{"id":588384,"date":"2026-05-17T03:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T03:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/588384\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T03:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T03:55:13","slug":"australia-confirm-head-coach-for-2026-rugby-league-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/588384\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia confirm head coach for 2026 Rugby League World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

After months of speculation, Australia have landed their head coach for this year\u2019s Rugby League World Cup.<\/p>\n

Following on from a very successful Ashes campaign, the Australian Rugby League Commision have decided to hand the gig to Kevin Walters, with the former Catalans boss impressing in the three-game series.<\/p>\n

Walters has signed on for another two years, meaning his contract will now expire in June 2028.<\/p>\n

Australia are heavy favourites to win the World Cup at the end of the season, particularly with it being on home soil.<\/p>\n

Walters has coached at representative level with the Queensland Maroons, doing so from 2016-2019, where he won two State of Origin titles.<\/p>\n

ARLC Chairman Peter V\u2019Landys, who is a key figure in the NRL\u2019s amition to take over Super League in whatever form that may take, commented on the decion to appoint Walters, saying:<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very impressed with the feedback from the Kangaroos players when they were surveyed, giving Kevin enormous praise as a coach and motivator.<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin did an outstanding job and I\u2019m very pleased to announce him as the Kangaroos coach for the most important tournament in many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Kangaroo number 612, Kevin has displayed passion for the jersey as well as for his players. I saw first-hand in the UK the way the players responded to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe World Cup is a wonderful opportunity for the game to be showcased on the international stage and I\u2019m excited Kevin will be leading the national team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walters himself added: \u201cThe experience I had with the team at the Ashes was a privilege and very rewarding. Now, to be able to continue into a home World Cup will be a huge honour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorld Cups always provide the biggest challenges, and I\u2019m looking forward to assembling a great, experienced staff and playing group to have a successful tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very grateful for this opportunity. I never thought in my wildest dreams I\u2019d be Kangaroos coach in a World Cup. It\u2019s very humbling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walters featured in one World Cup as a player, and played in the 1992 final when Australia beat Great Britain 10-6.<\/p>\n

Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors debate and Hull KR tipped for defeat \u2013 The Serious About Rugby League predictions show is out now on YouTube!<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After months of speculation, Australia have landed their head coach for this year\u2019s Rugby League World Cup. Following…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-588384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}