The next instalment of the IRL Rugby League World Cup will kick off in Australia in 2026, and South Africa has a chance to qualify for the tournament via the 2025 IRL World Series.
South Africa (23 September 2024) – The pathway to 2026 will define not only South Africa’s momentum in the build-up to hosting the event in 2030 but also the future of rugby league worldwide.
The world’s second oldest World Cup event will write its next chapter when the 17th staging of the Rugby League World Cup kicks off in Australia and Papua New Guinea in 2026. The 2026 Edition will be in the known format of a festival of world cups with men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments. From 2026 onwards, the events will become standalone events, with the Women’s World Cup in 2028, the Wheelchair World Cup in 2029 and the Men’s World Cup next in 2030. The men’s tournament will feature 12 teams, with 10 already qualified and a further two qualifying via the 2025 IRL World Series.
South Africa can qualify via the World Series Pathway, which will see both the winner and runner-up head to Australia and Papua New Guinea. South Africa will be up against the Cook Islands, Jamaica, and one of France, Serbia, Wales, and Ukraine. The final qualifier for the World Series will be decided in the European Qualifying Tournament, which will take place later this year in France.
South Africa has submitted a proposal for the 2025 IRL World Series to be hosted by South Africa, at a venue to be confirmed. Chris Botes of Maxxium Sports, the bid director for the 2030 Men’s IRL World Cup bid by South Africa, said:
“Hosting the IRL World Series in 2025 not only shows local supporters great rugby league, it also positions South Africa as a premier destination for sport events and can be a great advertisement of our capabilities to showcase what we can do. This is a great way to test our systems before the 2030 World Cup.”
Dr Frans Erasmus, Rugby League South Africa President, said:
“We are excited about the prospect of the South African Rugby League qualifying for the 2026 World Cup during the 2025 Rugby League World Series. Such an opportunity is crucial for stimulating and growing further interest in Rugby League in our sport-hungry nation. South Africa is eager to seize this chance and showcase our talent on the world stage.”
South Africa’s build-up to the tournament will see the national team, the Rhinos, take on the likes of the United States. This series will see the US travel to South Africa for two matches in Gauteng in December. The fixtures will also feature an off-the-pitch rivalry as the two potential hosts for the 2030 World Cup go head-to-head for the first time since the bids were announced in August.
Speaking on the matches against the US Hawks, Rhinos men’s head coach, Fanie Bredenhann, said: “Having the opportunity to host the Hawks has created an exciting vibe among club coaches and players already, and they are a great help to scouting and development.”
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The series will also set the scene for an ongoing debate in the international rugby league scene, as both teams will only select players from their domestic competitions. For years, countries with high numbers of professional players in the competitions in Australia and France have played national squads that have heritage players consisting of players who have never played in their nation’s domestic league. Recently a proposed match between France and Lebanon was cancelled because the contracted players were not released by their clubs. This raises the question over teams that continue to select full heritage squads, that play against teams with domestic players who are active in promoting league in their countries.
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