Twelve Rabbitohs set for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup
Twelve South Sydney players, eight men and four women, will represent five nations at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
The tournament opens on Thursday, 15 October, when Australia meets New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, and concludes with the Men's Final at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday, 15 November. Rabbitohs will feature for Australia, Fiji, France and Lebanon in the men's tournament, and for Papua New Guinea and Fiji in the women's tournament.
Every match of the tournament is live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport, with each nation's Round One fixture listed below.
Australia
Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray returns for his second World Cup after helping Australia win the 2022 tournament, where he scored five tries, including one in the 30-10 Final win over Samoa. He has 10 Tests for Australia, dating back to the 2019 Oceania Cup.
Latrell Mitchell is also a 2022 World Cup winner, starting at centre throughout that tournament and scoring five tries, including two in the Final against Samoa. He has nine Tests for Australia, with his Kangaroos career stretching back to the 2018 tour.
Keaon Koloamatangi earns his first World Cup selection after making his Test debut in the 2025 Ashes series. He played all three matches off the bench as Australia defeated England 26-6, 14-4 and 30-8.
David Fifita will represent Australia at a World Cup for the first time. He played four matches for Tonga at the 2022 tournament, scoring a try against Wales, and on Saturday, 3 October, he captained the Australian Prime Minister's XIII to a 60-10 win over the PNG Prime Minister's XIII.
Round One Fixture: Australia v New Zealand: Thursday, 15 October, 8:05pm AEDT, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Fiji Bati
Bayleigh Bentley-Hape will make his international debut after a strong season in the Rabbitohs' Knock On Effect NSW Cup side, making 16 appearances and scoring six tries in 2026. A versatile outside back who can also cover the spine, he has played 10 NRL games for South Sydney since debuting in Round Two of the 2025 season.
Elijah Keung also earns his first international cap after a standout Jersey Flegg Cup season, playing 21 games and crossing for eight tries from the middle of the field. The 20-year-old prop is a former Queensland Schoolboys representative.
Round One Fixture: Fiji v Cook Islands: Sunday, 18 October, 4:05pm AEDT, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
France
Latrell Siegwalt will make his France debut after a memorable first NRL season, finishing his eight games with two tries, six try assists and 28 goals from 39 attempts for 64 points. Named the Club's John Sattler Rookie of the Year, he is eligible for France through his paternal grandfather, who lives in Walgett.
Round One Fixture: Samoa v France: Friday, 16 October, 5:45pm AEDT, CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Lebanon
Hooker Yehya Ayache started 11 games for the Rabbitohs' Knock On Effect NSW Cup side in 2026, after playing 21 games and scoring five tries in the Jersey Flegg Cup for South Sydney in 2025. He made his Lebanon Test debut in October 2025, starting at hooker against Italy at Lidcombe Oval.
Round One Fixture: Papua New Guinea v Lebanon: Saturday, 17 October, 3:25pm AEDT (2:25pm local), Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby
PNG Orchids
Ua Ravu returns for her second World Cup with the Orchids, having played three games at the 2022 tournament in England and scored a try against Canada. The utility, who can play hooker, halfback and lock, also represented Papua New Guinea at the Pacific Championships in 2023 and 2024. This year she was part of the Rabbitohs' NSWRL Women's Premiership squad that finished second on the ladder and reached the preliminary final, and she played halfback for the PNG Prime Minister's XIII on Saturday, 3 October.
Round One Fixture: Papua New Guinea v France: Saturday, 17 October, 1:15pm AEDT (12:15pm local), Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby
Fiji Bulikula
The Bulikula will play at a Rugby League World Cup for the first time after winning the 2025 IRL World Series in Canada, with three Rabbitohs in their squad.
Hooker Rory Muller played nine games for the Rabbitohs in the 2026 NSWRL Women's Premiership, scoring two tries in her first season at the Club as the side reached the preliminary final. She made her Fiji debut in the 2024 Pacific Championships Final against Samoa and played in both of the Bulikula's wins at the 2025 IRL World Series, which secured their place at the World Cup.
Prop Aliti Namoce played nine games for the Rabbitohs in the 2026 NSWRL Women's Premiership, most of them off the interchange. Born in Suva, she has two Tests for Fiji, scoring a try against Samoa at the 2023 Pacific Championships and helping the Bulikula to an 18-6 win over the Cook Islands in 2024.
Five-eighth Luisa Yaranamua, the Rabbitohs' 2025 Players' Player, played 13 games in the 2026 NSWRL Women's Premiership, scoring five tries and kicking seven goals for 34 points. She has four Tests for Fiji, including the 2024 Pacific Championships Final, and kicked nine goals in the 62-4 win over Nigeria in the 2025 IRL World Series Final that sealed the Bulikula's first World Cup berth.
Round One Fixture: New Zealand v Fiji: Sunday, 18 October, 1:50pm AEDT, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
South Sydney congratulates all 12 Rabbitohs on their selection and wishes them the very best at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
