Tonga and Samoa meet in a sold-out Rugby League World Cup pool match at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta at 8.05pm AEDT on Sunday 1 November, in a fixture that one of the players taking part has ranked above a grand final.
Tonga are already through to the semi-finals, the ABC reported on Friday 30 October. Samoa “may well be” through by kick-off as well, depending on the scoreline in England’s match against Papua New Guinea, the ABC said.
What Is on the Line
The Guardian reported on 30 October that both sides were unbeaten. Tonga beat England for the first time in their opening match, and then beat Lebanon at CommBank Stadium in front of more than 25,000 people, according to the Guardian.
The venue itself was a matter of debate. The NRL had planned to move the match to Accor Stadium, which it believed would have drawn 60,000, the Guardian reported, but the move fell through because it would have clashed with concerts that had already been booked. The game stayed in Parramatta, and the ABC reported that it has sold out.
From the Stands to the Field
The ABC profiled three of the players who will take the field. They come from clubs on both sides of the Tasman, among them Newcastle, the Storm and the Warriors, and for some of them this fixture was one they watched long before they played in it. Francis Manuleleua watched the 2022 World Cup meeting between the two sides in South Auckland at the age of 18, the ABC reported, and in October he played in the NRL grand final for Newcastle.
“This will probably be the biggest game I’ve ever been a part of it. A grand final is pretty big too, but the rivalry between Samoa and Tonga runs deeper than footy,” he told the ABC.
He also described how the rivalry works on the field and off it. “As soon as we cross that white line there’s no friends, but after those 80 minutes we’ll get together, have a beer and everything will be all sweet.”
Sua Fa’alogo, 23, was born in Si’umu, Samoa, and plays for the Storm. His father, Eti, will see him play in person for the first time, according to the ABC. “I just want to give back to him for everything he did, for bringing me over and trying to give me the opportunity for a better life,” Fa’alogo said.
Leka Halasima, 21, of the Warriors, was born in Tofoa, Tonga. He put the occasion in finals terms: “This is pretty much finals footy, this is what it’s all about.”
A Rivalry Built on Close Finishes
The recent record between the two nations has been tight. Samoa won 20-18 when the sides met at the 2022 World Cup, and Tonga won 25-24 in the 2024 Pacific Championship, the ABC reported. The sides’ meeting in Brisbane last year drew 45,000 people.
Jason Taumalolo’s choice in 2017 to play for Tonga rather than New Zealand is credited with reviving the international game, the Guardian reported.
The ABC’s assessment of the match itself was that it is “a coin flip”. It described Tonga as “bigger, stronger and more battle-hardened”, and Samoa as “faster”, with more strike.
The Guardian reported on the Pasifika pride the tournament has drawn out in Sydney. “Here on Sunday, it’s gonna be red,” lay preacher Aisea Taufa told the paper in Auburn.
Kick-Off at 8.05pm in Parramatta
The match starts at 8.05pm AEDT on Sunday 1 November at CommBank Stadium. As the ABC reported on 30 October, Tonga are already through to the semi-finals, while Samoa may well be through by kick-off, depending on the England v Papua New Guinea scoreline.
For more of the tournament, see our earlier coverage of the Kangaroos’ match against Fiji at Suncorp, and the rest of the competition in our Sports section.
Sources: ABC News, “Samoa and Tonga’s World Cup clash more than a game for a generation of fans turned heroes”, 30 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-30/samoa-tonga-rugby-league-world-cup-2026/107324378); The Guardian, “Pasifika pride finds a home at Rugby League World Cup: ‘Passion brings us together'”, 30 October 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/29/rugby-league-world-cup-sydney-tonga-samoa-pasifika-pride); CommBank Stadium, “Rugby League World Cup 2026: Tonga v Samoa” (https://www.commbankstadium.com.au/events/rugby_league_world_cup_2026__tonga_v_samoa)
Photo: DraftSaturn15, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, the venue for Tonga v Samoa, seen across its car park in August 2022.
