History makers: Bulikula qualify for 2026 World Cup
“I can’t be any more prouder of the girls who are here today and the nations who have taken part in this World Series. I think it is a credit and a statement to the growth of the game across the globe.”
Monday 27 October 2025 | 22:30
The Fiji Bulikula team have qualified for their first their first Rugby League World Cup which will be co-hosted by Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Photo: FNRL
The Fiji Bulikula have created history after qualifying for their first Rugby League World Cup.
They have secured the eighth and final women’s berth with a 62-4 win over Nigeria in the final of IRL (International Rugby League) Women’s World Series at Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton, Ontario yesterday.
Speaking to IRL Media after the win, head coach Josaia Rabele Dakuitoga said the Bulikula’s qualification for next year’s World Cup would be a boost for all women’s sport in Fiji.
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He said this was a big achievement given the disruption of the development programme which began in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme restarted in 2023.
“I am so emotional, it has been a journey for the past few years and to be here and to qualify for the World Cup I can’t believe it,” Dakuitoga told IRL.
“To be here in 2025 and to qualify for the World Cup it is a big boost for the sport of women’s rugby league in Fiji and I think all over for the world.
“We want to promote gender equality in Fiji, and we have especially tried to lift the standard of women’s sport in Fiji, not only rugby league.
“If the men can compete in the World Cup, why not the women. We are so blessed to be part of the 2026 World Cup.”
The Bulikula squad that travelled to Canada for the World Series included four players from the Fiji National Rugby League’s Rise Rookie programme. They are Amy Lavenia Peters, Asenaca Diranuve, Salote Botei Sukakinamena and Vasemaca Duva.
Despite losing NRLW stars Talei Holmes, Taine Naividi and Losana Lutu before the tournament, the Bulikula managed to post a 48-0 win over Canada in the semi-final and conceded just one try in the first half against Nigeria.
“To be here in 2025 and to qualify for the World Cup it is a big boost for the sport of women’s rugby league in Fiji and I think all over for the world."
Josaia Rabele Dakuitoga
Captain Cassie Staples scored four tries in the final while prop Leilani Asham, who plays for the Newcastle Knights, finished with a hat-trick.
Staples praised the growth of the game in Fiji and also paid tribute to the efforts of Nigeria and the other teams at the World Series – Canada and Ireland.
“I am a bit lost for words but incredibly proud of the group we have got today and where the programme is heading in Fiji,” Staples said.
“Nigeria were extremely physical so they gave us a run for our money in terms of physicality out on the field. They are not a light side, and I look forward to the growth of their program as well and the development of rugby league in their country.
Fiji will join Australia, New Zealand, England, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, France and Wales as the eight women’s teams contesting RLWC26 in Australia and PNG at the end of next season.
“Rugby league is growing across the globe, and we are seeing that here with the connections on and off the field,” Staples said.
“I can’t be any more prouder of the girls who are here today and the nations who have taken part in this World Series. I think it is a credit and a statement to the growth of the game across the globe.”
Meanwhile, the 2026 RLWC will be co-hosted by Australia and Papua New Guinea.
