Rugby League World Cup records
# Rugby League World Cup records

Rugby League World Cup records have been accumulating since the first Rugby League World Cup tournament was held in 1954.

## Team Records

### All-time record

Top four finishes :

| Team | Champions | Runners-up | Third / Fourth / Losing Semi-finalists |
| - | - | - | - |
| Australia | 12 (1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2013, 2017, 2021) | 3 (1960, 1972, 2008) | 1 (1954) |
| Great Britain | 3 (1954, 1960, 1972) | 4 (1964, 1970, 1977, 1992) | 2 (1968, 1988) |
| New Zealand | 1 (2008) | 3 (1985–88, 2000, 2013) | 11 (1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1992, 1995, 2021) |
| England | | 3 (1975, 1995, 2017) | 4 (2000, 2008, 2013, 2021) |
| France | | 2 (1954, 1968) | 6 (1957, 1960, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1992) |
| Samoa | | 1 (2021) | |
| Wales | | | 3 (1975, 1995, 2000) |
| Fiji | | | 3 (2008, 2013, 2017) |
| Papua New Guinea | | | 1 (1988) |
| Tonga | | | 1 (2017) |

* Tournaments between 1954–1992 did not feature semi-final and quarter-final rounds.

### Title win rate

| Team | Win rate |
| - | - |
| Australia | 75.00% |
| Great Britain | 33.33% |
| New Zealand | 6.67% |

### Biggest wins

| Rank | Winner | Score | Loser | Points | Year |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Australia | 110-4 | Russia | 106 | 2000 |
| 2 | England | 94-4 | Greece | 90 | 2021 |
| 3 | Australia | 84-0 | Scotland | 84 | 2021 |
| 4 | Tonga | 92-10 | Cook Islands | 82 | 2021 |
| 5 | Australia | 86-6 | South Africa | 80 | 1995 |

## Individual records

### Most appearances

| Rank | Player | Country(s) | Years | Apps |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Kurt Sorensen | New Zealand | 1975–1989 | 25 |
| 2 | John Atkinson | Great Britain England | 1970–1980 | 17 |
| 2 | Bob Fulton | Australia | 1968–1978 | 17 |
| 2 | Cameron Smith | Australia | 2008–2017 | 17 |
| 5 | Mal Meninga | Australia | 1982–1994 | 15 |
| 5 | Michael O'Connor | Australia | 1985–1990 | 15 |
| 5 | Chris Hill | England | 2013- | 15 |

### Top try scorers

| Rank | Player | Country(s) | Years | Tries |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Billy Slater | Australia | 2008–2017 | 16 |
| 2 | Jarryd Hayne | Australia Fiji | 2008–2017 | 14 |
| 2 | Ryan Hall | England | 2013– | 14 |
| 4 | Bob Fulton | Australia | 1968–1975 | 13 |
| 4 | Valentine Holmes | Australia | 2017– | 13 |

### Top points scorers

| Rank | Player | Country(s) | Years | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Johnathan Thurston | Australia | 2008–2017 | 124 |
| 2 | Shaun Johnson | New Zealand | 2013–2017 | 120 |
| 3 | Mick Cronin | Australia | 1975–1982 | 112 |
| 4 | Michael O'Connor | Australia | 1985–1990 | 108 |
| 5 | George Fairbairn | Great Britain England | 1975–1982 | 94 |

### Most tries in a tournament

| Tries | Player | Year |
| - | - | - |
| 12 | Valentine Holmes | 2017 |
| 12 | Josh Addo-Carr | 2021 |
| 10 | Wendell Sailor | 2000 |
| 9 | Jarryd Hayne | 2013 |
| 9 | Brett Morris | 2013 |
| 9 | Dominic Young | 2021 |
| 7 | Billy Slater | 2008 |

### Most tries in a match

| Tries | Player | Year |
| - | - | - |
| 6 | Valentine Holmes | 2017 |
| 5 | Valentine Holmes | 2017 |
| 5 | Josh Addo-Carr | 2021 |
| 5 | Tommy Makinson | 2021 |

## Miscellaneous

### Winning captains and coaches

A foreign coach has never managed a World Cup-winning team.

| Year | Captain | Coach | Team |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1954 | Dave Valentine | G Shaw | Great Britain |
| 1957 | Dick Poole | Dick Poole | Australia |
| 1960 | Eric Ashton | William Fallowfield | Great Britain |
| 1968 | Johnny Raper | Harry Bath | Australia |
| 1970 | Ron Coote | Harry Bath | Australia |
| 1972 | Clive Sullivan | Jim Challinor | Great Britain |
| 1975 | Arthur Beetson | Graeme Langlands | Australia |
| 1977 | Arthur Beetson | Terry Fearnley | Australia |
| 1988 | Wally Lewis | Don Furner | Australia |
| 1992 | Mal Meninga | Bob Fulton | Australia |
| 1995 | Brad Fittler | Bob Fulton | Australia |
| 2000 | Brad Fittler | Chris Anderson | Australia |
| 2008 | Nathan Cayless | Stephen Kearney | New Zealand |
| 2013 | Cameron Smith | Tim Sheens | Australia |
| 2017 | Cameron Smith | Mal Meninga | Australia |

### Draws

| Team | Score | Opponent | Date |
| - | - | - | - |
| France | 13–13 | Great Britain | 7 November 1954 |
| Great Britain | 10–10* | Australia | 11 November 1972 |
| New Zealand | 17–17 | England | 21 June 1975 |
| Australia | 10–10 | England | 28 June 1975 |
| France | 12–12 | New Zealand | 17 October 1975 |
| Great Britain | 6–6 | New Zealand | 9 November 1985 |
| France | 10–10 | Great Britain | 16 February 1986 |
| Papua New Guinea | 28–28 | Tonga | 10 October 1995 |
| Cook Islands | 22–22 | Lebanon | 5 November 2000 |
| Samoa | 14–14 | Scotland | 11 November 2017 |

* After Extra Time

### Nil points

| Team | Score | Opponent | Date |
| - | - | - | - |
| France | 0–9 | New Zealand | 8 October 1960 |
| France | 0–6 | Great Britain | 28 October 1970 |
| France | 0–27 | New Zealand | 15 June 1975 |
| England | 0–25 | Australia | 12 November 1975 |
| Australia | 0–18 | New Zealand | 7 July 1985 |
| France | 0–22 | New Zealand | 7 December 1985 |
| France | 0–52 | Australia | 13 December 1986 |
| Papua New Guinea | 0–42 | Great Britain | 24 October 1987 |
| France | 0–34 | New Zealand | 3 December 1989 |
| Great Britain | 0–14 | Australia | 24 November 1990 |
| France | 0–36 | Great Britain | 7 March 1992 |
| Fiji | 0–46 | England | 11 October 1995 |
| Fiji | 0–66 | Australia | 14 October 1995 |
| South Africa | 0–46 | England | 14 October 1995 |
| Lebanon | 0–64 | New Zealand | 29 October 2000 |
| South Africa | 0–16 | Papua New Guinea | 2 November 2000 |
| Fiji | 0–52 | Australia | 16 November 2008 |
| France | 0–48 | New Zealand | 1 November 2013 |
| Ireland | 0–42 | England | 2 November 2013 |
| Ireland | 0–50 | Australia | 9 November 2013 |
| Italy | 0–16 | Tonga | 10 November 2013 |
| United States | 0–62 | Australia | 16 November 2013 |
| Fiji | 0–64 | Australia | 23 November 2013 |
| United States | 0–46 | Italy | 5 November 2017 |
| Lebanon | 0–34 | Australia | 11 November 2017 |
| United States | 0–64 | Papua New Guinea | 12 November 2017 |
| Samoa | 0–46 | Australia | 17 November 2017 |
| England | 0–6 | Australia | 2 December 2017 |
| Scotland | 0–84 | Australia | 21 October 2022 |
| Wales | 0–36 | Papua New Guinea | 31 October 2022 |

## Attendance Records

The 2013 Rugby League World Cup final at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, drew a world record international rugby league attendance of 74,468.

### Top 5 match attendances

| Year | Venue | City/Country | Event | Result | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2013 | Old Trafford | Manchester, England | Final | Australia def. New Zealand 34–2 | 74,468 |
| 1989–92 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Final | Australia def. Great Britain 10–6 | 73,631 |
| 2013 | Wembley Stadium | London, England | Semi Final (double header) | Australia def. Fiji 64–0 New Zealand def. England 20–18 | 67,575 |
| 1995 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Final | Australia def. England 16–8 | 66,540 |
| 1968 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney, Australia | Group stage | Australia def. Great Britain 25–10 | 62,256 |

### Top 5 World Cup final attendances

| Year | Venue | City/Country | Result | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 2013 | Old Trafford | Manchester, England | Australia def. New Zealand 34–2 | 74,468 |
| 1992 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Australia def. Great Britain 10–6 | 73,631 |
| 1995 | Wembley Stadium (1923) | London, England | Australia def. England 16–8 | 66,540 |
| 1968 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney, Australia | Australia def. France 20–2 | 54,290 |
| 2008 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane, Australia | New Zealand def. Australia 34–20 | 50,599 |

### Highest Attendance per Host Nation

| Country | Year | Venue | City | Event | Result | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| England | 2013 | Old Trafford | Manchester | Final | Australia def. New Zealand 34–2 | 74,468 |
| Australia | 1968 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney | Group stage | Australia def. Great Britain 25–10 | 62,256 |
| New Zealand | 1988 | Eden Park | Auckland | Final | Australia def. New Zealand 25–12 | 47,363 |
| Wales | 2013 | Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | Group stage (double header) | Australia def. England 28–20 Italy def. Wales 32–16 | 45,052 |
| France | 1954 | Stadium de Toulouse | Toulouse | Group stage | France drew with Great Britain 13–13 | 37,471 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1986 | Lloyd Robson Oval | Port Moresby | Group stage | Australia def. Papua New Guinea 62–12 | 17,000 |
| Ireland | 2013 | Thomond Park | Limerick | Group stage | Australia def. Ireland 50–0 | 5,021 |
| Northern Ireland | 2000 | Windsor Park | Belfast | Group stage | Ireland def. Samoa 30–16 | 3,207 |
| Scotland | 2000 | Firhill Stadium | Glasgow | Group stage | Aotearoa Māori def. Scotland 17–16 | 2,008 |
