International rugby league in 2026
| International rugby league in 2026 | |
|---|---|
< 2025 2027 > |
A list of men, women and wheelchair senior international rugby league matches played throughout 2026.
A † denotes a match that did not contribute to the IRL World Rankings - i.e. not a senior international match (SIM) as designated by the International Rugby League (IRL).[a]
The season is due to include the 2026 Rugby League World Cup which is planned to be held in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand during October and November 2026.
January
Barrow Raiders v Scotland men
| Barrow Raiders | 74–6† |  Scotland
|
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Robson, Toal (2), Broadbent (2), Ritson (2), Johnston, Bulman, Cresswell (3), Archer Goals: B. Walker 3/4, Broadbent 1/1, Archer 7/8 |
1st: 44–0 2nd: 30–6 Report |
Tries: Grierson Goals: Duncan (1/1) |
| Barrow Raiders | Position | Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number | Number | Name | |
| Luke Cresswell | 1 | 1 | Max Anderson-Moore | |
| Luke Broadbent | 2 | 2 | Cam Cullen | |
| Curtis Teare | 3 | 3 | Shaun Callan | |
| Shane Toal | 4 | 4 | Jacob Grierson | |
| Tee Ritson | 5 | 5 | Andrew Brown | |
| Brad Walker | 6 | 6 | George Shannon | |
| Ryan Johnston | 7 | 7 | Lewis Clarke | |
| Tom Walker | 8 | 8 | Connor Terrill | |
| Josh Wood | 9 | 9 | Jordan Duncan | |
| Joe Bullock | 10 | 10 | Kieran Moran | |
| Ellis Robson | 11 | 11 | Seth Clapham | |
| Matty Costello | 12 | 12 | Gregor Cowan | |
| Ryan King | 13 | 13 | Ollie Maher | |
| Greg Richards | 14 | 14 | Tom Murray | |
| Charlie Emslie | 15 | 15 | Joey Clarkson | |
| Alex Bishop | 16 | 16 | Ben Sykes | |
| Andrew Bulman | 17 | 17 | Lucas-Anderson-Moore | |
| Trent Ruddy | 18 | 18 | Kris Illingworth | |
| Seth Woodend | 19 | 19 | Shane Toal | |
| Dan Knott | 20 | |||
| Fin Dutton-Rosconie | 21 | |||
| Stevie Watson | 22 | |||
| Ellis Archer | 23 | |||
| Paul Creary | Coach |
Adam Houston | ||
This match was a testimonial match for Barrow player, Shane Toal. He and fellow Barrow and Scotland international Max Anderson-Moore played a half for each team.[2]
February
USA v Scotland double header
This double-header is part of a triple-header which will also feature a Men's U-19 between the same nations.[3]
March
Wales wheelchair v UK Armed Forces
University of Cambridge v Brazil men
May
Poland men v Brazil
Celtic Cup
June
University of Cambridge v Brazil men
July
Summer tours to Brazil
England men v Papua New Guinea
A proposed mid-season game between England and Papua New Guinea[4][5] did not occur following the RFL's U-turn decision to use the spare week in the UK domestic calendar (4/5 July) to retain Magic Weekend for 2026 as a sole loop fixture.[6] Magic Weekend had previously been set to be removed following Super League's expansion to 14 teams and the subsequent removal of loop fixtures from the competition.[7]
Ghana men v University of Cambridge
France women v England
October
Men's European Championships
- Euro B
- Euro C
- Euro D
Men's World Cup
Group A
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Group B and C
Semi Finals
Final
Women's World Cup
Group A
Group B
Semi Finals
Final
Wheelchair World Cup
Group A
Group B
Ranking Semi Finals
Semi Finals
Ranking Play-offs
Final
Notes
- ^ IRL defines a SIM as "any match in which a player represents a national federation, where such match has been sanctioned and recognised by IRL and the relevant national federations as a match played between senior national teams, which are national teams of a member national federation playing in a match for world rankings points."[1]
- ^ Match will be a double-header with the Tonga v Samoa fixture.[9]
- ^ Match will be a double-header with the Lebanon v France fixture.[9]
References
- ^ "Why SIMS - not tests". International Rugby League. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Shane Toal scores testimonial double as Barrow Raiders thrash Scotland". Total RL. 10 January 2026. Archived from the original on 12 January 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ https://www.intrl.sport/article/502/usa-hawks-to-face-scotland-bravehearts-in-historic-triple-header-in-las-vegas-2026
- ^ https://www.alloutrugbyleague.co.uk/news/england-png-mid-season-test-1502300
- ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/papua-new-guinea-offer-england-mid-season-test-ahead-of-2026-world-cup
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/nov/25/undercooked-england-not-play-for-year-rugby-league-world-cup
- ^ https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/magic-weekend-future-update-as-big-decision-on-possible-format-reached-for-2026
- ^ https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2590/erl-chair-hails-relaunched-euro-champs
- ^ a b https://www.nrl.com/news/2025/11/23/2026-rugby-league-world-cup-fixtures-announced/