Iliesa Tora
RNZ Pacific senior sports journalist
All players
playing at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup will be paid
AU$850 per week as a standard match fee, but individual
federations can pay their players more if they can afford
to.
The International Rugby League clarified this to
RNZ Pacific on Thursday, following reports that some member
associations are concerned that Australian players are
reportedly due to receive AU$40,000 flat payment per
player.
That deal is being reported to have been made
between the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) and
the Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA).
That
match fee will be equally paid to both male and female
players in both the Kangaroos and the Jillaroos
teams.
In contrast, players from Cook Islands, Fiji,
Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga will receive AU$2,550 for
three weeks; AU$3,440 if their team makes the top four; and
AU$4,250 if they reach the final.
RLWC 2026 is being
held in October, joint hosted by Australia, PNG and New
Zealand.
Danny Kazandjian, the IRL Secretary General,
said players who will play at the tournament will be
remunerated in two ways.
“Players receive a standard
fee for each match they play and 50% of any prize money is
shared equally among the squad, irrespective of
appearances,” he said in response to questions raised with
him.
“The match fee is being introduced for the first
ever time and is an initiative of the host organisation,
Australia Rugby League (ARLC).
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“Should participant
national federations choose to pay their own national team
players in addition to the contracted RLWC match fee, that
is up to them.”
He said every participating squad in
the world cup has all their costs covered, including flights
into the host country, all internal transportation in the
event, plus meals and accommodation.
Australian
players
RNZ Pacific has been told that the Kangaroos
and Jillaroos RLWC payment was set during the previous
negotiation, including at the last world cup, and is not a
‘newly’ determined amount.
The Kangaroos and Jillaroos
payment is not paid from the Rugby League World Cup but
through a deal between the Australian federation and the
players association, representing the players.
That
was also done at the 2022 RLWC, where the Kangaroos received
the same amount, while the Jillaroos payment this time
around is an increase.
Meanwhile, the IRL said payment
for all players have also increased for the upcoming
event.
At the 2022 RLWC players received 45 precent of
the participation fee, which meant players received a
minimum of AU$1526, for the three weeks of pool matchs,
which is AU$1024 less than what individual players will get
this time around.
Kazandjian said each federation can
top up the contracted match fee amount if they so wished to,
that coming out of their respective budgets.
Pacific
players
Fiji National Rugby League board chairman
Rajesh Singh said while the big difference in what
Australian players will get and what others stand to receive
has been a talking point for them and other island
federations, the FNRL will discuss the issue and see how
they can deal with it.
“We will leave it to the Board
to work out what we can do,” he said.
A number of
Pasifika heritage players in the National Rugby League, who
are eligible for Australia and New Zealand, have indictated
they will play for their countries of origins.
Cook
Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga are expecting
some of those players to play for them at the world
meet.
The players have indicated their willingness to
follow the path taken by Tongan heritage players Andrew
Fifita, Jason Taumalolo, Daniel Tupou and Konrad Hurrell
back in 2017, turning their backs on possible Australia and
New Zealand call ups to appear for Mate Ma’a
Tonga.
Four years on Samoan heritage players Jarome
Luai, Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton and Junior Paulo joined a
few others to don the Toa Samoa jersey. They were joined in
2025 by Payne Haas, who is also eligible for the Kangaroos,
last year.
The players’ decision will continue to mean
they give up a significant amount of money compared to if
they play for Australia or New Zealand.
These players,
like Haas, switched international allegiance to honour their
parents and
origin.
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