Jamaica’s Reggae Warriors face an uphill battle to qualify for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, as head coach Romeo Monteith acknowledges the tough road ahead with the number of finalists reduced and only two qualifying spots available.
Monteith, who led the Reggae Warriors to their historic first appearance in the 2022 tournament in England, is preparing his team for a much tougher qualification process as they aim for the 2026 World Cup in Australia.
Unlike the previous 16-nation tournament, the 2026 edition will feature only 10 teams, with the eight quarter-finalists from 2022 — Australia, Tonga, England, New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Lebanon — already securing spots. This leaves just two places for other nations, which will be decided through a round-robin qualifying tournament at the end of 2025.
No pushovers
Monteith, who has been at the helm of the Reggae Warriors since 2012, acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge, particularly against strong opposition. “It will be a challenging qualification process. The Cook Islands are no pushovers as they have NRL [Australia’s top competition] players to call on, and South Africa remains an unknown factor,” Monteith said. “France, if they qualify, could be tough as they have two full-time professional clubs in Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique.”
The Reggae Warriors will need to overcome the Cook Islands (Pacific), South Africa (Africa/Middle East), and the winners of a European group that includes France, Wales, Serbia, and Ukraine. Despite the daunting task, Monteith remains optimistic. “If we put our strongest team on the field, I think we can definitely challenge for one of the two qualifying places,” he said.
The reduction in the number of World Cup finalists from 16 to 10 has been met with disappointment by Monteith, who believes the larger tournament was a better platform for developing nations. “The 16-nation competition was a better vehicle to grow the sport globally and raise awareness about rugby league,” Monteith explained. “Changes happen, and while the reduction to 10 teams might make the games more competitive, it’s disappointing for emerging nations like ours.”
Increased interest in Jamaica
Monteith noted that the 2022 World Cup, despite being held in the wake of COVID-19 disruptions, helped boost rugby league’s popularity in Jamaica. “The 2022 World Cup definitely increased interest in Jamaica, and now, in 2024, we are back to where we were before the pandemic, with all of our domestic competitions running again. We’ve even added a women’s programme,” he added.
In the women’s division, Jamaica faces a similarly tough qualification process. The women’s World Cup, which will run concurrently with the men’s tournament and a wheelchair event, will feature only eight teams. Jamaica’s women must first beat the USA and Canada to win the Americas qualifying group before progressing to a World Series with qualifiers from other regions, including Africa/Middle East, Pacific, and Europe.
The 2026 Rugby League World Cup finals will be staged across Australia, with some matches also held in Papua New Guinea.
