THE 2026 Rugby League World Cup is proving to be a hit on Australian television, following the launch of the tournament last Thursday, when Australia faced New Zealand at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
Channel 7 acquired the broadcasting rights, beating Rugby League’s usual free-to-air broadcaster Channel 9, and it has been rewarded with strong viewing figures.
Australia’s win over New Zealand in the World Cup opener attracted an average TV audience of 1.73 million, with a reach of 3.29 million.
That contrasted strongly with Channel 9’s audience for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup rugby union game between the Wallabies and All Blacks, which attracted an average TV audience of only 537,000.
And that figure was also beaten by the Jillaroos’ 40-0 win over Samoa in the women’s tournament, which was watched by 578,000 people.
Tonga’s 30-12 victory over England pulled an average audience of 1.03 million viewers and a reach of 2.3 million, almost double the audience for the Wallabies.
The England-Wales women’s tie drew an audience of 310,000 while the men’s PNG-Lebanon game in Port Moresby attracted 305,000 viewers.
It was a clear victory for Channel 7’s Rugby League World Cup coverage and contrasts strongly with the last time the tournament was held in Australia, when it was broadcast by Channel 9 and not a single game pulled more than 500,000 viewers.
“The Commission’s strategy to bring back International Rugby League is now paying dividends with our fans lapping up the World Cup,” said ARLC executive chairman Peter V’landys.
