USA and Pacific Islands to host expanded 2030 Rugby League World Cup

The USA and the Pacific Islands will host the 2030 Rugby League World Cup, with both the men's and women's competitions set to expand, BBC Sport reported. The announcement establishes the destinations for the next edition, although the five host cities have not yet been confirmed and the tournament format remains undecided.

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International Rugby League chairman Tony Grant confirmed that the men's competition will grow from 10 teams to 12, while the women's field will increase from eight to 10. The two tournaments will take place concurrently, maintaining the arrangement used for the ongoing 2026 World Cup in Australia. Nations were asked for their views on the format at the governing body's annual general meeting in Sydney.

Grant said the hosting strategy was intended to build on interest in the current tournament among broadcasters, government partners and supporters. He said the 2026 competition had regularly set records for attendance and television audiences. The governing body also wants to use opportunities in countries that have not previously staged the Rugby League World Cup to broaden the sport's international reach.

The announcement was accompanied by a proposal to elevate Samoa and Tonga to Tier One status alongside Australia, England and New Zealand. That change has been proposed rather than confirmed. Both Pacific teams reached the semi-finals of this year's World Cup, and Samoa became the first Pacific nation to reach a World Cup final in 2022.

The wheelchair competition will follow a separate hosting arrangement in 2030. It is scheduled to take place in France at the same time as the men's and women's events in the USA and Pacific Islands. Looking beyond that edition, the governing body said the 2034 World Cup would be staged in Europe.

Meanwhile, the current tournament will conclude with Australia facing New Zealand in both the men's and women's finals in Brisbane on Sunday, 15 November. Australia's men have won the last three World Cups, while the Australian women have reached their fifth consecutive final. Those matches will close the edition from which both competitions are scheduled to expand in 2030.