How do you watch Rugby League in Papua New Guinea
Rugby League is a HUGE deal in PNG, which means that watching Rugby League in Papua New Guinea is truly one of the best things you can do in the country.
This is though Papua New Guinea, so obviously it comes with its own set of dangers and annoyances.
Click to read about being a nomad in POM.
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Rugby League in Papua New Guinea
The main national men’s competition is the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup, which is basically the top level of domestic Rugby League in Papua New Guinea. It is a genuinely national competition, with teams coming from all over the country and games being played in places like Port Moresby, Lae, Goroka, Mendi, Wabag and Rabaul.
The 2026 competition has 12 teams, with 18 regular season rounds before the top six progress to the finals. The finals are then played over several weeks, eventually producing the two teams who meet in the Grand Final.
This means that generally the seasonal games take place at the regional stadiums, but the finals are concentrated at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby, where you can get multiple matches in a day.
Watching the Matches in Port Moresby
So, here is how the finals work! The top six teams make the finals, but unlike a straight knockout tournament, where you lose and go home, the top two get a massive advantage.
It works like this:
• 1st and 2nd: Get a week off and go straight into the semi finals.
• 3rd vs 6th: Elimination final. Loser is out, winner goes to the semi finals.
• 4th vs 5th: Elimination final. Loser is out, winner goes to the semi finals.
The two winners then play the teams that finished 1st and 2nd.
• 1st vs winner of 4th vs 5th
• 2nd vs winner of 3rd vs 6th
The winners of those two games go straight through to the Grand Final. The losers are not quite fucked yet though, as they get one final chance in the preliminary final.
• Preliminary Final: The two losing semi final teams play each other. Winner goes to the Grand Final, loser is out.
• Grand Final: The two remaining teams play for the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup.
So, from six teams you eventually get down to two, with the team finishing first having potentially only two games to win the whole bloody thing, while the team finishing sixth has to win four.
This means you get triple-header games, so yeah, three matches in one day. The current 2026 finals tickets are:
East Stand: K20 / US$5
Grandstand: K50 / US$12
The current Tiket Mastas listings put the finals ticket range at K20 to K50, depending on where you sit.
I basically got my ticket because the owner of the Gurias literally messaged me on TikTok and offered me tickets. Obviously this is not a usual option for most people. From what I can gather though, you don’t just get them on the gate and need to book in advance.
Tickets can be gotten through Tiket Mastas, which is the official ticketing partner for the Santos National Football Stadium.
Ambience and the Grand Final
Papua New Guinea is still very much a tribal society, with Rugby League now taking over from actual fighting. This means that on the days where there are multiple finals, people from all over PNG come along and it can get insane. There’s singing, there’s shaking trees, passion and sometimes violence.
Yeah, people die at Rugby matches in PNG, both live and even just when the State of Origin is on. So, is it safe to watch Rugby League in Papua New Guinea? Well, there is security during the finals, which seems to be decent enough. I would though not go alone, nor would I want to leave a vehicle outside.
Therefore make sure you get not just a ticket, but importantly a vehicle pass. I would not walk around the Santos National Football Stadium area unless you want to get robbed.
I shall be back for the Grand Final, ideally with the Gurias making it.