2026 Rugby League World Cup Predictions & Betting Tips

The Rugby League World Cup kicks off this week, and it could be the best RLWC of all time. Australia is the current favourite, but New Zealand will pose a challenge. The likes of Samoa and Tonga will be crowd favourites, so it’s going to be a must-see tournament. Australia, NZ, and Papau New Guinea host the tournament, with action starting with the biggest game of the tournament between Australia and NZ on Thursday night. 

Best Bet

New Zealand will field their best team ever at this year’s Rugby League World Cup, and that’s even with some players choosing to represent other nations.

They won’t have the likes of Leka Halasima and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, but the additions of Kalyn Ponga, Phoenix Crossland, and Dane Gagai are huge for the Kiwis. The Knights’ teammates bolster the Kiwis’ chance of winning, and they already had a strong team.

As they showed last year when winning the Pacific Championships, the Kiwis are a dominant force. Australia didn’t play during that series, but the Kiwis have had the wood over the Kangaroos in recent history.

Punters get $3 for New Zealand to win, which is a good price for the #2 ranked team in the world. They’ll likely meet Australia in the final, where they will be much shorter than $3.

Next Best

We don’t see much value in the $1.80 for Australia to win with Rugby League World Cup odds, but they’re the obvious choice to include in picks.

They have a wealth of quality players at their disposal, and although they don’t always gel as well as the Kiwis, natural talent goes a long way, and they have time to work out their combinations before reaching the finals.

The loss of Nathan Cleary is big. He’s their best player, and his tactical kicking is superior to anyone in the NRL. Because he’s not playing, we would have priced Australia at $2.40, but if Australia beats New Zealand in the opening game, the $1.80 odds will firm to around $1.40. 

The best time to bet on the Kangaroos is now.

Best Value

England ranks as the third-best team in the world, and they’re not being respected by bookmakers.

We know their record when playing down under isn’t flash, but they have many NRL players in their team, including the likes of superstar centre Herbie Farnworth, Knights’ winger Dom Young, and Roosters back Hugo Savala.

England plays a different brand of football, but that can work. If the game becomes a grind, they’re good enough to defend well and beat Aus and NZ, and their style of game suits playing the island nations of Samoa and Tonga, who play a less structured style of footy.

$15 for England is a great bet, and they could spring an upset with RLWC predictions.

Upset Danger

We don’t see any team outside the top five in the market winning the World Cup, which isn’t surprising given Papau New Guinea is on the sixth line of betting at $301.

Tonga has a good chance of making some noise, and although Samoa’s team looks better on paper, Tonga has a wealth of crowd support, which will be important when playing games in Australia and New Zealand.

They have the likes of Isaiya Katoa, Jason Taumalolo, Jojo Fafita, and Addin Fonua-Blake. It’s a strong team on paper, and our only worry is halves parter Tui Lolohea, who has been playing in Super League, and he could be past his best.

However, the $13 for Tonga is a good price, and they could cause an upset against the top teams.

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