Australia and New Zealand will meet in the 2026 Rugby League World Cup final at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday 15 November, a rematch of the tournament's opening game. The men's final kicks off at 7:35pm AEDT, which is 6:35pm in Brisbane and 8:35am in the UK.

The women's final is part of the same double-header at Suncorp Stadium earlier that day, with the Jillaroos facing the Kiwi Ferns at 4:15pm AEDT. Both finals will therefore be Australia against New Zealand.

How they got there

New Zealand booked their place first, beating Tonga 34-10 in Saturday's semi-final in Newcastle, with Kalyn Ponga starring on his return and Jahrome Hughes pulling the strings. Australia followed on Sunday night, thrashing Samoa 44-12 in Sydney as Reece Walsh scored a hat-trick of tries.

The Kangaroos are chasing a fourth successive World Cup title, after wins in 2013, 2017 and 2022, while the Kiwis return to the final for the first time since 2013. In the women's tournament, the Kiwi Ferns beat Samoa 32-0 thanks to a Stacey Waaka hat-trick, and the Jillaroos survived a scare before beating Fiji 30-14, with Abby Church scoring four tries.

A rematch of the opener

The final is a repeat of the opening match of the tournament, which Australia won 24-22 in Sydney with a Jack Bostock try four minutes from time. Neither side has lost since. The men's and women's finals will both be contested by Australia and New Zealand on Sunday 15 November, under coaches Kevin Walters and Stacey Jones respectively.