2008 Rugby League World Cup
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
2008 Rugby League World Cup result: New Zealand won the title, beating Australia 34–20 in the final. Hosted by Australia.
Full match archive (18 games)
Groups
Group A
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 16 | +112 | 6 | WWW |
| New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 60 | +30 | 4 | LWW |
| England | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 110 | -50 | 2 | WLL |
| Papua New Guinea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34 | 126 | -92 | 0 | LLL |
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2008 | England 32–22 Papua New Guinea | Willows Sports Complex, Townsville, Australia | 10,780 |
| 26 Oct 2008 | Australia 30–6 New Zealand | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia | 34,157 |
| 1 Nov 2008 | New Zealand 48–6 Papua New Guinea | Robina Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia | 11,278 |
| 2 Nov 2008 | Australia 52–4 England | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | 36,297 |
| 8 Nov 2008 | England 24–36 New Zealand | Newcastle International Sports Centre, Newcastle, Australia | 15,145 |
| 9 Nov 2008 | Australia 46–6 Papua New Guinea | Willows Sports Complex, Townsville, Australia | 16,239 |
Group B
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiji | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 24 | +34 | 2 | WL |
| Scotland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 52 | -16 | 2 | LW |
| France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 60 | -18 | 2 | WL |
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Oct 2008 | France 36–18 Scotland | Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia | 9,287 |
| 1 Nov 2008 | Fiji 42–6 France | Wollongong Showground, Wollongong, Australia | 9,213 |
| 5 Nov 2008 | Scotland 18–16 Fiji | Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, Australia | 9,720 |
Group C
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 38 | +16 | 2 | LW |
| Tonga | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 2 | WL |
| Samoa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 46 | -10 | 2 | WL |
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 2008 | Tonga 22–20 Ireland | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney, Australia | 6,165 |
| 31 Oct 2008 | Samoa 20–12 Tonga | Penrith Stadium, Sydney, Australia | 11,787 |
| 5 Nov 2008 | Ireland 34–16 Samoa | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney, Australia | 8,067 |
Knockout stage
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 2008 | Fiji 30–14 Ireland | Robina Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia | 8,224 |
Semi-final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Nov 2008 | New Zealand 32–22 England | Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia | 26,659 |
| 16 Nov 2008 | Australia 52–0 Fiji | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia | 15,855 |
9th Place Play-off
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 2008 | France 10–42 Samoa | Penrith Stadium, Sydney, Australia | 8,028 |
7th Place Play-off
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 2008 | Scotland 0–48 Tonga | Browne Park, Rockhampton, Australia | 5,930 |
Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov 2008 | New Zealand 34–20 Australia | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia | 50,599 |
Tournament facts
| Host | Australia |
| Dates | 26 October – 22 November 2008 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Games played | 18 |
| Players used | 224 |
| Average crowd | 16,299 |
Teams (10)
Australia, England, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, France, Ireland, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga
Sourcing caveat: Final attendance is given as 50,599 by Wikipedia's dedicated 2008 tournament article; Wikipedia's separate consolidated finals list gives 50,559 for the same match. The individual tournament article's figure is used here as the more specific source; flagged in case the small discrepancy resurfaces elsewhere.
Context
Matches played across the Australian east coast: Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast, Townsville, Newcastle, Canberra, Wollongong, Gosford, Penrith and Rockhampton.
One of the great upsets in the sport's history: table-topping, heavily-favoured hosts Australia were beaten 34-20 in the final by New Zealand at Brisbane's Lang Park, the Kiwis' first ever World Cup title. The tournament was a genuine commercial success regardless of the shock result, turning over A$6.5 million in profit and reaching a global television audience estimated at 19.2 million across 127 countries. New Zealand's win broke a run of five straight Australian titles stretching back to 1988, and remains the only time a team other than Australia or Great Britain has won the World Cup in the tournament's entire history. The ten-team, three-pool format was itself a deliberate reaction to criticism of the bloated sixteen-team 2000 tournament, designed to guarantee stronger, closer matches throughout. New Zealand navigated a tough Group A alongside hosts Australia, England and Papua New Guinea, finishing second in the pool before winning through the knockout rounds. Billy Slater finished the tournament's leading try-scorer with seven, while Johnathan Thurston topped the overall points-scoring table for the Kiwis' beaten finalists.
Sources
← 2000 Rugby League World Cup2013 Rugby League World Cup →
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