IMG, the sports and entertainment giant, has secured an exclusive contract to manage the international media rights for next year's Rugby League World Cup (RLWC).
IMG was selected by the International Rugby League (IRL) body following the governing body’s tender to find a strategic commercial partner for its portfolio of World Cups, including the men’s editions in 2026 and 2030, the women’s editions in 2026 and 2028, and the wheelchair RLWCs in 2026 and 2029.
This contract will initially cover only the 2026 RLWC, with the men’s, women’s, and wheelchair tournaments to be played simultaneously in Australia, with scope to grow the partnership once future RLWCs have been confirmed.
IRL said it will work alongside IMG on market analysis, valuations, market strategy, and implementation, as well as relationship management with IRL’s future broadcast partners, with a focus on maximizing the value of IRL’s international rights sales.
IRL chair Troy Grant has said: “This is an exciting step in IRL's history and our shift towards rebuilding the federation’s capability to allow us, in partnership with IMG, one of the world’s premier sports marketing agencies, to better support our members and continue to grow the international game across the globe.”
The new agreement builds on IMG’s previous association with IRL during the 2008, 2013, and 2017 RLWCs, which saw global viewership increase. The agency also has a 12-year strategic partnership with Rugby League Commercial in the UK and an international rights distribution agreement with American football’s NRL.
IMG senior vice president of business development Sam Stitcher added: “We’re proud to support International Rugby League in its exciting new chapter and as it gears up for next year’s hugely anticipated Rugby League World Cups.
“With our global network, expertise, and deep understanding of the game, our focus will be on building long-term value and fandom, bringing the sport to more audiences than ever before."
The 2026 tri-tournament RLWC in Australia is a replacement for the 2025 RLWC, which was canceled after France withdrew from hosting the event for financial reasons.
Australia was then announced as the replacement host for the event to be staged a year later, with a reduced field of 10 men’s teams (from a previous 16), as well as eight-team women’s and wheelchair World Cups.
France was awarded the tournament in January 2022, which was delayed to October and November 2025, after the original co-hosts, the US and Canada, withdrew in 2018, ending the IRL’s plans to take the tournament out of Europe and Oceania for the first time.
The last Rugby League World Cup, hosted by England, was postponed to 2022 after Australia and New Zealand withdrew from playing it in 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.
The latest shift of the tournament from 2025 to 2026 comes as part of a revised calendar that will see the following men's edition held in 2030 and the women's and wheelchair World Cups staged separately.
Women’s World Cups will be staged as standalone tournaments from 2028 in recognition of the game’s “phenomenal rate” of growth, while a decision will be taken on when best to schedule the Wheelchair World Cup after 2026.
