2021 Rugby League World Cup

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

2021 Rugby League World Cup ▾

2021 Rugby League World Cup result: Australia won the title, beating Samoa 30–10 in the final. Hosted by England.

Full match archive (31 games)

Groups

Group A

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
England330019628+1686WWW
Samoa320114068+724LWW
France310256116-602WLL
Greece300320200-1800LLL
DateResultVenueAttendance
15 Oct 2022England 60–6 SamoaSt James' Park, Newcastle, England43,119
17 Oct 2022France 34–12 GreeceEco-Power Stadium, Doncaster, England4,182
22 Oct 2022England 42–18 FranceUniversity of Bolton Stadium, Bolton, England23,648
23 Oct 2022Samoa 72–4 GreeceEco-Power Stadium, Doncaster, England4,415
29 Oct 2022England 94–4 GreeceBramall Lane, Sheffield, England18,760
30 Oct 2022Samoa 62–4 FranceHalliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England6,756

Group B

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
Australia330019214+1786WWW
Fiji32019860+384LWW
Italy310238130-922WLL
Scotland300318142-1240LLL
DateResultVenueAttendance
15 Oct 2022Australia 42–8 FijiAMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds, England13,366
16 Oct 2022Scotland 4–28 ItalyKingston Park, Newcastle, England6,206
21 Oct 2022Australia 84–0 ScotlandCBS Arena, Coventry, England10,276
22 Oct 2022Fiji 60–4 ItalyKingston Park, Newcastle, England3,675
29 Oct 2022Fiji 30–14 ScotlandKingston Park, Newcastle, England6,736
29 Oct 2022Australia 66–6 ItalyTotally Wicked Stadium, St Helens, England5,586

Group C

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
New Zealand330015028+1226WWW
Lebanon320111860+584LWW
Ireland31027282-102WLL
Jamaica300320190-1700LLL
DateResultVenueAttendance
16 Oct 2022Jamaica 2–48 IrelandAMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds, England6,320
16 Oct 2022New Zealand 34–12 LebanonHalliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England5,453
22 Oct 2022New Zealand 68–6 JamaicaMKM Stadium, Hull, England6,829
23 Oct 2022Lebanon 32–14 IrelandLeigh Sports Village, Leigh, England6,057
28 Oct 2022New Zealand 48–10 IrelandAMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds, England14,044
30 Oct 2022Lebanon 74–12 JamaicaLeigh Sports Village, Leigh, England5,006

Group D

TeamPWDLPFPADiffPtsForm
Tonga330014834+1146WWW
Papua New Guinea32018640+464LWW
Cook Islands310244136-922WLL
Wales30031886-680LLL
DateResultVenueAttendance
18 Oct 2022Tonga 24–18 Papua New GuineaTotally Wicked Stadium, St Helens, England10,409
19 Oct 2022Wales 12–18 Cook IslandsLeigh Sports Village, Leigh, England6,188
24 Oct 2022Tonga 32–6 WalesTotally Wicked Stadium, St Helens, England7,752
25 Oct 2022Papua New Guinea 32–16 Cook IslandsHalliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England6,273
30 Oct 2022Tonga 92–10 Cook IslandsRiverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, England8,342
31 Oct 2022Papua New Guinea 36–0 WalesEco-Power Stadium, Doncaster, England6,968

Knockout stage

Quarter-final

DateResultVenueAttendance
4 Nov 2022Australia 48–4 LebanonJohn Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield, England8,206
5 Nov 2022England 46–6 Papua New GuineaDW Stadium, Wigan, England23,179
5 Nov 2022New Zealand 24–18 FijiMKM Stadium, Hull, England7,080
6 Nov 2022Tonga 18–20 SamoaHalliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England12,674

Semi-final

DateResultVenueAttendance
11 Nov 2022Australia 16–14 New ZealandElland Road, Leeds, England28,113
12 Nov 2022England 26–27 SamoaEmirates Stadium, London, England40,489

Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
19 Nov 2022Australia 30–10 SamoaOld Trafford, Manchester, England67,502

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Tournament facts

HostEngland
Dates15 October – 19 November 2022 (postponed one year from its original October–November 2021 slot)
Teams16
Games played31
Players used361
Average crowd13,665
Venues used21

Notable:

  • First World Cup to stage the men's, women's and wheelchair tournaments as fully equal, concurrent events, with identical player payments across all three.
  • Postponed a full year from its original 2021 slot after Australia and New Zealand withdrew citing player welfare and COVID-era safety concerns.
  • Women's final: Australia beat New Zealand 54–4 for a third straight title.
  • Wheelchair final: England beat France 28–24 in front of a wheelchair rugby league world-record crowd of 4,526.
  • UK television coverage drew over 30 million viewers across the tournament.

Teams (16)

Australia, England, New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, France, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Lebanon, United States, Italy, Ireland, Wales, Greece, Jamaica

Sourcing caveat: This site currently covers the men's tournament in full and the women's/wheelchair finals only as context within this page — dedicated women's and wheelchair World Cup archive pages are a planned future addition, not yet built out.

Context

87% of matches played in towns and cities across the north of England.

Samoa's run to the men's final was historic in its own right — the first team other than Australia, New Zealand or Great Britain/England to reach a World Cup final since France in 1968 — before Australia won 30-10 at Old Trafford for a 12th title.

Sources

← 2017 Rugby League World Cup2026 Rugby League World Cup (preview) →

← All World Cups

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