Tonga beat Samoa 20-18 to reach Rugby League World Cup semi-finals

Tonga booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup after securing a dramatic 20-18 victory over Samoa in front of a record crowd at CommBank Stadium in Sydney.

The match lived up to expectations, with both sides producing an intense contest that remained undecided until the closing stages. Tonga looked in control after building an early advantage, but Samoa fought back and briefly moved ahead through tries from Brian To'o, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Ronald Volkman.

However, Tonga had the final say. Captain Addin Fonua-Blake crossed for the decisive try with eight minutes remaining, securing a memorable victory for Kristian Woolf's side. A crowd of 29,411 watched the encounter, setting a new attendance record for the tournament.

The result confirmed Tonga's place in the last four, where they will face New Zealand on November 7 in Newcastle. Samoa also advanced to the semi-finals despite the defeat and will meet defending champions Australia the following day.

England, meanwhile, were eliminated after finishing outside the qualifying positions in their group, despite beating Papua New Guinea 34-12 in their final match.