Rugby League World Cup
History & Winners
Rugby League World Cup, international rugby event that is considered to be the foremost competition in the “league” variant of the sport.
The Rugby League World Cup began in 1954 in France and has been held at irregular intervals since then. Australia won six consecutive World Cups between 1975 and 2000, establishing itself as the international powerhouse in rugby league. Australia’s run of dominance ended in 2008 when the team—playing at home in Brisbane—was beaten in the World Cup final by rival New Zealand in one of the biggest upsets in rugby history. The 2000 Rugby League World Cup, held in Britain, featured teams from 16 countries, but the 2008 iteration returned to a 10-team format.
Results of the Rugby League World Cup are provided in the table.
year
result
*Great Britain won on match points.
**Called International Championship from 1975 to 1977.
***Championships played without a grand final match; England was the runner-up.
****Held in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
1954
Great Britain
16
France
12
1957
Australia
29
Great Britain
21
1960
Great Britain
66
Australia
37
1968
Australia
20
France
2
1970
Australia
12
Great Britain
7
1972
Great Britain
10*
Australia
10
1975**
Australia***
1977**
Australia
13
Great Britain
12
1988
Australia
25
New Zealand
12
1992
Australia
10
Great Britain
6
1995
Australia
16
England
8
2000
Australia
40
New Zealand
12
2008
New Zealand
34
Australia
20
2013
Australia
34
New Zealand
2
2017
Australia
6
England
2021****
Australia
30
Samoa
10
What's Your Reaction?
