Pacific Championships — Rugby League (Men's)
Every edition of the men's Pacific Championships since its 2019 launch as the Oceania Cup — Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific nations, now the sport's current top-tier international competition and direct successor to the Four Nations. Rebranded the Pacific Championships in 2023 (top tier: Pacific Cup). Not held 2020-2022 (COVID-19 cancellation, then the delayed World Cup).
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
7 series covered. Australia have won the most (2). Most recent: 2025 — New Zealand (New Zealand won 36-14).
Results
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Australia | New Zealand | — (round-robin, no separate final) | Australia topped the 3-team Pool A table on points differential |
| 2020 | Not held | — | — | Cancelled (COVID-19) |
| 2021 | Not held | — | — | Not held |
| 2022 | Not held | — | — | Not held |
| 2023 | New Zealand | Australia | FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton | New Zealand won 30-0 |
| 2024 | Australia | Tonga | CommBank Stadium, Sydney | Australia won 20-14 |
| 2025 | New Zealand | Samoa | Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney | New Zealand won 36-14 |
Notes, by series
| Season | Notes |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Inaugural edition, played as the Oceania Cup. Pool A (Cup): Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, each playing once. Australia lost to Tonga (12-16) but still topped the table after beating New Zealand 26-4; the exact New Zealand-vs-Tonga score could not be confirmed from available sources. Pool B (Shield): Fiji beat Papua New Guinea in the deciding match to win the second tier. |
| 2020 | No matches played. |
| 2021 | International calendar slot consumed by the postponed 2021 Rugby League World Cup (eventually played Oct-Nov 2022). |
| 2022 | As with 2021 — no tournament held while the delayed World Cup absorbed the international window. |
| 2023 | First edition under the Pacific Championships name (men's top tier renamed the Pacific Cup). Australia's biggest-ever Test defeat. Pacific Bowl: Papua New Guinea beat Fiji 32-12 in Port Moresby. |
| 2024 | Australia's first Pacific Cup title under this name. Tonga had upset New Zealand in the round-robin to reach the final; New Zealand finished 3rd and had to win a promotion/relegation playoff (54-12 over Bowl winners Papua New Guinea) to retain its Cup place for 2025. Pacific Bowl: Papua New Guinea beat Cook Islands 42-20. |
| 2025 | New Zealand's second Pacific Cup title, completing a second-half comeback from 6-14 down at half-time. Played as Kieran Foran's international farewell. Australia did not enter 2025 (Ashes tour of England clashed with the window). Pacific Bowl decided on round-robin standings with no final (Papua New Guinea topped the group). |
Format note
A second tier (the Pacific Bowl, originally the Oceania Shield) runs alongside the Cup for Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands and others, with promotion/relegation between tiers introduced from 2024. Only the top-tier Cup/Oceania Cup results are tracked as the competition's overall champion here.
Sources
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