Rugby League World Cup 2026: Every team’s best 19, predicted teams, Australia, New Zealand, England, Tonga, Samoa, news, videos, fixtures, schedules

The World Cup is only seven days away — so how could your nation’s best line-up look like?

FOX Sports Australia

Published: Wednesday, 7 October 2026 at 7:00 PM

Key Things to Know

Fox Sports projected the best 19-man lineups for nations competing in the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.
The writers tipped James Tedesco and Sam Walker to start in Australia's spine over Reece Walsh and Mitchell Moses.
Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai are projected to debut for New Zealand after completing international allegiance switches.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Fox Sports writers Tom Sargeant and Ethan Lee Chalk analyzed the projected top 19-player lineups for competing nations ahead of the upcoming Rugby League World Cup. For Australia, the writers project James Tedesco to start at fullback over Reece Walsh and Sam Walker to make his international debut at halfback alongside Cameron Munster.

The analysis highlights deep squads across rival teams, noting New Zealand's backline additions of Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai following allegiance switches. Strong rosters were also projected for nations including Samoa, Tonga, and England, alongside detailed squad breakdowns for Fiji, Papua New Guinea, France, and the Cook Islands.

Read the full article on FOX Sports Australia