Lisa Nandy Calls for Free-to-Air Rugby League World Cup Deal

UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy has called on rugby league administrators to pursue a deal that would put at least part of this autumn’s Rugby League World Cup on free-to-air television. The Guardian reported that Premier Sports has secured exclusive rights to show the tournament in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

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The BBC did not bid for the rights, placing its long-running association with the competition on course to end. The broadcaster has consistently carried previous Rugby League World Cups regardless of the host nation, but supporters in the UK would need a subscription to watch the 2026 event under the current arrangement.

Nandy, the MP for Wigan and a rugby league supporter, urged the International Rugby League to work with free-to-air broadcasters. She said she shared supporters’ disappointment and emphasized the sport’s importance to communities across the country. According to The Guardian, any revised agreement would most likely focus on making England’s matches available through the BBC or another terrestrial channel.

The tournament will be staged in Australia and will again bring together the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cups. That combined format was used at the 2022 event in England, when the BBC broadcast every match live. The Guardian reported that England’s men drew audiences well above one million, while the cumulative television audience across the tournament exceeded 30 million.

Premier Sports previously showed World Cup fixtures in 2017 and now becomes the event’s exclusive broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. International Rugby League secretary Danny Kazandjian said the network has a strong history with international rugby league events and described the renewed relationship as part of efforts to strengthen the federation’s ability to invest in the global game.

No free-to-air agreement has yet been announced, so the subscription-only arrangement remains in place. Nandy’s intervention adds government pressure to the backlash already reported among supporters and in parliament, with the focus now on whether the rights holder, tournament organizers and a terrestrial broadcaster can reach a secondary deal before the competition begins.