The wait is over for England Women’s Rugby League, with head coach Stu Barrow confirming his final 23-player squad for the upcoming co-hosted 2026 World Cup, headlined by the inclusion of Australia-born Jasmin Strange, one of four uncapped players set to potentially make their international debuts on the global stage.
Strange, a 23-year-old second-row forward for the Sydney Roosters, is no stranger to elite rugby league pressure: she is just days out from competing in the NRLW Grand Final against the Brisbane Broncos this Sunday, bringing high-level match fitness into the World Cup setup. Eligible to represent England through her mother Adele, Strange follows in the footsteps of her father John, a former Featherstone Rovers player who now coaches the Roosters women’s side, in plying his trade in the sport.
Strange is joined by three other first-time international hopefuls: Connie Boyd of the Leeds Rhinos, Canterbury Bulldogs utility Hope Millard, and Wigan Warriors’ Lucie Sams. Millard, like Strange, qualifies for England via parentage – her father Shane previously played as a forward for Widnes, Leeds and Wigan. The pair are among five NRLW-based players selected for the tournament, alongside established names including dual-code international Fran Goldthorp, who last represented England at the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, Newcastle Knights stand-off Georgia Roche, and Canberra Raiders forward Hollie-Mae Dodd.
Strange’s inclusion comes on the back of landmark rule changes from the International Rugby League, which relaxed player eligibility rules earlier this year to allow athletes to represent more than one of the three men’s and women’s tier one nations: Australia, New Zealand and England. The rule change sparked widespread speculation that Barrow would look to call up a host of NRLW-based heritage-eligible players, including Sydney Roosters playmaker Jocelyn Kelleher, Canterbury half-back Tayla Preston, and Wests Tigers full-back Caitlin Turnbull. But Barrow made clear his priority remains nurturing homegrown talent, opting to limit his selections to just two Australian-based heritage players this cycle.
The squad also includes every 2025 Woman of Steel nominee – Jenna Foubister, Eva Hunter and Megan Williams – all of whom bring dominant club form with Wigan Warriors into the squad. Six of their Wigan teammates join them in the 23, while 2025 Super League Grand Final winners York Valkyrie are represented by forward Liv Wood. Veteran loose forward Jodie Cunningham, who has confirmed she will retire from international rugby league after the tournament, earns a final selection, alongside St Helens teammate Vicky Whitfield, who will compete at her fourth World Cup.
In comments following the squad announcement, Barrow acknowledged the difficulty of cutting a preliminary 40-player group down to the final matchday roster. “Narrowing our squad from 40 players to a final 23 has involved some difficult decisions, but we believe we have the right balance of experience and youth to compete on the world stage,” he said. “It’s also an exciting moment for the programme with the inclusion of Australian-based heritage players for the first time.”
This year’s tournament marks a historic first, with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair Rugby League World Cups all running concurrently across the Southern Hemisphere. England’s wheelchair squad was confirmed last week, with the men’s final roster set to be announced on 5 October. While the majority of tournament matches will be hosted across Australia, Papua New Guinea will host two men’s and two women’s pool matches for its national teams, and New Zealand will host one pool match for its men’s and women’s sides.
England’s women’s campaign kicks off in Perth on 17 October with a group stage opener against Wales, before facing host nation Australia in Perth seven days later. They wrap up group play against Samoa in Wollongong on 30 October. The top two finishers from the four-team group will advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for 7 and 8 November, with the World Cup final set for 15 November.