Rugby League World Cup 2022: When is the final?
A total of 16 men’s teams and eight women’s teams will be fighting for Rugby League World Cup glory when the tournament kicks off this month.
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Manchester has been selected to host both finals, with a bumper crowd expected for the decider.
The Sporting News has all the key details.
When is the Rugby League World Cup final?
The men’s final will be played in Manchester on Saturday, November 19 (Sunday, November 20 AEDT).
Kick-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm local time (3:00 am AEDT).
The match will be preceded by the women’s final at 1:15 pm local time (12:15 am AEDT) as part of a double-header that will wrap up the combined tournament.
What stadium will host the Rugby League World Cup final?
Old Trafford will host the double-header final for the Rugby League World Cup.
Located in Manchester, England, the ground has a capacity of 74,310 which makes it the second-largest sports stadium in the country behind Wembley Stadium.
The famous stadium is the home of football team Manchester United, but with the English Premier League pausing for the FIFA World Cup in mid-November, it is available for use.
Due to this scheduling, no other Rugby League World Cup games will be played at Old Trafford earlier in the tournament.
How to watch the Rugby League World Cup final
Fox League will hold exclusive rights to the 2022 Rugby League World Cup in Australia.
Spark Sport will broadcast all games in New Zealand, with Channel Three and ThreeNow to show Kiwis games live.
BBC will host the RLWC in the UK, with games to be held on their main channel and streaming services.
Rugby League World Cup squads
Everything you need to know about the Rugby League World Cup
It’s the international tournament Australia has won more often than their rivals combined. Over the next two months, the Kangaroos will defend their Rugby League World Cup title in England against 15 other teams determined to knock them off their post.
The star-studded Kangaroos cast will include Melbourne’s Cameron Munster, who has week recommitted to the Storm, Penrith talisman Nathan Cleary and Roosters superstar James Tedesco, who will captain the team.
The Australian Jillaroos will be playing in the women’s tournament, with Emma Tonegato and Shaylee Bent called into a squad chasing a third consecutive title, filling the void left by last-minute withdrawals from two of the NRLW’s best in Tamika Upton and Millie Boyle.
How can you watch the Rugby League World Cup? When do you need to set the dreaded alarm? And who should you keep an eye out for?
What does the Rugby League World Cup involve?
It all starts on Saturday. Sixteen teams will chase rugby league’s international crown in the men’s tournament, while eight teams will compete for the women’s title. The wheelchair rugby league World Cup will run alongside the two tournaments for the first time in its history.
You may wonder why official branding says “2021 World Cup”. This tournament was supposed to be held last year before being postponed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australia has won 11 of the 15 tournaments held since 1954, with Great Britain winning three titles and New Zealand claiming one in 2008.
Quarter-finalists from the 2017 edition automatically qualified for this year’s World Cup, a contingent including Australia, Samoa, Tonga, Lebanon, New Zealand, Fiji, England and Papua New Guinea. Jamaica and Greece will feature at the World Cup for the first time, having qualified alongside the Cook Islands, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy.
Sixteen teams are split evenly into four pools, with the Kangaroos drawn in group B alongside Fiji, Italy and Scotland. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout stages beginning on November 5. The semi-finals are on November 12-13, before the final at Old Trafford on November 20.
How can you tune in?
Australian Eastern Daylight Time is 10 hours ahead of British Standard Time, meaning some late nights and early mornings are in store for those watching live.
TV broadcast will be available on Fox League and Kayo Sports. Those looking to watch England and Samoa’s men’s teams kick off the tournament should set their alarm before kick-off at 12.30am on Sunday. Australia’s first game will be against Fiji, starting at 5.30am that same day. Most games will be played between those times, and the final will be played at 2am on November 20.
All fixtures can be viewed and synced to your calendar here.
Who to watch out for
Australia have dominated the Rugby League World Cup throughout its history, making the top three in all 15 men’s tournaments. They’ve won the two most recent editions, beating England 6-0 in the 2017 final and New Zealand 34-2 in 2013’s decider.
The Australian women’s team has also succeeded on the world stage, winning the two most recent World Cups after the first three were won by New Zealand.
Kangaroos lineup for the Rugby League World Cup
- Josh Addo-Carr (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
- Matt Burton (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
- Reagan Campbell-Gillard (Parramatta Eels)
- Patrick Carrigan (Brisbane Broncos)
- Daly Cherry-Evans (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
- Nathan Cleary (Penrith Panthers)
- Lindsay Collins (Sydney Roosters)
- Reuben Cotter (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Angus Crichton (Sydney Roosters)
- Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (Gold Coast Titans)
- Campbell Graham (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
- Harry Grant (Melbourne Storm)
- Valentine Holmes (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Ben Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons)
- Liam Martin (Penrith Panthers)
- Latrell Mitchell (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
- Cameron Munster (Melbourne Storm)
- Cameron Murray, vice captain (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
- Jeremiah Nanai (North Queensland Cowboys)
- Murray Taulagi (North Queensland Cowboys)
- James Tedesco, captain (Sydney Roosters)
- Jake Trbojevic (Manly Warringah Sea Eagles)
- Jack Wighton (Canberra Raiders)
- Isaah Yeo (Penrith Panthers)