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| Highestgoverning body | International Rugby League |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | League, RL, rugby, rugby XIII (used throughout Europe) League, footy, football (used throughout Oceania) |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Full Contact |
| Team members | Thirteen |
| Mixed-sex | Single |
| Type | Team sport, Outdoor |
| Equipment | Rugby ball |
| Venue | Rugby league playing field |
Women's rugby league is the female-only version ofrugby league.
The sport has growing more popular in Australia, France, Great Britain, and New Zealand. These countries regularly compete in theWomen's Rugby League World Cup which has been in operation since 2000.
As with men's rugby league, the international game and national governing bodies are overseen by theInternational Rugby League.
TheAustralian Rugby League Commission andNational Rugby League are the governing bodies of female rugby league inAustralia.
From its establishment in 1993, theAustralian Women's Rugby League was the governing body of female rugby league inAustralia and other parts ofOceania. It took the association five years to be recognized by the ARL. From 1998, the AWRL was an affiliate of the ARL. The AWRL ran theAustralia women's national rugby league team and National Championships. Affiliated to the AWRL were state-level governing organisations in theQueensland Women's Rugby League,New South Wales Women's Rugby League, Canberra Women's Rugby League and theWestern Australian Women's Rugby League.
Following the advent of theAustralian Rugby League Commission in 2012, the duties of the AWRL were absorbed by the ARLC and NRL.
The main women's competitions in Australia are theNational Rugby League Women's Premiership,New South Wales Women's Rugby League and theQueensland Rugby League Women's Premiership.
TheRugby Football League is the governing body of female rugby league in theUnited Kingdom; although some activity is run by the independent Women's Amateur Rugby League Association established in 1985. With women's rugby becoming increasingly popular, the RFL has taken more control in running women's competitions.
At the beginning of the 2006 season there were between thirty and forty female-only rugby league clubs running inEngland, not including clubs that have teams of both sexes.[1] The majority of these clubs are located inLancashire andYorkshire.
The RFL began control of the female sport in 2013 with the launch of theRFL Women's Rugby League. This became theRFL Women's Super League in 2017 as the top level women's rugby league competition in the United Kingdom.
At international level theGreat Britain women's national rugby league team represented the whole of Great Britain; however in 2006 the RFL announced that after the2007 All Golds Tour the Great Britain team would no longer compete on a regular basis, favouring national teams for thehome nations ofEngland,Scotland, andWales.
Women's rugby league in New Zealand is controlled by theNew Zealand Rugby League. The national side is called theKiwi Ferns. The NZRL Women's National Tournament is a competition for female rugby league teams. Women have been playing rugby in New Zealand since the 19th century.[2]
The following list of nations that compete, or have competed, internationally in women's rugby league.
Table last updated: 21 November 2025.
| Nation | Moniker | Rank[3][4] | Venues | Mat | Record | Debut | Last | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | A | N | W | D | L | PF | PA | O | Year | Opp | Ref | |||||
 Argentina | NR | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 19 | 2018 |  BRA | [5] | 2018 | |
 Australia | Jillaroos | 1 | 34 | 20 | 13 | 67 | 42 | 0 | 25 | 1969 | 887 | 1 | 1995 |  NZL | [6][7] | 2025 |
| Brazil | Amazonas | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 68 | 164 | 19 | 2018 | ARG | [5] | 2022 |
 Canada | Ravens | 11 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 348 | 404 | 17 | 2017 | NZL | [8][9] | 2025 |
 Cook Islands | Moana | 9 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 244 | 542 | 6 | 2003 | NZL | [10] | 2025 |
 England | Lionessess | 3 | 16 | 21 | 8 | 45 | 32 | 1 | 12 | 1514 | 554 | 11 | 2007 |  FRA | [11] | 2025 |
 Fiji | Bulikula | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 180 | 172 | 4 | 1998 | AUS | [12][13] | 2025 |
| France | Les Bleues | 4 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 37 | 8 | 1 | 28 | 566 | 1256 | 11 | 2007 | ENG | [11] | 2025 |
 Ghana | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 38 | 148 | 30 | 2023 |  NGR | [14] | 2025 | |
 Great Britain | Lionessess | NR | 4 | 10 | 4 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 245 | 338 | 3 | 1996 | AUS | [15][16] | 2003 |
 Greece | 13 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 86 | 250 | 23 | 2019 |  TUR | [17][18] | 2025 | |
 Ireland | 8 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 188 | 212 | 25 | 2021 |  WAL | [19] | 2025 | |
 Italy | 20 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 136 | 274 | 15 | 2017 |  LBN | [20] | 2024 | |
 Jamaica | 25 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 224 | 29 | 2023 |  USA | [21][22] | 2024 | |
 Kenya | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 106 | 51 | 33 | 2023 |  UGA | [23][24] | 2024 | |
| Lebanon | Junipers | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 50 | 15 | 2017 | ITA | [20] | 2025 |
 Malta | Dames | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 42 | 27 | 2022 |  PHI | [25] | 2023 |
 Netherlands | Lionessess | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 94 | 112 | 32 | 2023 | GRE | [26] | 2025 |
| New Zealand | Kiwi Ferns | 2 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 66 | 51 | 0 | 15 | 2110 | 697 | 1 | 1995 | AUS | [7][6] | 2025 |
 NZ Māori | Wahine Toa | NR | 7 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 238 | 274 | 5 | 2002 | NZL | [27] | 2017 |
| Nigeria | Green Falcons | 12 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 184 | 124 | 30 | 2023 | GHA | [14] | 2025 |
 Niue | NR | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 62 | 220 | 8 | 2003 | NZM | [10] | 2020 | |
| Pacific Islands | NR | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 76 | 164 | 13 | 2008 | NZL | [28] | 2008 | |
 Papua New Guinea | Orchids | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 206 | 550 | 17 | 2017 | ENG | [29][30] | 2025 |
| Philippines | Sampaguitas | 22 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 6 | 27 | 2022 | MLT | [25][31] | 2023 |
 Russia | NR | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 220 | 13 | 2008 | ENG | [32] | 2008 | |
 Samoa | Fetu Samoa | 5 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 426 | 502 | 6 | 2003 | GBR | [10] | 2025 |
 Scotland | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 30 | 35 | 2025 | WAL | [33] | 2025 | |
 Serbia | 17 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 56 | 378 | 22 | 2019 | ITA | [34][35] | 2024 | |
 Tokelau | NR | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 96 | 162 | 8 | 2003 | COK | [10] | 2003 | |
 Tonga | 14 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 238 | 514 | 8 | 2003 | SAM | [10] | 2025 | |
| Turkey | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 82 | 104 | 21 | 2019 | FRA | [36][37] | 2022 | |
| Uganda | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 84 | 33 | 2023 | KEN | [23][24] | 2024 | |
| United States | Hawks | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 190 | 120 | 26 | 2022 | CAN | [38] | 2025 |
| Wales | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 232 | 368 | 24 | 2021 | ENG | [39][40] | 2025 | |
Notes:
Jamaica played in a Nines tournament in 2019 (with Canada and Ontario teams), prior to making their full international debut in 2023.
Solomon Islands played in Nines tournaments at two Pacific Games, in2019 and2023.
Vanuatu played in the Nines tournament at the2023 Pacific Games.The Women's Rugby League World Cup was first held in Great Britain during 2000 to coincide with the men'sRugby League World Cup. Australia, Great Britain and eventual winners New Zealand took part.[43] New Zealand also won the second and third World Cups: a nine team tournament held atNorth Harbour Stadium, in the Auckland suburb ofAlbany in2003; and an eight team tournament held at theSunshine Coast Stadium and, for the final,Suncorp Stadium in2008.[44][45]
In the 2013 World Cup, the Australian Jillaroos won the cup, breaking New Zealand's 13 year winning streak.[46] Australia again beat New Zealand in the 2017 World Cup Final.[47]
The World Cup is played every 4 years. Delayed by a year due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the most recent World Cup included eight teams and was held in November 2022 in England. It was played alongside Men's and Wheelchair tournaments.[48] Australia won the tournament for the third time, all three in succession.[49]
TheNRL Women's Premiership is the top tier national competition. In the second tier are two state competitions inNew South Wales andQueensland. There aretackle competitions at a local level in several areas of Sydney and Brisbane, and in regional areas of New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.
There are also competitions in the capital cites of theNorthern Territory,South Australia,Victoria andWestern Australia and these states send teams to the National Championships.[50]
TheNew South Wales Rugby League has also promoted and supported non-tackleLeague tag competitions in Sydney and regional areas since the early 2010s.[51][52][53]
State of Origin is a state representative series played byQueensland andNew South Wales. This annual competition began in 1999 as an Interstate Challenge with selections based on the players' state of residence. In 2018, this changed to Origin. In 2023, theNational Rugby League extended what had usually been a single annual match to a two-match series.[54]
The top tier of rugby league in Great Britain is theRFL Women's Super League which operates a promotion and relegation system with the RFL Women's Championship below it. TheWomen's Challenge Cup is Great Britain's primary cup competition.
