Rugby League World Cup 2026 (RLWC26)

RLWC 2026 Betting Guide Malaysia: Odds, Schedule & Tips

Rugby League World Cup 2026 at a glance: Australia vs New Zealand opens on 15 October at 5:05 pm MYT, and the final is in Brisbane on 15 November.

This guide is written for bettors in Malaysia. Rugby league is not a big local sport, so most guides you will find are written for Australian or British fans, with kick-off times in AEDT or BST and payment advice that does not apply here. Everything below is converted for you: kick-off times in Malaysian time (MYT), odds as they appear on sportsbooks that accept Malaysian players, and a broadcaster you can actually reach from Malaysia.

The timing is a big plus for Malaysian bettors. Because the tournament is played in Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, the 15 men's group matches kick off between 12:25 pm and 5:05 pm MYT. That means no 3:00 am alarms, and you can follow live betting during the day instead of through the night.

RLWC 2026 Overview: Dates, Teams & Tournament Format

Dates

15 October to 15 November 2026

Hosts

Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea

Host Cities

Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Townsville, Perth, Christchurch and Port Moresby

Tournaments

Men's, women's and wheelchair World Cups, played at the same time

Men's Teams

10: Australia, New Zealand, England, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Lebanon, France and Cook Islands

Opening Match

Australia vs New Zealand, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Thursday 15 October, 5:05 pm MYT

Semi-Finals

7 November (Newcastle) and 8 November (Sydney)

Final

Sunday 15 November, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Defending Champions

Australia (men's and women's), England (wheelchair)

Watch in Malaysia

Premier Sports Asia

Best Malaysia Online Betting Sites for Rugby League World Cup 2026

Rugby league is a niche sport in Asia, so not every betting site in Malaysia covers it well. When we checked the opening fixtures two weeks before kick-off, the international sportsbooks below already had full outright markets for the men's and women's tournaments, and close to 100 markets on Australia vs New Zealand alone. Malaysia does not license online sportsbooks locally, so all five are international operators that accept Malaysian players and MYR.

1. 1
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   Megapari Betting Bonus 200% up to MYR 1,150
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   MelBet Betting Bonus 100% up to MYR 650
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   22Bet Betting Bonus 100% up to MYR 620
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5. 5
   Dafabet Betting Bonus 180% up to MYR 688
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• 1xBet: Offers wide rugby league betting coverage, with outrights, handicaps and team totals, plus free live streaming after a quick one-click registration.
• Megapari: Listed 92 markets on Australia vs New Zealand, sorted into totals, handicaps and popular markets, with a live countdown to kick-off on its match pages.
• MelBet: A wide sportsbook with rugby league in its main menu and a Multiview option for following several live matches at once.
• 22Bet: Had 99 markets on the opening match, plus men's and women's outright odds in a simple Yes/No format.
• Dafabet: A long-running Asian-facing sportsbook with Malay and Hong Kong odds and a layout that will feel familiar if you mostly bet on football.

One honest note from our testing: 22Bet and Megapari showed identical odds on the opening match, down to the last decimal. That often happens when sportsbooks share the same odds supplier, so comparing those two alone will not help you much. For real line shopping, compare across different platforms, such as one of them against Dafabet or 1xBet.

22Bet's RLWC 2026 page two weeks before kick-off, with the outright winner market on top and the first three men's matches below.

Format & Groups Explained

The men's tournament has a new format with 10 teams split into three groups. According to International Rugby League, the official governing body:

• Group A: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Cook Islands play a normal round-robin of three matches each.
• Group B: England, Samoa and Lebanon.
• Group C: Tonga, Papua New Guinea and France.

Group B and Group C teams never play each other within their own group. Instead, each team plays the three teams in the other group. So England faces Tonga, France and Papua New Guinea, but not Samoa or Lebanon.

The top two teams in Group A go straight to the semi-finals. They are joined by the top two from one combined table of all six Group B and C teams. If a Group B team and a Group C team finish level on points, the result of their head-to-head match decides who ranks higher. With no quarter-finals, a single loss in the group stage can end a team's tournament, which makes every match matter for betting.

Full Men's Schedule & Venues (MYT)

All dates and kick-off times are in Malaysian time (MYT, UTC+8), taken from the official RLWC 2026 draw. Semi-final and final kick-off times have not been confirmed yet.

Women's & Wheelchair World Cups

The women's World Cup has eight teams. Australia (2021 winners), New Zealand (2021 finalists), England, and Papua New Guinea qualified automatically as 2021 semi-finalists. France and Wales came through European qualifying, Samoa won the Pacific qualifier, and Fiji took the last spot by winning the 2025 IRL World Series, as listed in the NRL's official tournament guide. The Jillaroos open their title defense against Samoa at CommBank Stadium on Friday 16 October, and the women's final is played at Suncorp Stadium on 15 November, the same day as the men's final.

Bookmakers see the women's tournament as close to a one-team race. 22Bet had Australia at 1.06 to win it, which works out to about a 94% chance, with New Zealand at 10.00 the next closest. The opening match carried a handicap of -51.5 points for Australia against Samoa.

Women's World Cup winner odds on 22Bet: Australia at 1.06, New Zealand at 10, Samoa at 26 and England at 50.

The wheelchair World Cup starts in Wollongong on Friday 30 October with eight nations: England (2021 winners), France, Wales, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand and the United States. Betting markets on wheelchair rugby league are rare, so do not expect more than an outright market, if any.

Teams to Watch: Australia, New Zealand, England, Tonga, Samoa

Australia is the team everyone has to beat. The Kangaroos have won 12 World Cups, including the last one in 2022, when they beat Samoa 30-10 in the final. They also arrive in strong form after a 3-0 Ashes whitewash in England in late 2025, winning 26-6, 14-4 and 30-8. With home crowds behind them and the final in Brisbane, 1.44 to win the tournament reflects how big a favorite they are.

New Zealand are the only team other than Australia and Great Britain to have won a World Cup, beating the Kangaroos 34-20 in the 2008 final at Suncorp Stadium, the same ground that hosts this year's final. They arrive as Pacific Cup champions and open the tournament against Australia, a match that could decide who tops Group A.

England reached the World Cup final in 1975, 1995 and 2017 but have never won the tournament as England. The 2025 Ashes series was a tough one for them, but they have a winnable group draw against three Group C teams. Their opener against Tonga in Perth is close to a coin flip in the odds.

Tonga reached the semi-finals in 2017, and their squads are packed with NRL players. Bookmakers rate them just ahead of England in the opener, with Tonga at 1.909 and England at 1.93, so they are a serious threat to reach the semi-finals.

Samoa were the surprise package last time, beating England in golden point extra time in the semi-final before losing the final to Australia. At 9.70, they are the third favorites, and their final group match against Tonga on 1 November could decide a semi-final spot.

RLWC 2026 Outright Odds & Favorites

These are the outright winner odds on 22Bet two weeks before kick-off. Remember that odds move as squads are named and results come in, so check them again before you bet.

The men's winner market on 22Bet, where you can also bet against the top three, such as "Australia - No" at 2.55.

A detail worth knowing: 22Bet also offers "No" odds on the top three. "Australia - No" at 2.55 wins if any of the other nine teams lift the trophy. If you believe Australia are a little less certain than 1.44 suggests, that bet covers New Zealand, Samoa, England, Tonga, and every outsider at once.

Top RLWC 2026 Betting Markets & Match Options

Rugby league markets look like football markets at first glance, but the scoring changes how they work. A try is worth 4 points, a conversion 2, a penalty goal 2, and a field goal 1. That is why lines are set in points, not goals, and why scores like 26-6 are normal. Here are the markets that matter most for RLWC 2026, using the opening match as an example:

• Match Result (1X2): Australia 1.68, draw 24.00, New Zealand 2.258. The draw odds of 24.00 tell you how rare a tie is in rugby league after 80 minutes.
• Handicap: The most popular market in Asia. Australia -2.5 at 1.87 means Australia must win by 3 points or more. New Zealand +2.5 at 1.85 wins if New Zealand wins, or loses by 2 points or fewer.
• Total Points: Over or under 38.5 points at 1.86 each side. Mismatches carry huge lines, like 59.5 for Samoa vs France.
• Team Totals: Bet on one team's points only, such as Australia over 20.5 at 1.92 or New Zealand over 16.5 at 1.75.
• Winning Margin: Often sold in bands, like 1-12 or 13+. Twelve points is two converted tries, so 1-12 means "a close game".
• Try Scorer Markets: Anytime try scorer, first try scorer, and players to score two or more tries. These open once teams are named, usually a few days before each match.
• HT/FT: The result at half-time and full-time. Australia/Australia was 2.17, while New Zealand/New Zealand was 3.00.
• European Handicap: A three-way handicap where a tie on the adjusted score is its own outcome, such as Australia (0:4) at 2.11.
• First to Score: Which team scores the first points of the match, a quick bet that settles early.

Most match markets settle on 80 minutes only. Knockout matches need a winner, so a game level after 80 minutes usually goes to golden-point extra time. A regular 1X2 bet settles before that, so check whether a market says it includes extra time.

Megapari's 92 markets on Australia vs New Zealand, including handicaps from -5.5 to +2.5 and totals from 35.5 to 41.5 points.

Live Betting, Time Zones & Payment Methods in Malaysia

Live betting suits RLWC 2026 well for Malaysian bettors, since every men's group match is played during the day here. Rugby league also moves fast: momentum swings after a sin-bin, an injury, or two quick tries can shift the handicap by 10 points or more inside a few minutes. Live markets like next team to score, points in a time interval, and live handicaps react to those swings, so watching the match while you bet makes a real difference.

22Bet's market groups for the opener, including "Which Team Will Be The First To Score Points?", "Win By" and "Total Interval (3Way)".

Kick-off times shift a little by venue, because the host cities sit in different time zones. Perth matches are on the same clock as Malaysia. Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong are 3 hours ahead of MYT during the tournament. Brisbane, Gold Coast, Townsville and Port Moresby are 2 hours ahead, and Christchurch is 5 hours ahead.

For payments, deposit before kick-off rather than mid-match, so you are not waiting on a transfer when the odds you want are available. Depending on the site, Malaysian players can usually choose between local bank methods such as DuitNow or FPX, e-wallets, and crypto. Check two things in the cashier first: whether your chosen method also works for withdrawals, and whether bonuses are switched off for crypto deposits, since some international sportsbooks exclude crypto from all promotions.

How to Watch RLWC 2026 from Malaysia

Malaysian fans have an official broadcaster this time. International Rugby League confirmed that Premier Sports holds the exclusive rights in South-East Asia, with Malaysia among the countries covered. The deal includes up to 53 World Cup matches, among them all 18 men's fixtures, so every men's group match, both semi-finals and the final, will be shown.

The key dates in Malaysian time:

• Opening match: Australia vs New Zealand, Thursday 15 October, 5:05 pm MYT
• Earliest kick-offs: The Port Moresby matches at 12:25 pm MYT on 17 and 24 October
• Last group matches: Lebanon vs France at 2:50 pm and Tonga vs Samoa at 5:05 pm MYT on Sunday 1 November
• Semi-finals and final: Kick-off times to be confirmed, but evening kick-offs in Sydney and Brisbane would land around 5:00 pm MYT

Betting Tips for the World Cup

Bet the handicap, not the favorite. Australia at 1.44 to win the tournament and at short odds in most matches offer little return. Handicap and winning margin markets let you back them at fairer odds, or take the underdog with a points head start.

Respect the opener. Australia vs New Zealand is the only Group A match between the two favorites, and it decides who likely gets the easier semi-final. Expect a tight, physical game, which is why the handicap is only 2.5 points.

Watch the combined B and C table. Only two of the six Group B and C teams reach the semi-finals, and a head-to-head result decides ties between the groups. Tonga vs Samoa on 1 November could be the most important match of the group stage.

Be careful with giant handicaps. Lines like Samoa -48.5 against France look tempting but swing on one late try. If you have a view on a mismatch, team totals are often a calmer way to bet it.

Wait for team lists. Rugby league lineups are named only a few days before each match, and one injured halfback can change a game. Try scorer markets also only make sense once you know who is playing.

Keep stakes steady. A month of matches is a long time. Set a budget for the whole tournament, split it across the matches you care about, and avoid raising stakes to chase a bad weekend.

FAQ About RLWC 2026 Betting

Senior Editor Aariz

With 25+ years in online gambling, every article is personally reviewed to ensure you only see trusted, accurate information, which is verified by 1st hand experience.