Papua New Guinea at the Rugby League World Cup

About Papua New Guinea in rugby league

Rugby league is Papua New Guinea's official national sport — described by Wikipedia as "the lifeblood of the country" — and the Kumuls (named for the bird-of-paradise, a national symbol) generate a level of public passion most nations never match: roughly two million people are estimated to have watched PNG's matches at the 2000 World Cup, and the annual fixture against Australia's Prime Minister's XIII regularly overflows its stadium, with fans climbing roofs and trees to watch. PNG made their World Cup debut in the 1985-88 edition and co-hosted the tournament in 2017 and again in 2026, when the country's involvement carries extra weight: PNG's government and the NRL have explicitly linked the 2026 World Cup to plans for a fully professional PNG-based team, named the Chiefs, to join the NRL competition itself in the years that follow. PNG's best World Cup campaign came in 2000 under coach Bob Bennett, when the Kumuls qualified through to the tournament's final four — still regarded by many in the country as the strongest Kumuls squad ever assembled, and the benchmark the current playing group is chasing as it builds toward a full NRL presence.

Sources

• Rugby league in Papua New Guinea — Wikipedia
• PM Marape announces PNG NRL team name 'Chiefs' — NRL.com