Rugby League World Cup records
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Rugby League World Cup records have been accumulating since the first Rugby League World Cup tournament was held in 1954.
Team Records
All-time record
This all-time table compares national teams that have participated in the Rugby League World Cup by a number of criteria including matches, wins, losses, draws, total points for, total points against, etc.
This table also shows accumulated points, which treats each match as a group stage match (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss) and accumulates them together.
- As of 2021 World Cup
| Team | Part | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
16 | 83 | 71 | 1 | 11 | 2,766 | 768 | +1,998 | 143 | [1] |
 Cook Islands |
3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 146 | 358 | -212 | 5 | [2] |
 England |
7 | 38 | 24 | 2 | 12 | 1,111 | 560 | +551 | 50 | [3] |
 Fiji |
6 | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 558 | 670 | -112 | 24 | [4] |
 France |
16 | 63 | 16 | 3 | 44 | 675 | 1,582 | -907 | 35 | [5] |
 Great Britain |
9 | 41 | 25 | 3 | 13 | 897 | 487 | +410 | 53 | [6] |
 Greece |
1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 200 | -200 | 0 | [7] |
 Ireland |
5 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 324 | 370 | -46 | 14 | [8] |
 Italy |
3 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 168 | 266 | -98 | 7 | [9] |
 Jamaica |
1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 190 | -170 | 0 | [10] |
 Lebanon |
3 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 227 | 323 | -96 | 7 | [11] |
 New Zealand |
16 | 74 | 37 | 3 | 34 | 1,845 | 1,328 | +517 | 77 | [12] |
 Aotearoa Māori[a] |
1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 67 | -18 | 2 | [13] |
 Papua New Guinea |
8 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 25 | 571 | 1,106 | -535 | 19 | [14] |
 Russia |
1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 224 | -204 | 0 | [15] |
 Samoa |
6 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 536 | 558 | -22 | 23 | [16] |
 Scotland |
5 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 194 | 537 | -343 | 8 | [17] |
 South Africa |
2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 36 | 322 | -286 | 0 | [18] |
 Tonga |
6 | 20 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 610 | 351 | +259 | 25 | [19] |
 United States |
2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 76 | 288 | -212 | 4 | [20] |
 Wales |
6 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 386 | 637 | -251 | 16 | [21] |
Top four finishes
| Team | Champions | Runners-up | Third / Fourth / Losing Semi-finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia |
12 (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2013, 2017, 2021) | 3 (1960, 1972, 2008) | 1 (1954) |
| Great Britain |
3 (1954, 1960, 1972) | 4 (1964, 1970, 1977, 1992) | 2 (1968, 1988) |
| New Zealand |
1 (2008) | 3 (1985–88, 2000, 2013) | 11 (1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1992, 1995, 2021) |
| England |
3 (1975, 1995, 2017) | 4 (2000, 2008, 2013, 2021) | |
| France |
2 (1954, 1968) | 6 (1957, 1960, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1992) | |
| Samoa |
1 (2021) |
||
| Wales |
3 (1975, 1995, 2000) | ||
| Fiji |
3 (2008, 2013, 2017) | ||
| Papua New Guinea |
1 (1988) | ||
| Tonga |
1 (2017) |
- Tournaments between 1954–1992 did not feature semi-final and quarter-final rounds.
Title win rate
| Team | Win rate |
|---|---|
| Australia |
75.00% |
| Great Britain |
33.33% |
| New Zealand |
6.67% |
Biggest wins
Individual records
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Country(s) | Years | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameron Smith | Australia |
2008–2017 | 17 |
| 2 | Chris Hill[24] | England |
2013–2022 | 16 |
| 3 | Bob Fulton | Australia |
1968–1975 | 15 |
Top try scorers
| Rank | Player | Country(s) | Years | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Slater | Australia |
2008–2017 | 16 |
| 2 | Jarryd Hayne | Australia Fiji |
2008–2017 | 14 |
| Ryan Hall[25] | England |
2013–2022 | ||
| Valentine Holmes[26] | Australia |
2017–2022 | ||
| 5 | Bob Fulton | Australia |
1968–1975 | 13 |
Top points scorers
| Rank | Player | Country(s) | Years | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnathan Thurston | Australia |
2008–2013 | 124 |
| 2 | Shaun Johnson | New Zealand |
2013–2017 | 120 |
| 3 | Mick Cronin | Australia |
1975–1977 | 108 |
| Michael O'Connor | Australia |
1986–1990 | ||
| 5 | George Fairbairn | Great Britain England |
1975–1977 | 92 |
Most tries in a single tournament
- Valentine Holmes – 12 (
Australia, 2017)[27] - Josh Addo-Carr – 12 ( Australia, 2022)[28]
Most tries in a match
- Valentine Holmes – 6 (for Australia vs.
Fiji, 24 November 2017)[27]
Most points in a single tournament
- Michael O'Connor – 100 ( Australia, 1985–1988)[23]
Most points in a match
- Ryan Girdler – 46 (for Australia vs.
Russia, 4 November 2000)[29]
Miscellaneous
Winning captains and coaches
A foreign coach has never managed a World Cup-winning team.
| Year | Captain | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Dave Valentine |
G Shaw |
Great Britain |
| 1957 | Dick Poole |
Dick Poole |
Australia |
| 1960 | Eric Ashton |
William Fallowfield |
Great Britain |
| 1968 | Johnny Raper |
Harry Bath |
Australia |
| 1970 | Ron Coote | Harry Bath | Australia |
| 1972 | Clive Sullivan |
Jim Challinor |
Great Britain |
| 1975 | Arthur Beetson | Graeme Langlands | Australia |
| 1977 | Arthur Beetson | Terry Fearnley | Australia |
| 1988 | Wally Lewis | Don Furner | Australia |
| 1992 | Mal Meninga | Bob Fulton | Australia |
| 1995 | Brad Fittler | Bob Fulton | Australia |
| 2000 | Brad Fittler | Chris Anderson | Australia |
| 2008 | Nathan Cayless | Stephen Kearney | New Zealand |
| 2013 | Cameron Smith |
Tim Sheens |
Australia |
| 2017 | Cameron Smith |
Mal Meninga |
Australia |
Attendance Records
The 2013 Rugby League World Cup final at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, drew a world record international rugby league attendance of 74,468.[30]
Top 5 match attendances
| Year | Venue | City/Country | Event | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Old Trafford | Manchester, England | Final | Australia def. New Zealand 34–2 | 74,468 |
| 1989–92 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Final | Australia def. Great Britain 10–6 | 73,631 |
| 2013 | Wembley Stadium | London, England | Semi Final (double header) | Australia def. Fiji 64–0 New Zealand def. England 20–18 | 67,575 |
| 1995 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Final | Australia def. England 16–8 | 66,540 |
| 1968 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney, Australia | Group stage | Australia def. Great Britain 25–10 | 62,256 |
Top 5 World Cup final attendances
| Year | Venue | City/Country | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Old Trafford | Manchester, England | Australia def. New Zealand 34–2 | 74,468 |
| 1992 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Australia def. Great Britain 10–6 | 73,631 |
| 1995 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Australia def. England 16–8 | 66,540 |
| 1968 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney, Australia | Australia def. France 20–2 | 54,290 |
| 2008 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane, Australia | New Zealand def. Australia 34–20 | 50,599 |
Highest Attendance per Host Nation
| Country | Year | Venue | City | Event | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2013 | Old Trafford | Manchester | Final | Australia def. New Zealand 34–2 | 74,468 |
| Australia | 1968 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney | Group stage | Australia def. Great Britain 25–10 | 62,256 |
| New Zealand | 1988 | Eden Park | Auckland | Final | Australia def. New Zealand 25–12 | 47,363 |
| Wales | 2013 | Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | Group stage (double header) | Australia def. England 28–20 Italy def. Wales 32–16 | 45,052 |
| France | 1954 | Stadium de Toulouse | Toulouse | Group stage | France drew with Great Britain 13–13 | 37,471 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1986 | Lloyd Robson Oval | Port Moresby | Group stage | Australia def. Papua New Guinea 62–12 | 17,000 |
| Ireland | 2013 | Thomond Park | Limerick | Group stage | Australia def. Ireland 50–0 | 5,021 |
| Northern Ireland | 2000 | Windsor Park | Belfast | Group stage | Ireland def. Samoa 30–16 | 3,207 |
| Scotland | 2000 | Firhill Stadium | Glasgow | Group stage | Aotearoa Māori def. Scotland 17–16 | 2,008 |
