England begin their Men's Rugby League World Cup 2026 campaign against Tonga on Saturday. The match takes place at HBF Park in Perth on Saturday 17 October 2026 and kicks off at 10:05am.
TV Coverage and Streaming Details
The match will be shown live on Premier Sports 1, with the channel holding the exclusive rights to this year's tournament after the BBC did not bid for the rights this time around. A subscription is required and starts from £12.99 per month. Subscribers can tune in to Premier Sports on TV, online or on a variety of devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets via their app.
The match will also be live streamed on Premier Sports Player, which is available on smartphones and tablets.
Radio Coverage and Team News
You can listen to the match on BBC Radio Sports Extra, which is available on DAB radio or via most TV packages. You can also listen online via the BBC website or BBC Sounds app.
England captain George Williams says they will relish the underdog tag, having already lost Morgan Smithies ahead of the tournament. Even after beating Tonga 3-0 in a hard-fought Test series three years ago, some would make England slight underdogs.
Squad Lists in Full
England: AJ Brimson, Dom Young, Hugo Savala, Herbie Farnworth, Zach Eckersley, George Williams, Harry Smith, Max King, Brad O'Neill, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul, Victor Radley. Interchange: Jez Litten, Ben Currie, Ethan Havard, Sam Walters, Jack Welsby, Matty Ashton.
Tonga: Lehi Hopoate, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Tolutau Koula, Robert To'ia, Jojo Fifita, Latu Fainu, Isaiya Katoa, Addin Fonua-Blake, Soni Luke, Jason Taumalolo, Haumole Olakau'atu, Siua Wong, Tyson Frizell. Interchange: Salesi Foketi, Stefano Utoikamanu, Demitric Vaimauga, Leka Halasima, Tuimoala Lolohea, Paul Alamoti.
