Channel Seven has pulled off a major coup, securing the broadcast rights to the 2026 Rugby League World Cup in Australia.
The network has outbid DAZN (new owners of Foxtel) and Nine Entertainment to obtain the rights, marking the largest international rugby league broadcast deal in history.
Details of the deal indicate Nine was unwilling to meet the fee, preferring to focus resources on upcoming NRL and State of Origin rights from 2028, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
With Channel Seven securing the rights exclusively, it will be the only network broadcasting the World Cup next year, in what could become arguably the best tournament rugby league has ever seen.
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The 2026 World Cup is expected to be highly competitive, particularly with the continued rise of Pacific nations and several stars shifting allegiance from Australia in recent years.
Star players such as Payne Haas, who has pledged allegiance to Samoa, joins a growing list of players who have left the Kangaroos, including Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow was prior to injury also considering joining Samoa for the competition, while the Kangaroos have narrowly avoided losing prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who is expected to play for Australia despite the Pacific nations’ growing influence.
The England team will also likely field the most Australian-based players they have had in decades, with NRL stars Victor Radley and Alex Brimson set to bolster their squad alongside English stars currently in the NRL.
Rugby league is nothing new for Channel Seven, and paying such a huge sum for the World Cup broadcast rights likely signals the network’s ambition to be a major player at the NRL and State of Origin negotiating table as discussions heat up.
Channel Seven previously held the rights to the 2017 Rugby League World Cup in Australia and employed a commentary team including Jim Wilson, Laurie Daley, Benji Marshall, Brett Kimmorley, Dan Ginnane, and Andrew Moore.
The network had considered launching a mid-week NRL magazine show but ultimately did not proceed with the plan.
Nine and DAZN will still simulcast this year’s three-Test Ashes Series in England, beginning on October 25 at Wembley, but reportedly could not compete with Sevens offer.
While Nine and DAZN have largely been considered favourites to secure the next NRL and State of Origin broadcast deals, the 2026 Rugby League World Cup agreement positions Channel Seven as a major player in the upcoming negotiations.
The Rugby League World Cup broadcast deal has set a new record, and there is every chance the upcoming NRL broadcast deal will follow suit and surpass anything previously seen - by a large margin.