England begin their tournament on Saturday with a must-win fixture in Perth that can inject some optimism into the European game

Two games into the men’s World Cup and the tournament is already overflowing with colour. As if the biggest Test crowd in Sydney for more than 50 years was not enough cause for celebration, Australia and New Zealand served up one of the great international games of modern times, with the Kangaroos edging a thriller on the opening night.

But the stories do not end there. Samoa’s rise as a league powerhouse continued with a record win against France on Friday, with their passionate and united Pasifika fanbase fuelling the energy for a tilt at a second consecutive final. Tonga and Papua New Guinea will continue the theme of national pride and unforgettable noise this weekend.

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• Pool A: Kangaroos 24-22 Kiwis

• Jack Bostock scores three tries including match-winner in Sydney

Debutant Jack Bostock almost single-handedly stole the Rugby League World Cup opener, with three tries and one crucial try assist in a 24-22 victory over New Zealand that might generously be described as undeserved.

The Dolphins player wrestled a Cameron Munster kick away from Jamayne Isaako in the air with five minutes to go to complete his treble, putting his side in the match-winning lead. It was a carbon copy of his second try, as he proved damaging under the high ball. But it was his first four-pointer – a length of the field intercept midway through the opening half – that told the story of this extraordinary match.

• Updates as the Kangaroos and Kiwis open the tournament in Sydney

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Tonight’s referee is Adam Gee, the man in the middle of the recent NRL grand final. He excelled quietly on that occasion and the big match rewards keep flowing his direction.

The 2026 men’s RLWC features ten teams. Eight of these qualified via their performances at the last world cup, back in 2022. That is: Australia, New Zealand, England, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG, and Lebanon. The first seven countries in that list also happen to be the top seven on the IRL rankings; Lebanon are a lowly 23rd.

The remaining qualifiers, France and Cook Islands, won regional playoffs. Cook Islands are ranked eighth in the world, by the way, France recently held that position but have slipped to 11th. In other words, the cream of the crop will be on display.

The tournament will be played under NRL rules, including six players on the interchange bench with up to four to be used.

The ten teams have been distributed into three pools.

Pool A contains Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Cook Islands. The top two from this group qualify for the semi-finals.

The teams in Pool B (England, Samoa, Lebanon) play the teams in Pool C (Tonga, PNG, France) with the top two on a combined group table qualifying for the semi-finals.

The winner of Pool A takes on the runner-up from Pool B&C in Sydney.

The winner of Pool B&C takes on the runner-up from Pool A in Newcastle.

The world cup final is in Brisbane on 15 November.

The group phase will take place over the following three weekends. After tonight, remaining matches will be staged only on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

The fourth weekend will feature the semi-finals, with the final wrapping up proceedings the following Sunday.

10 locations will host matches. Eight of these are in Australia: Sydney (Allianz Arena), Sydney (Commbank Arena), Brisbane, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Townsville, Wollongong, and Perth; while Port Moresby will host two Papua New Guinea matches, and Christchurch will stage one New Zealand fixture.

Wigan forward is one of England’s brightest hopes for the World Cup and says he wants to ‘inspire young black people’

England’s players will have no shortage of motivation when they step on to the field this Saturday for the opening match of their Rugby League World Cup campaign. But few, you suspect, have as strong a desire to send the right message out as Junior Nsemba.

Whether you are a seasoned Super League fan or a first-time watcher on Saturday morning, the 22-year-old Wigan forward is one of English rugby league’s must-see talents and a player the eyes of the world will be drawn to over the next month.