Who has won the Rugby League World Cup? Australia have lifted the Paul Barrière Trophy a record 12 times, but Great Britain and New Zealand have had their moments too. Here are all the Rugby League World Cup winners since 1954, with every final score, venue and the story behind each title.
The 2026 tournament is already under way. Australia opened with a 24-22 win over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on 15 October, Tonga stunned England 30-12 in Perth, and the men’s and women’s finals will be played as a double-header at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Sunday 15 November, NRL.com confirmed when the draw was released.
Only 10 teams are in the men’s event this time, with the top two from Pool A and the top two from the combined Pool B and C table going straight into the semi-finals. So before the knockout games start, here is the full history of the Rugby League World Cup winners and the finals that decided them.
For live odds, team lists and form, open the TSB NRL Match Centre, or browse our NRL news hub for every World Cup result.
Rugby League World Cup winners at a glance
- Australia: 12 titles (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2013, 2017, 2021)
- Great Britain: 3 titles (1954, 1960, 1972)
- New Zealand: 1 title (2008)
- Beaten finalists without a title: France (1954, 1968) and Samoa (2021). England, who have played separately from Great Britain since 1995, were runners-up in 1975, 1995 and 2017.
Those numbers line up with the champions list kept by the Rugby League Project. The 2021 World Cup was postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and played in England in 2022, but it keeps its 2021 name.
Read more: Jack Bostock Hat-Trick Seals Kangaroos 24-22 World Cup Win
Every Rugby League World Cup winner and final
The format has changed many times. The early tournaments were mostly four-team events, some were decided on a league table with no final, and in the 1980s results were spread over several years of Test matches. Here is every edition, from Paris in 1954 to Manchester in 2022.
1954: Great Britain
Final: Great Britain 16 France 12
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
Crowd: 30,368
The World Cup was a French idea, pushed by French Rugby League president Paul Barrière, who had the trophy made and gave it to the international board. Hosts France met Great Britain in the final in Paris, and the British won a close contest to become the first world champions.
1957: Australia
Format: Round robin, no final
Host: Australia
Runners-up: Great Britain
Australia topped the four-team table on home soil to win their first World Cup.
1960: Great Britain
Format: Round robin, no final
Host: England
Runners-up: Australia
Great Britain won the deciding match against Australia at Odsal in Bradford, which drew the biggest crowd of the tournament at 32,773. Live television coverage of complete matches was blamed for disappointing crowds at the other games.
1968: Australia
Final: Australia 20 France 2
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground
Crowd: 54,290
France surprised everyone by making the final after wins over New Zealand and Great Britain. They held Australia to 7-0 at half-time before the Kangaroos pulled away, and the crowd was a record for a World Cup final at the time.
Read more: Top 10 Greatest NRL Grand Finals of All Time
1970: Australia
Final: Australia 12 Great Britain 7
Venue: Headingley, Leeds
Crowd: 18,776
Great Britain had already beaten Australia in the pool stage and went in as favourites, but the Kangaroos won a brutal match remembered as the Battle of Headingley. Australia’s Billy Smith and Britain’s Syd Hynes were both sent off in the last minute.
1972: Great Britain
Final: Great Britain 10 Australia 10 (after extra time)
Venue: Stade de Gerland, Lyon
Crowd: 4,231
The scores were still level after extra time, so the trophy went to Great Britain for finishing top of the table. Captain Clive Sullivan scored a famous long-range try, hooker Mike Stephenson’s late try levelled the scores, and it remains Great Britain’s last World Cup title.
1975: Australia
Format: World Championship series, home and away, no final
Hosts: Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales and France
Runners-up: England
Great Britain was split into England and Wales for the first time, making it a five-team competition played across both hemispheres. Australia finished on top of the table.
1977: Australia
Final: Australia 13 Great Britain 12
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground
Crowd: 24,457
Led by captain Roger Millward, the Lions dominated much of the possession, but Australia hung on to win by a single point.
1988: Australia
Final: Australia 25 New Zealand 12
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Crowd: 47,363
This edition was played over Test matches between 1985 and 1988. Australia earned the right to host the final but let New Zealand stage it, and the crowd remains a record for a rugby league match in New Zealand. Captain Wally Lewis broke his right forearm while making a tackle in the 15th minute.
1992: Australia
Final: Australia 10 Great Britain 6
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Crowd: 73,631
Another multi-year format, this time from 1989 to 1992, ended in a tight final at Wembley. Steve Renouf scored the only try, Mal Meninga kicked three goals, and the crowd set a world record for a rugby league international.
1995: Australia
Final: Australia 16 England 8
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Crowd: 66,540
The Centenary World Cup expanded the field to 10 teams. It was played during the Super League war, and Australia picked no Super League-aligned players, yet Bob Fulton’s side, captained by Brad Fittler, recovered from a 20-16 loss to England in the opening game to win the final. Rod Wishart and Tim Brasher scored the tries and Andrew Johns kicked four goals.
2000: Australia
Final: Australia 40 New Zealand 12
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Crowd: 44,329
The first 16-team World Cup ended in a one-sided final. Wendell Sailor scored two tries to finish the tournament with 10, and Mat Rogers kicked six goals.
2008: New Zealand
Final: New Zealand 34 Australia 20
Venue: Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane
The Kiwis had lost 30-6 to Australia in the opening match, then beat the Kangaroos in the final for their first and only men’s World Cup. The ABC called it the biggest upset in World Cup history. Darren Lockyer scored twice for Australia, but a penalty try to Lance Hohaia helped New Zealand, coached by Stephen Kearney with Wayne Bennett assisting, pull clear.
2013: Australia
Final: Australia 34 New Zealand 2
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Crowd: 74,468
Australia took their revenge with the biggest winning margin in a World Cup final. Billy Slater and Brett Morris scored two tries each, and man of the match Johnathan Thurston kicked seven goals from seven attempts. The crowd is still the largest ever for an international rugby league match.
2017: Australia
Final: Australia 6 England 0
Venue: Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane
Crowd: 40,033
Boyd Cordner’s 15th-minute try, converted by captain Cameron Smith, was the only score in a tense final. It made Mal Meninga’s side the first team since 1977 to win the World Cup on home soil, and winger Valentine Holmes finished the tournament with a record 12 tries.
2021: Australia
Final: Australia 30 Samoa 10
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Crowd: 67,502
Played: 19 November 2022
Samoa reached their first final after a 27-26 golden point win over England in the semi-final, but captain James Tedesco scored two tries and was named player of the final, Latrell Mitchell also scored twice, and Australia won a third straight title, as NRL.com reported.
2026: To be decided
Final: Sunday 15 November 2026
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Teams: 10
Australia are chasing a 13th title and a fourth in a row, but they have already lost Mitchell Moses to a calf tear, while New Zealand have lost Kalyn Ponga to a broken arm.
Rugby League World Cup records
- Most titles: Australia, 12
- Most tries in a tournament: 12, shared by Valentine Holmes (2017) and Josh Addo-Carr (2021)
- Most tries in a match: 6, Valentine Holmes for Australia against Fiji in the 2017 semi-final
- Most points in a tournament: 100, Michael O’Connor for Australia across the 1985-88 World Cup
- Biggest win: Australia 110 Russia 4 in 2000
- Biggest winning margin in a final: 32 points, Australia 34 New Zealand 2 in 2013
- Largest crowd: 74,468 at the 2013 final at Old Trafford
Records are from the Rugby League Project World Cup database. Samoa’s 78-4 win over France this year has already joined the list of the biggest winning margins at a World Cup.
Women’s and wheelchair World Cup winners
The women’s World Cup began in 2000 and the wheelchair World Cup in 2008. Both are being played alongside the men’s event again in 2026, with the Jillaroos opening their defence with a 40-0 win over Samoa.
- Women’s: New Zealand (2000, 2003, 2008) and Australia (2013, 2017, 2021). The Jillaroos beat New Zealand 54-4 in the 2021 final at Old Trafford.
- Wheelchair: England (2008, 2021) and France (2013, 2017). The 2026 wheelchair final is at Wollongong’s WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday 13 November.
Can anyone stop Australia?
History says the Kangaroos are the team to beat: they have played in every men’s final except the first one in 1954. But New Zealand in 2008 and Samoa’s run to the 2021 decider show the gap can close, and Tonga’s win over England has already shaken up this year’s tournament. Whoever lifts the Paul Barrière Trophy in Brisbane on 15 November will join one of the shortest honour rolls in world sport.
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