
	0–36		31 October 2022^[2]

Attendance Records

The 2013 Rugby League World Cup final at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, drew a world record international rugby league attendance of 74,468.^[3]

Top 5 match attendances

Year	Venue	City/Country	Event	Result	Attendance
				def. 34–2	74,468
				def. 10–6	73,631
			Semi Final (double header)	def. 64–0 def. 20–18	67,575
				def. 16–8	66,540
				def. 25–10	62,256

Top 5 World Cup final attendances

Year	Venue	City/Country	Result	Attendance
			def. 34–2	74,468
			def. 10–6	73,631
			def. 16–8	66,540
			def. 20–2	54,290
			def. 34–20	50,599

Highest Attendance per Host Nation

Country	Year	Venue	City	Event	Result	Attendance
					def. 34–2	74,468
					def. 25–10	62,256
					def. 25–12	47,363
				Group stage (double header)	def. 28–20 def. 32–16	45,052
					drew with 13–13	37,471
					def. 62–12	17,000
					def. 50–0	5,021
					def. 30–16	3,207
					def. 17–16	2,008

Notes and References

1. Web site: Australia 84–0 Scotland . RLWC2021 . 1 November 2022.
2. Web site: Papua New Guinea 36–0 Wales . RLWC2021 . 1 November 2022.
3. News: Paul . Fletcher . Rugby League World Cup 2013: New Zealand 2–34 Australia . BBC Sport . British Broadcasting Corporation . 30 November 2013 . 2 December 2013 .