Rugby League World Cup final 2026: kick-off time and how to watch Australia v New Zealand

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The Kangaroos play the Kiwis in the Rugby League World Cup final on Sunday 15 November at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, with kick-off at 6:35pm in Brisbane and 7:35pm AEDT. It is live and free on Channel 7 and 7plus, which have the exclusive Australian rights to every match of the tournament. The Jillaroos play the Kiwi Ferns in the women's final before it, at 3:10pm in Brisbane and 4:10pm AEDT, as the first half of a double-header on the same ticket.

Men's final kick-off time in your state

Queensland does not use daylight saving, so Brisbane is an hour behind Sydney and Melbourne. This is kick-off for Australia v New Zealand in every time zone:

Women's final kick-off time

The Jillaroos and the Kiwi Ferns kick off three hours and 25 minutes before the men:

What channel is the World Cup final on?

Both finals are live on Channel 7 and streaming free on 7plus. Seven has every men's, women's and wheelchair match of the World Cup live and free, and its rights are exclusive, so the tournament is not on Kayo, Foxtel or Stan Sport.

Coverage starts before kick-off. These are Seven's start times for Sunday 15 November, local time in each city:

City	Women's final	Men's final
Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart	3:30pm, Channel 7 and 7plus	6:45pm, Channel 7 and 7plus
Brisbane	2:30pm, Channel 7 and 7plus	5:45pm on 7mate and 7plus, then 6:10pm on Channel 7
Adelaide	3:00pm, Channel 7 and 7plus	6:15pm on 7mate and 7plus, then 6:40pm on Channel 7
Perth	12:30pm, Channel 7 and 7plus	3:45pm, Channel 7 and 7plus

In Brisbane and Adelaide the men's pre-game show starts on 7mate and moves to Channel 7, so switch channels if you tune in early. 7plus carries the whole broadcast without the switch. Check your local listings in our TV guide.

Mel McLaughlin, Matt White and Matt Shirvington host the men's final. Andrew Voss calls it with Luke Keary and Trent Robinson, Shaun Johnson is on the sideline, and Corey Parker, Jelisa Apps and Peter Badel provide analysis. Voss also calls the women's final, with Emma Verran and Brett Kimmorley.

How Australia and New Zealand reached the final

Kiwis. New Zealand beat Tonga 34-10 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Saturday 7 November. Kalyn Ponga, back just 23 days after breaking his arm in the tournament opener against Australia, ran for 198 metres with three try assists, and Jahrome Hughes ran the game in the halves. Stacey Jones coaches the Kiwis.

Kangaroos. Australia beat Samoa 44-12 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday 8 November, after leading 26-2 at half-time. Reece Walsh scored a hat-trick, and Tom Dearden and Cameron Munster steered the side around the park. Kevin Walters is the coach and Isaah Yeo the captain.

The final is a rematch of the opening game, which Australia won 24-22 in Sydney, and of the 2000, 2008 and 2013 finals. The 2008 final, also at Suncorp Stadium, was one of the great upsets: New Zealand won 34-20 for their only World Cup. Australia are chasing a fourth straight title and their 13th overall.

The women's final: Jillaroos v Kiwi Ferns

The Kiwi Ferns beat Samoa 32-0 in Newcastle on Saturday 7 November, with a hat-trick from Stacey Waaka. The Jillaroos were pushed hard by Fiji, who were playing their first World Cup and led 8-0 early, before winning 30-14 in Sydney on Sunday night. Abbi Church scored four tries. Australia are chasing a fourth World Cup in a row, having beaten New Zealand in the last three finals: 22-12 in 2013, 23-16 at Suncorp Stadium in 2017 and 54-4 in 2022.

The wheelchair World Cup final

The wheelchair World Cup is being played at Wollongong's WIN Entertainment Centre, not in Brisbane, and its finals are on 7mate and 7plus rather than Channel 7. The semi-finals are on Tuesday 10 November: France v Ireland (coverage from 5pm AEDT) and defending champions England v Australia (coverage from 7:30pm AEDT). Australia finished second in their pool after a 69-34 loss to France. The final is on Friday 13 November, with coverage from 7:30pm AEDT, 6:30pm in Brisbane, 7pm in Adelaide and 4:30pm in Perth.

Tickets

Gates at Suncorp Stadium open at 2:15pm, and one ticket covers both finals. Suncorp Stadium names Ticketmaster as the only authorised seller, so buy there rather than from a reseller.

After the World Cup

The NRL's 2027 draw, the first season with the Perth Bears, is still to be released. Our guide to how to watch the NRL in 2027 covers Nine, Kayo and Foxtel, and the NRL competition page has the fixtures as they are released.