England Men, Women and Wheelchair in the top three of the official IRL World Rankings

England have consolidated their position in the top three of the official International Rugby League World Rankings in the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair game.

And Shaun Wane’s Men are now within striking distance of second-placed New Zealand after extending their 100% record since the 2022 World Cup to seven matches with 2024 victories against France in Toulouse, followed by the 2-0 series win against Samoa on home soil.

England had slipped to fourth in the IRL rankings behind Toa Samoa after their defeat in the 2022 World Cup semi final, but the consecutive home series wins against Samoa and Tonga (in 2023) have lifted them well clear in third – setting the scene perfectly for a shot in 2025 at Mal Meninga’s Australia, the world champions whose 2024 Pacific Championships triumph also re-established their clear advantage at the top of the IRL rankings.

Tom Coyd’s England Wheelchair team remain number one in the world, a position they gained from France with their 2022 World Cup triumph – although the margin between the teams remains narrow after their two international meetings in 2024, with England winning comfortably in Wigan only for France to hit back in a thriller in Saint-Lo.

Stuart Barrow’s England Women retained third position with comfortable 2024 victories against France in Toulouse and Wales in Leeds, ahead of March’s international against the world number one Australia Jillaroos in Las Vegas.

The IRL World Rankings are calculated on each nation’s performance over the current season and the three preceding seasons. 

Points are awarded to each team for each match based on:

• The result of the match - win, lose or draw.
• The margin of victory (or defeat) - the larger the winning margin the greater the value to the rankings.
• The relative strength of opposition faced - if you play a higher ranked team that is of greater value than playing a lower ranked team.
• The date of the match – more recent matches are weighted more heavily - a result in the most recent two years is worth double a result three years ago and four times a result that is four years old.
• The importance of the match - World Cup matches are ranked top followed in order by World Cup Qualifiers, Regional Championships and one-off international matches.
• The points are then used to create the Official World Rankings by ordering the teams by virtue of the points gained over the four-year period.

Only officially sanctioned matches played at senior level between two approved members are considered as part of the rankings.

The 72 sanctioned international matches in 2024 was the most of any year besides 2022, when the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cups were staged together for the first time and an increase on last year’s record 64 international fixtures.

IRL Chair Troy Grant said: “There has been more international matches played this year than in any other year in the history of rugby league and they have been played across all parts of the world and with more countries playing than ever before.

“The quality, the standards, the viewership and the interest in international rugby league has never been as high, and that is largely to the credit of the IRL members who have collectively placed us in the most positive position the international game has been in for a number of years.

“In October and November, we saw another strong England performance during the tour by Samoa to the Northern Hemisphere, and a memorable men's and women's Pacific Championships.

“Congratulations to the ARLC for organising the event, along with the New Zealand Rugby League, and to Australia for winning both Pacific Cup competitions.

“We ended the year with another fantastic SudAmericano. Congratulations to Chile for winning the tournament and full credit to our newest member, Argentina Rugby League, for putting this competition on in arguably the rugby league world's most isolated area. 

“The women’s game is now the fastest growing part of rugby league, and it is really building up significant strength in places like Africa and Europe, as well as the Pacific.

“The first ever Women's Rugby League World Cup Qualifying competition in rugby league history was staged, with 16 nations across all four regions playing 15 games between April and October.

“I'd like to congratulate France, Samoa, and Wales for qualifying for Rugby League World Cup 2026, and we look forward to next year's final qualifying matches.

“Wheelchair Rugby League is also growing at an unbelievable pace. The World Cup in 2022 really put it into the hearts and minds of rugby league fans, particularly in England, and we expect the 2026 World Cup in Australia to have a similar impact.

“Wheelchair Rugby League's Celtic Cup was played in Ireland for the first time and won by the hosts, while New Zealand became the latest nation to play wheelchair rugby league.

“It is terrific to welcome New Zealand to that genre of the sport. They hosted Australia for two matches, meaning those two nations hosted wheelchair internationals for the first time in 2024.

“France ended the season with a magnificently organised and contested match against England.

“On behalf of the International Rugby League Board, I would like to thank the many volunteers and others whose hard work and dedication has enabled this fantastic growth.

“I would also like to congratulate and thank the players and coaches for their efforts on and off the field that have contributed to international rugby league being at the pinnacle of our sport.”