World Cup Wheelchair berths finalized

Ireland and Scotland have officially secured the last two Wheelchair spots for the IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 set to take place in Australia.

The two Celtic nations will join Australia, England, France, and Wales, who automatically qualified by reaching the semi-finals in the previous World Cup held in England in 2022. Additionally, New Zealand and the USA have also been confirmed to participate in RLWC26.

This will mark New Zealand's inaugural participation in a Wheelchair World Cup, while the USA made their debut in the England tournament.

Both New Zealand (representing Asia-Pacific) and the USA (representing the Americas) have been included to promote geographical diversity within the Wheelchair championship, which will be held concurrently with the Men's and Women's World Cups in Australia and PNG at the conclusion of the 2026 season.

The acceptance of Ireland and Scotland into the tournament followed a thorough application process managed by the IRL Wheelchair Advisory Group, which evaluated the submissions and subsequently made its recommendations to the IRL Board.

This application process assessed four key areas:

Both Ireland and Scotland were part of the eight wheelchair teams that participated in RLWC21, which unfolded in 2022, culminating in a thrilling final where England triumphed over France at Manchester Central.