Rugby League World Cup 2022: How to watch the World Cup in England

The Rugby League World Cup is about to begin with all 61 matches of the men’s, women’s and wheelchair events being broadcast on the BBC in England.

It is the first time ever that the three tournaments will be broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK.

When does England play in the Rugby League World Cup?

Each English, Scottish and Welsh match will be available on BBC One or BBC Two as well as on BBC iPlayer.

In the first game of the tournament, Shaun Wane’s England side meet Samoa, who boast many Penrith stars who have won back-to-back NRL titles.

It promises to be an epic competition, with the winner of the opening match putting themselves in the best possible position to emerge from the group in first place.

The match between England and Samoa will kick off in the afternoon on Saturday 15 October. England will then play France and Greece on back-to-back weekends to round out the month of October.

• Saturday 15 October – England v Samoa (BBC One, BBC iPlayer)
• Saturday 22 October – England v France (BBC Two, BBC iPlayer)
• Saturday 29th October – England vs Greece (BBC One, BBC iPlayer)

MORE: England’s draw, group, squad and route to the Rugby League World Cup final

How to watch the other tournaments at the World Cup?

The women’s rugby league tournament begins two weeks after the men’s begins, with England v Brazil on Tuesday 1 November.

Every match featuring England will be broadcast on BBC Two, while the rest of the matches will be hosted on BBC iPlayer.

Meanwhile, the wheelchair event gets underway on Thursday 3rd November with Spain and Norway playing first. A number of matches involving England, Scotland and Wales are shown on BBC Two, with the rest also being shown on BBC iPlayer.

“It is a unique event with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments taking place simultaneously and BBC coverage across all platforms will reflect this,” said Philip Bernie, BBC Sport’s chief television officer.

Who is the BBC covering during the Rugby League World Cup?

Mark Chapman, Tanya Arnold and JJ Chalmers will be the faces of coverage on the BBC, with a range of former rugby league stars providing expert analysis.

Four former England strikers will act as pundits throughout the tournament, with James Graham and Jamie Peacock working alongside Jon Wilkin and Jamie Jones-Buchanan, who feature heavily in Sky Sports’ Super League coverage.

Also appearing on the BBC will be former Britain player and coach Brian Noble, former New Zealand international Robbie Hunter-Paul and former England women’s supporter Danika Priim.

Dave Woods will serve as lead commentator for the BBC, with Australian broadcaster Andrew Voss also providing the voice for the reporting.

MORE: Each nation’s full 24-man squad for the Rugby League World Cup

What other features will the BBC offer during the Rugby League World Cup?

For those unable to watch a match on TV in England, select matches will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra.

In addition to the broadcast and radio offerings, the BBC will also provide a wide range of content related to the tournament in other ways.

The BBC Sport website and app will feature in-play video clips and match highlights alongside plenty of written match reports.

A weekly podcast called the Rugby League World Cup Podcast will also be produced during the tournament.

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Meanwhile, BBC Sport’s social media accounts will showcase match highlights along with original content on Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook.