How to watch Rugby League World Cup: live stream every fixture from anywhere – schedule

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Tonga face Samoa in the tie of the round as the knockouts get underway

Cameron Murray of Australia during Rugby League World Cup 2021 live stream
(Image credit: Getty Images / Michael Steele)

Australia are the team that everybody was hoping to avoid in the Rugby League World Cup knockouts, but someone had to draw the short straw. Lebanon, who have been such a breath of fresh air at the tournament, will face the Kangaroos in the first of this week's quarter-finals, and they'll be hoping to benefit from some inside info from coach Michael Cheika and their contingent of NRL stars. Here's how to watch a 2021 Rugby League World Cup live stream and see every fixture online, including ways to watch for free.

Rugby League World Cup live stream

Dates: October 15 - November 19

Free live stream: BBC iPlayer (UK)

Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free

Live stream: FITE (US and Canada) | Kayo Sports (AU) | Spark Sport (NZ)

Whoever wins that one will face either New Zealand or Fiji in the semis. Having sailed through their group with three victories from three, the Kiwis are heavy favorites, though the Bati certainly won't let Michael Maguire's men have things all their way, having doled out a couple of thumpings of their own over the past couple of weeks.

On the other side of the draw, England take on Papua New Guinea, with the Kumuls hoping to progress past the last eight for the first time. The winner will take on either Tonga or Samoa, who face off in a mouthwatering clash of Pacific rivals. Samoa have the best record of the teams to have finished second in their group, while Tonga were the least dominant group winner.

The Three Lions are hoping to go a step further than they did last time out, having lost the final 6-0 to Australia in Brisbane five years ago. The delayed tournament marks the first time in RLWC history that both the women’s and wheelchair tournaments take place in tandem with the men’s event. 

Here's how to watch a Rugby League World Cup live stream and catch every fixture online from anywhere.

Rugby League World Cup 2021 schedule

Friday 4th November

7.30pm: Australia vs Lebanon

Saturday 5th November

2.30pm: England vs Papua New Guinea

7.30pm: New Zealand vs Fiji

Sunday 6th November

2.30pm: Tonga vs Samoa

Friday 11th November

7.45pm: Semi Final 1 – Winner QF vs Winner QF

Saturday 12th November

2.30pm: Semi Final 2 – Winner QF vs Winner QF

Saturday 19th November

4pm: Rugby World Cup 2021 Final

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How to watch a Rugby League World Cup 2022 live stream in the UK for FREE

Rugby League World Cup 2021 for FREE

Rugby League fans can watch all 61 games from the men's, women's and wheelchair editions of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 for FREE, with all matches shown on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is free to watch with a valid TV licence, and works across a huge array of devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, media streaming devices like Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Roku, and PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Away from home? Use a VPN to watch the Rugby World Cup 2021 free from anywhere.

How to watch Rugby League World Cup 2021 from outside your country

We've set out how you can live stream the Rugby League World Cup in a number of countries around the world. However, if you're away travelling, you probably won't be able to watch the Rugby League World Cup 2022 like you normally would at home. This is the result of geo-blocking - best understood as digital borders that restrict certain services and content to specific parts of the world.

A good streaming VPN can let you get around these digital borders, while also offering robust protection from cybercriminals and government snooping. They're also very easy to use.

Use a VPN to live stream the Rugby League World Cup 2022 from anywhere

ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN right now

ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN right now
We've taken the time to try out all the biggest VPN providers and we found ExpressVPN to be the pick of the bunch. It works with lots of devices and offers super fast connections across its many servers. 

Throw in its robust set of security features and ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN for streaming - and perhaps best of all, it has a 30-day money back guarantee plus 3 months FREE when you subscribe for a year.

Access ExpressVPN via your laptop, iPhone, tablet, Android phone, PlayStation, Xbox and plenty more. Express is a do-it-all service that also benefits from 24/7 customer support.

- Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days

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How to watch the Rugby League World Cup: live stream in the US without cable

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Best known for showing combat sports, streaming service FITE has the rights to show the Rugby League World Cup in the US.

Matches will be available via pay per view on the service for $14.99 per game, but you can also take advantage of a bundle that includes every match in the men's tournament for $99.99.

Select men's matches as well as the entire women's and wheelchair tournaments will also be available on the FITE+ subscription service.

UK citizen away from home? Remember that license fee payers can watch the Rugby World Cup 2021 free on the BBC by using a VPN from abroad.

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How to get a Rugby League World Cup 2022 live stream: watch online in Canada

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It's the same story across the border, with FITE also having broadcast rights for the Rugby League World Cup in Canada.

As with the US, each match will be available for US$14.99 on PPV, with the same US$99.99 bundle that includes every match in the men's tournament also available for Canadian viewers .

Outside of Canada and want to watch your home coverage? No worries - just use a VPN as described above.

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How to watch the Rugby League World Cup 2022 in Australia

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Rugby League fans Down Under can watch the World Cup on Fox Sports and via Foxtel.

Fox Sports will be showing all 61 matches from the Men's, Women's and Wheelchair tournaments, thanks to the network's dedicated 24/7 Fox League channel.

If you don't have Fox as part of a pay TV package, your best option is to sign up for a one-week Kayo Sports FREE trial.

There are no lock-in contracts and it gives you access to all of Fox's Rugby League World Cup coverage, as well as over 50 other sports including the NRL, soccer, F1, NFL... the list goes on! Handy if you don't want to go all-out on Fox.

After that, the Basic Package costs $27.50 per month and allows users to stream across two devices simultaneously. The service also offers a Premium Package, which provides three concurrent streams for $35 per month.

UK citizen away from home? Remember that license fee payers can watch the Rugby World Cup 2021 free on the BBC by using a VPN from abroad.

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How to watch a Rugby League World Cup live stream in New Zealand

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Sports fans can watch every Rugby League World Cup match on Spark Sport in New Zealand, with the service showing all 61 matches from the Men's, Women's and Wheelchair tournaments. 

Spark Sport offers a 7-day FREE trial so you can try before you buy, and once that expires, a subscription costs $24.99 per month, and includes plenty of Black Caps cricket action, Europa League football, the European Rugby Champions Cup, F1, MotoGP, NFL and WTA tennis.

Spark Sport is available via web browsers on your PC or Mac, plus Apple and Android mobile devices, Chromecast, Apple TV, selected Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and LG TVs, and select Freeview streamers.

UK citizen away from home? Remember that license fee payers can watch the Rugby World Cup 2021 free on the BBC by using a VPN from abroad.

Kevin Lynch
Kevin Lynch

Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist. The author of Steve Jobs: A Biographic Portrait, Kevin is a regular feature writer for a number of tech sites and the former Technology Editor for the Daily Mirror. He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards. Alongside reviewing the latest AV gear, smartphones and computers, Kevin also specialises in music tech and can often be found putting the latest DAWs, MIDI controllers and guitar modellers through their paces. Born within the sound of Bow Bells, Kevin is also a lifelong West Ham fan for his troubles.