‘Pacific’ World Cup set to bring Test matches to United States

November 7, 2026 — 7:03pmThe next Rugby League World Cup will be held in the Pacific, a move that capitalises on the growing popularity of the game in the region and will likely result in matches being staged in North America.Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Utah and Hawaii are potential co-host cities as the 13-man code attempts to further expand into new regions. The International Rugby League is expected to formally announce the details for the 2030 competition on Monday.Fans show their support during the World Cup.Getty ImagesOnly a week ago England and France were close to being locked in for hosting rights, in a bid to boost the game in the northern hemisphere. The NRL’s negotiations to take a stake in the English Super League are ongoing.However, after a meeting of the IRL board during the week and a congress on Saturday, it was decided to instead push into the Pacific. The IRL member nations have been informed of the development. The following World Cup, to be staged in 2034, is likely to take place in England and France.Junior Paulo of Samoa performs a Siva Tau.Getty ImagesThe Pacific nations have ensured the current tournament is a success. Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa were the last four teams standing, squaring off in semi-final matches over the weekend. One of the highlights to date was Tonga’s sellout victory over Samoa last weekend at CommBank Stadium, one of several clashes that has produced strong attendances and ratings.The NRL has already made inroads into the United States. It will mark the first major international since England and New Zealand squared off in the Denver Test in 2018. More recently, the NRL has taken season-opening matches to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.The news comes as Australia and Samoa prepare to square off on Sunday for a place in the final.Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters revealed legendary five-eighth Brad “Freddy” Fittler would oversee the jersey presentation.“He’s a former Australian captain and won a World Cup in ’95, so Brad will come in and do his work [on Saturday night],” Walters said.“Freddy has played in plenty of big games as a player and coach, so he understands the lay of the land. It’s good to get Freddy involved, particularly all those little things about their preparation.“Getting Brad in will be a big thrill for the players, and also myself. I like Freddy; he’s a great fella. His direction towards the Kangaroos, whether when he was playing, was absolutely outstanding. He’s a good guy to come in.”Walters confirmed James Tedesco would be omitted from his interchange bench.“Blayke [Brailey] will be in the 20 jumper just in case anything happens to Harry [Grant] overnight,” he said.“We’ve got [Reuben] Cotter on the bench, we’ve got Sam Walker on the bench, and Ethan Strange. So three backs, three forwards. We feel like we’ve got everything covered there, as far as all those key positions, as well as some flexibility if we need to.”News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.From our partners