Papua New Guinea vs Lebanon Tips: Rugby League World Cup

Papua New Guinea open their World Cup at home, against Lebanon at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby.

Papua New Guinea open their World Cup at home, against Lebanon at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby. It is the first time the two nations have met in a Test. PNG arrive as back-to-back Pacific Bowl winners. Lebanon have not played a Test since the quarter-finals of the last World Cup.

Below are our tip and the reasoning, both squads, recent form and what the result means for the semi-final race. Every match is on our Rugby League World Cup hub.

Match Details

Detail	Info
Competition	Rugby League World Cup, Pools B and C, Round 1
Date	Saturday 17 October 2026
Kick-off	3:25pm AEDT (2:25pm in Port Moresby, 2:25pm AEST in Queensland)
Venue	Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby
Broadcast	Seven and 7plus, free-to-air
Coaches	Jason Demetriou (Papua New Guinea), Michael Cheika (Lebanon)

PNG vs Lebanon Tips & Prediction

Our pick: Papua New Guinea to win. Home advantage in Port Moresby is as strong as it gets in rugby league, in front of a crowd for whom it is the national sport, and PNG come in with form. They won the Pacific Bowl in 2024 and 2025, beating Fiji 50-18 and the Cook Islands 40-28 at this ground last year.

Lebanon have the more recognisable names. Jacob Kiraz, Jason Saab, Alex Twal, Alex Conti and Tony Sukkar are NRL regulars, and Michael Cheika coached them to the quarter-finals last time. But they have not played a Test since that 48-4 quarter-final loss to Australia in November 2022. A planned series in France in 2024 was cancelled, and their only match since was a 16-14 friendly loss to Italy in Sydney.

Best value: PNG by 1-12. Lebanon’s backline can score from anywhere, and PNG are without Lachlan Lam, Alex Johnston, Cooper Bai and Xavier Coates. We expect PNG to win it, but Lebanon have enough NRL quality to keep it close.

PNG vs Lebanon Head to Head & Form

There is no head to head: this is the first Test between Papua New Guinea and Lebanon.

Team	Recent results
Papua New Guinea	2025 Pacific Bowl: beat Cook Islands 40-28, beat Fiji 50-18 (both Port Moresby). 2024: beat Fiji 22-10, beat Cook Islands 42-20, lost 54-12 to New Zealand in a promotion play-off.
Lebanon	No Test since November 2022. Friendly in October 2025: lost 16-14 to Italy in Sydney.

At the last World Cup PNG beat the Cook Islands and Wales, lost to Tonga and went out 46-6 to England in the quarter-finals. Lebanon beat Ireland and Jamaica, lost to New Zealand and went out 48-4 to Australia in the quarter-finals.

PNG Kumuls Team News

Jason Demetriou named his 23 on 6 October. Rhyse Martin, PNG’s long-serving captain, is expected to lead the side in his last tournament before moving into a football role with the new PNG Chiefs NRL club. Josh Feledy and Luca Moretti are uncapped. Injury has cost PNG Lachlan Lam (wrist), Alex Johnston and Cooper Bai, and Xavier Coates is also out.

Squad: Rhyse Martin, Bailey Biondi-Odo, Jack de Belin, Robert Derby, Dudley Dotoi, Josh Feledy, Finley Glare, Liam Horne, Edwin Ipape, Zev John, Epel Kapinias, Zac Laybutt, Nene Macdonald, Robert Mathias, Morea Morea Jnr, Luca Moretti, Sylvester Namo, Nixon Putt, Valentine Richard, Rodrick Tai, Gairo Voro, Sanny Wabo, Khaiya Waiembi.

Lebanon Cedars Team News

Michael Cheika named his 23 this week. Jacob Kiraz is the headline player, and Manly winger Jason Saab makes his debut after being cleared to play for Lebanon. Mitchell Moses is now in Australia’s squad, and Adam Doueihi misses with a shoulder injury. A captain has not been announced.

Squad: Mohamed Alameddine, Yehya Ayache, Jalal Bazzaz, Alex Conti, Moustafa Dirani, Ibrahim El Labban, Tony Francis, Tupou Francis, Michael Gabrael, Mikael Ibrahim, Jacob Kiraz, Abbas Miski, Brad Morkos, Joseph Nohra, Jaxson Rahme, Khalil Rahme, Khaled Rajab, James Roumanos, Jason Saab, Jordan Samrani, Tony Sukkar, Charbel Tasipale, Alex Twal.

What Is at Stake

PNG are in Pool C and Lebanon in Pool B. The two pools play each other and share one table, and the top two go through to the semi-finals. With England, Tonga and Samoa also on that table, a win here is close to essential for both.

Team	Remaining games
Papua New Guinea	Samoa (Sat 24 Oct, Port Moresby), England (Fri 30 Oct, Wollongong)
Lebanon	Tonga (Fri 23 Oct, CommBank Stadium), France (Sun 1 Nov, CommBank Stadium)

PNG vs Lebanon Betting Markets

• Head to head: the match winner, with golden point extra time if it is level after 80 minutes.
• Line: a points start for the underdog, usually the better market when the head-to-head price is short.
• Winning margin: bands such as 1-12 and 13+.
• Try scorers: first, last and anytime try scorer markets on both squads.
• Same game multi: a result, margin and try scorers in one bet. See our same game multi guide.

Compare prices across our best NRL betting sites, which all price the World Cup.

Papua New Guinea vs Lebanon FAQs

When is PNG vs Lebanon at the Rugby League World Cup?

Saturday 17 October 2026 at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby, kicking off at 3:25pm AEDT, which is 2:25pm local time.

Where can I watch PNG vs Lebanon?

Live and free on Seven and 7plus in Australia.

Who will win PNG vs Lebanon?

Our pick is Papua New Guinea at home, with PNG by 1-12 as the value bet.

Have PNG and Lebanon played before?

No. This is the first Test between the two nations.

More Rugby League World Cup Coverage

• Rugby League World Cup hub: schedule, ladder and tips
• Australia vs New Zealand tips
• Samoa vs France tips
• England vs Tonga tips
• Fiji vs Cook Islands tips
• NRL tips hub
• Women’s Rugby League World Cup
• Rugby League World Cup winners
• The final
• Results and ladder
• Schedule and TV guide
• Squads

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