Draws released for 2026 men's, women's and wheelchair rugby league world cups
Australia will look to defend their 2022 World Cup crown on home soil. (Jan Kruger: Getty Images for RLWC)
Tonga has been given a tough draw at next year's Rugby League World Cup, including a showdown with arch-rivals Samoa at Parramatta.
The Kristian Woolf-coached Tongans have been drawn in Group C, which means they play matches against Group B sides England, Samoa and Lebanon.
Their round-three showdown with Samoa on November 1 at CommBank Stadium is set to be a sellout after 44,682 fans watched the Samoans beat Tonga 34-6 at Suncorp Stadium in this year's Pacific Cup.
Defending World Cup champions Australia will kick off the 10-nation men's tournament against Pacific Cup holders and Group A rivals New Zealand on October 15 at Allianz Stadium.
The Kangaroos, who swept England 3-0 in the recent Ashes series, will then play the remaining Group A sides Fiji and the Cook Islands in the following weeks.
Group A's four sides play each other once in the three round-robin clashes ahead of the semi-finals, and the final at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, November 15.
The semi-finals will be held at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium and Sydney's Allianz Stadium.
Group B and C feature three teams apiece, but sides in each will play three games against those in the opposite group.
Tonga, PNG and France make up Group B.
Tonga have been handled a difficult draw in the men's tournament. (Getty Images: Matt King)
The top two sides from Group A go through to the semi-finals, while the six teams in Groups B and C will form a ladder of their own, with the top two playing semis.
That makes Tonga's task, which includes clashes against England in Perth on October 17 and their showdown with Samoa, tougher than any other team's.
World Cup titles for men, women and wheelchair will be contested in Australia and Papua New Guinea, with 14 nations and 26 teams playing 53 matches across 31 days.
The Women's World Cup boasts eight sides with Australia, Samoa, England and Wales in Group A. Group B consists of New Zealand, PNG, France and Fiji.
Each team will play three matches against the other teams in their group. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semis.
Australia and Samoa will open the tournament at CommBank Stadium on October 16.
The same two-group format applies in the Wheelchair World Cup, with England, Ireland, Wales and the USA in Group A and Australia, Scotland, France and New Zealand in Group B.
All the wheelchair showdowns will be held at Wollongong's WIN Entertainment Centre.
Australian Rugby League (ARLC) chairman Peter V'landys said the World Cup would build on the success of both domestic and international rugby league.
"Rugby League World Cup 2026 couldn't come at a better time on the back of record-breaking NRL and NRLW seasons, a successful Ashes series, and the most exciting Pacific Championships ever," he said.
"Representing your country is the ultimate honour and doing so in a World Cup is the ultimate stage. The talent, skill, physicality, passion and raw emotion on display will be something like we have never seen before.
"This will be the best and most successful Rugby League World Cup on record."
AAP