1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup ▾

1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup result: Australia won the title, beating New Zealand 25–12 in the final. Hosted by Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, France & Papua New Guinea.

Full match archive (18 games)

Groups

World Cup Table

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
Australia750225291+16110WLW
Great Britain842220390+11310WWL
New Zealand741215886+729LWW
France511335140-1053LLW
Papua New Guinea710684325-2412LLL
DateResultVenueAttendance
7 Jul 1985New Zealand 18–0 AustraliaCarlaw Park, Auckland, New Zealand15,327
9 Nov 1985Great Britain 6–6 New ZealandElland Road, Leeds, England22,209
7 Dec 1985France 0–22 New ZealandStade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan, France5,000
16 Feb 1986France 10–10 Great BritainParc des Sports, Avignon, France4,000
29 Jul 1986Australia 32–12 New ZealandLang Park, Brisbane, Australia22,811
17 Aug 1986Papua New Guinea 24–22 New ZealandLloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea15,000
4 Oct 1986Papua New Guinea 12–62 AustraliaLloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea17,000
22 Nov 1986Great Britain 15–24 AustraliaCentral Park, Wigan, England20,169
13 Dec 1986France 0–52 AustraliaStade d'Albert Domec, Carcassonne, France5,000
24 Jan 1987Great Britain 52–4 FranceHeadingley, Leeds, England6,567
24 Oct 1987Great Britain 42–0 Papua New GuineaCentral Park, Wigan, England9,121
15 Nov 1987France 21–4 Papua New GuineaStade d'Albert Domec, Carcassonne, France5,000
22 May 1988Papua New Guinea 22–42 Great BritainLloyd Robson Oval, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea12,107
9 Jul 1988Australia 12–26 Great BritainSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia15,944
10 Jul 1988New Zealand 66–14 Papua New GuineaCarlaw Park, Auckland, New Zealand8,392
17 Jul 1988New Zealand 12–10 Great BritainAddington Showground, Christchurch, New Zealand8,525
20 Jul 1988Australia 70–8 Papua New GuineaEric Weissel Oval, Wagga Wagga, Australia11,685

Knockout stage

Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
9 Oct 1988Australia 25–12 New ZealandEden Park, Auckland, New Zealand47,363

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Tournament facts

HostAustralia, New Zealand, Great Britain, France & Papua New Guinea
Dates1985–1988 (played over three years)
Teams5
Games played18
Players used196
Average crowd13,957

Teams (5)

Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, France, Papua New Guinea

Context

Not staged as a single tournament at all: individual World Cup matches were embedded inside the normal home-and-away Test-series calendar across three full years, with the final the one standalone fixture at the end.

The most unusual World Cup format the sport has tried: rather than a single tournament, matches drawn from the ordinary 1985-1988 international Test calendar counted toward a running World Cup table, spread across three full years and five nations, before Australia and New Zealand met in a standalone final at Eden Park. Papua New Guinea made their World Cup debut in this edition, a landmark for the Pacific nation's international standing in the sport. Australia won the final 25-12 in front of what was, at the time, the largest rugby league crowd ever recorded in New Zealand (47,363) — the final was deliberately moved to Auckland rather than Australia to chase a bigger, more enthusiastic crowd after flagging attendances at home. France's involvement was badly disrupted along the way: financial difficulties forced the French federation to abandon its entire 1987 away tour of Australasia, conceding walkover fixtures against Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea rather than travel. Poor international crowds through the mid-1970s and into the 1980s were part of why Australia itself chose not to bid to host the final at home, instead letting New Zealand chase a bigger, more receptive occasion — a decision the record 47,363 crowd at Eden Park went on to fully justify.

Sources

← 1977 Rugby League World Cup1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup →

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