England will face fierce rivals Australia in the semi-finals of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup this Tuesday (10 November).
They head into the knockout stages after an unbeaten group campaign, recording impressive victories over Wales, USA and Ireland to finish top of their group.
Australia will provide a familiar challenge for Tom Coyd MBE's side. The two nations met in last year's Wheelchair Ashes series Down Under, where England secured a 2-0 series victory.
England also have fond memories of facing the Wheelaroos at the last World Cup, having defeated them 38-8 at London's Copper Box Arena in the opening fixture of their successful 2022 tournament campaign.
As reigning world champions, England now stand one game away from another World Cup Final, which takes place on Friday 13 November. Awaiting them could be either France, whom they defeated in the 2022 final, or Ireland, who pushed England all the way in a hard-fought Game 3 encounter.
Head coach Coyd has reflected on his side's group stage success and looked ahead to Tuesday's challenge:
“We wanted to top the group, which we’ve done, and we’ll celebrate that.
Coyd believes the stern test against Ireland will stand England in good stead ahead of their semi-final clash:
“We came here to do a job. The fact that we were put under a serious amount of pressure in the Ireland game excites me, because it hardens us for the next battle.
“And there’s no doubt that we will be better prepared for Australia on Tuesday, because of the test that we’ve been put through in Game 3.
“I say bring it on. Australia have got what’s going for them in terms of a lot of people being here and cheering for them. We’ll be ready for a dog fight.”
Don’t miss England v Australia's World Cup semi-final live Tuesday 10th November. Watch live with a Premier Sports Subscription (KO 8.45am GMT).
