'Massive shift': RLWC26 to take game to next level

Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns stars believe the 2026 World Cup in Australia is set to spark the next big development in women’s rugby league.

The ARLC will host the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair World Cups at the end of the 2026 season, with matches to be played in Australia and Papua New Guinea, before the women’s tournament becomes a standalone event from 2028.

It is a sign of how far the women’s game has grown since the last World Cup in Australia in 2017, when a six-nation tournament was staged at Cronulla’s PointsBet Stadium, with the final being played alongside the men’s decider at Suncorp Stadium.

There was no qualifying process and neither Canada or Papua New Guinea had previously played an international fixture, but RLWC2017 showcased the women's game to a wider audience and it has grown each year since.

The NRLW now has 10 teams after beginning in 2018 with just four and will expand to 12 in 2025, while State of Origin was played as a three-match series for the first time this year and each match set a new record for crowds and ratings.

Jillaroos co-captain Kezie Apps, who wasn’t even aware that women’s rugby league existed until she saw a news report about Australia winning the 2013 World Cup in England, believes RLWC2026 will inspire the next major development.

“I feel like it will be massive for our game and a massive movement,” Apps said. “After the 2017 World Cup, that’s when we got the NRLW, so I feel that after this World Cup something massive is going to happen too.

“There is going to be a massive shift with even more eyes on our game and I feel like it is going to go to that next level by becoming more professional, and even maybe becoming fulltime.”

Apps and Ali Brigginshaw led the Jillaroos to victory over New Zealand in the final of the last World Cup at Old Trafford in 2022 and the pair are aiming to again be at the helm for RLWC2026.

Brigginshaw, who was named player of the final in 2017 and 2022, said she was anticipating big crowds and strong interest for RLWC2026 in Austrralia.  

“The game has grown, and the players have grown so much since 2017, it’s a new product and to play back on home soil will be absolutely amazing,”

“I love being able to have it in Australia so everyone can have their families there and the way the game has grown it is going to be a great World Cup.

“With the crowds and the audiences that we were getting in Origin, I can’t wait to see what the World Cup will be like.”

Jillaroos five-eighth Tarryn Aiken added: “It will be unreal to have a home World Cup. It’s a good opportunity to grow the game even more.”

The Jillaroos have beaten New Zealand in the final of the last three World Cups but the Kiwi Ferns won the most recent Test between the trans-Tasman rivals in Melbourne during last year’s Pacific Championships.

Kiwi Ferns stars Raecene McGregor and Georgia Hale said the win had given them confidence that New Zealand could win the next World Cup, while the return of a Warriors side in the NRLW in 2025 will add to the depth of available talent.

“Beating the Jillaroos was huge for us. In the whole time I have played since 2017 I had never beaten the Jillaroos, so to go out there and do that was an awesome feeling,” McGregor said.

“That will give us huge confidence and it was just awesome to see the squad that we had come together.

“For the first time it was all girls who had played NRLW, whereas in previous years we haven’t had that, and I think it just showed that the quality is getting better so we are really excited for what’s coming up.”

Hale, who won the 2023 IRL Golden Boot, said the Kiwi Ferns would have strong support in Australia for their RLWC2026 matches.

“I think it was really nice to travel to England for the last World Cup, but we definitely missed being closer to home and having friends, family and fans able to come to games,” Hale said.

“I think the atmosphere that will bring will be nice and something to look forward to.”