World Cup 2026 : Round One (Mens)

The format for the men is unusual. Group A has four teams and they play each other once. The top two progress. Group B teams don't play each other but the three from Group C. Group C teams likewise only play teams from Group B. One team from B and one from C progress to semi finals. 

This means all sides play three group stage matches. With only ten teams participating, having eight quarter finalists would make the group matches of little value. 

On to the first round.

Group A:

Australia 24-22 New Zealand. NZ dominated the game except for the scoreline. It seemed NZ lost rather than Australia won. The win was there for the taking for NZ. Both sides should progress regardless. It just changes who they will play in the semi final game. 

Fiji 40-12 Cook Is. Fiji raced to a 28-0 half time lead, effectively ending the contest in terms of outcome. The Cooks did come back well in the second half but the horse had already bolted. Fiji will hope it can upset the Kiwis and be the second qualifier from the group. 

Group B/C: 

Tonga 30-12 England. Some say it was a shock result, but I don't. England had no warm up matches. Rather than fly direct to Perth, they flew across the world and went to the east coast before having to fly across Australia. With all that, they struggled with combinations, which need to get better.

All that said, Tonga are a top nation. They only led 10-0 at half time and it was 10-6 during the second period. Things got away from England late but the score didn't reflect the contest. The top ranked sides from each group playing first up wasn't smart by the organisers either. England now look out of the semi finals already. 

Samoa 78-4 France. Before the first whistle, this had one way traffic stamped all over it. Samoa were ruthless and France battled valiantly, but that still was embarrassing for France. It was 34-4 at the break and already all over bar the shouting. 

Papua New Guinea 42-18 Lebanon. PNG are good at home and they play with confidence. In this instance, Lebanon stayed in the fight and only trailed 12-18 at half time. PNG pulled away in the second half, but that was a gutsy display by The Cedars. 

For video match highlights and post match interviews, simply click here. 

IMG UK Ratings

A rating system was created by IMG to determine who should play at the elite level of the sport in the UK. The ratings have been revealed for 2026 and they are as follows.

Category A covers clubs 15 points and over. eight in total. Category B those below that figure, six SL clubs lead the way. 

All present Super League clubs (division one) are covered in the blue and yellow shading I have created. 

The top two Championship (second division) I have shaded in pink. They are some way off the current SL clubs.  

The SL clubs are therefore all safe from relegation. The question is, will they be joined by another club from the division below? On the scoring system no. They are supposed to achieve that through points.

The problem I see with the system is that London Broncos have won  three competitions in the lower level and are financially sound, yet are nowhere near SL admission via points. I'm also surprised Barrow got more, no disrespect to that fine club. 

London may get promoted anyway, as that could be part of a media deal. The issue still remains, could any Championship club ever realistically qualify to be promoted with the IMG points system?

UK Championship Play Offs: 2026

I covered the league* and now it's on to the finals. It's a convoluted affair, spanning five rounds. 

Round 1: It was Whitehaven and Batley that departed. As 9th and 10th in the league, not surprising. Widnes and Doncaster earned byes for the next round.

Round 2: In came London and Newcastle. The Sheffield Eagles and Midlands Hurricanes bade farewell. Seeing that they were 7th and 8th in the league, that meant all of the top six remained. London and Newcastle earned byes. 

Round 3: Widnes Vikings and Barrow Raiders said adieu, with Doncaster and Oldham into the semi finals. The top four league sides all making it through.

Round 4: The semi finals had arrived. League winners London easily and expectedly cruised into the final. Fourth placed in the league Doncaster overcame the second placed league team the Newcastle Thunder to take the other spot.

Round 5: The grand final between hot favourites and massive underdogs. The scoreline reveals the extent of the gap. The only fully professional club in the competition made that count. Well done Doncaster for making it to the grand final. The Broncos should be a Super League Club next season, confirmation surely a formality.

*You can view the league article by clicking here.

A full replay below of a live stream. Best watched on YouTube. You have to slide the progress bar along if you want to avoid the live build up.