The Cook Islands will face two of the game’s heavyweights at Rugby League World Cup 2026 after being drawn in Men’s Group A with Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
Ten men’s teams are split across three groups. Each Group A side plays the other three once, and the top two progress to the semi-finals. The tournament runs from 15 October to 15 November across Australia and Papua New Guinea, with games also in New Zealand.
Aitu fixtures
Round 1: Fiji v Cook Islands, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle. Sun 18 Oct, 4.05pm local (7.05pm Sat in Rarotonga).
Round 2: New Zealand v Cook Islands, One NZ Stadium, Christchurch. Sun 25 Oct, 6.05pm local (7.05pm Sat in Rarotonga).
Round 3: Australia v Cook Islands, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville. Sat 31 Oct, 7.05pm local (11.05pm Fri in Rarotonga).
The men’s tournament opens on Thursday 15 October at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, with Australia against New Zealand.
