Australia vs New Zealand Pacific Championships Prediction, Tips & Odds

Andrew Hendrie: May 28, 2026

Australia and New Zealand square off for the Pacific Championships silverware when they meet in the final at Waikato Stadium on Saturday.

Pacific Championships Betting Tips & Predictions

The Pacific Championships is an annual rugby league tournament featuring the sport’s leading nations from the southern hemisphere. Held each October and November at the conclusion of the NRL season, the Pacific Championships brings together Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Fiji in a round-robin format.

At BettingPro, our NRL experts provide Pacific Championships betting tips and predictions for every match of the tournament. Whether you are backing the Kangaroos, the Kiwis, or one of the rising Pacific Island nations, our tipsters deliver well-researched previews with best bets and same game multi picks.

Pacific Championships 2025 Results

The 2025 Pacific Championships was held in October–November 2025 across venues in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Australia entered as favourites after their dominant 2024 NRL season, while Tonga and Samoa continued their rise as genuine contenders at the international level.

For full results and match reports from the 2025 Pacific Championships, check our NRL hub.

Pacific Championships 2026 Preview

The 2026 Pacific Championships will be held following the conclusion of the NRL season in October 2026. With the Penrith Panthers dominating the early rounds of the 2026 Telstra Premiership, several Panthers stars are expected to feature prominently for Australia and Samoa.

Keep an eye on our NRL tips page throughout the season for updates on player form heading into the Pacific Championships.

Pacific Championships Betting Markets

Match Winner: Back the winner of each individual Pacific Championships match. The most popular market for international rugby league.

Line Betting / Handicap: Points handicap markets to level the playing field between mismatched teams.

First Tryscorer: Predict which player will score the first try in each match.

Total Points Over/Under: Bet on whether the combined score will be above or below a set line.

Tournament Winner: Back which nation will win the overall Pacific Championships title.

Same Game Multi: Combine multiple selections from the same Pacific Championships match into one bet with multiplied odds.

Best Bookmakers for Pacific Championships Betting

All major Australian bookmakers offer Pacific Championships betting markets during the tournament:

Compare odds across our best betting sites in Australia guide.

Pacific Championships History

The Pacific Championships replaced the previous Pacific Test and Pacific Nations Cup formats, bringing together the top rugby league nations into a single annual tournament. The competition has grown rapidly in profile as Pacific Island nations — particularly Tonga and Samoa — have emerged as genuine threats to the traditional powerhouses of Australia and New Zealand.

The tournament provides a vital pathway for international rugby league and gives fans the opportunity to see NRL stars representing their heritage nations on the world stage.