Wales lead USA 2–1 ahead of their fourth senior meeting
Wales lead USA 2–1 in senior men's rugby league. See all three results, the 2013 World Cup upset and updated venue for the October 2026 match.
Wales lead the United States 2–1 across three completed senior men’s rugby league internationals, with no draws, as of 7 October 2026. Wales won both meetings in Philadelphia in 1995; the USA won their only World Cup encounter, in Wrexham in 2013. The International Rugby League announcement identifies the forthcoming October match as their fourth senior men’s meeting.
That fixture is now scheduled for Saturday 17 October 2026 at The Wern, Merthyr Tydfil, with a 3pm local kick-off—not The Gnoll in Neath, the venue originally announced. Wales Rugby League confirmed the switch on 30 September.
All completed results
This record covers the senior men’s thirteen-a-side national teams, not student, A-team, Masters or wheelchair matches.
| Date | Venue | Result | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 June 1995 | Philadelphia, USA | USA 10–66 Wales | Wales’ preparation for the 1995 World Cup |
| 18 June 1995 | Philadelphia, USA | USA 4–92 Wales | Second meeting of the same trip |
| 3 November 2013 | Wrexham, Wales | Wales 16–24 USA | Rugby League World Cup, Group D |
Dates and scores: Rugby League Project’s match list. The IRL history of the fixture confirms all three scores and the purpose of the 1995 trip.
From those results, Wales have scored 174 points and conceded 38, giving them an aggregate points difference of +136. Their largest winning margin in this head-to-head is 88 points, from the 92–4 victory.
The aggregate needs context: both Welsh wins came a week apart in 1995. The only subsequent completed meeting went to the USA, so the large points advantage is a description of the historical record, not a measure of the teams’ current strength.
The USA’s 2013 World Cup win
The United States won 24–16 on 3 November 2013, eliminating joint hosts Wales from World Cup contention in the group stages. Wales had already lost their opening match to Italy, making this their second successive defeat. The contemporary Guardian report records Christiaan Roets scoring first for Wales before the Americans scored 24 points and the hosts mounted a late rally.
The distinction is straightforward: Wales lead the overall senior men’s record, but the USA lead the World Cup head-to-head 1–0.
What the October 2026 fixture counts for
Although Wales Rugby League’s original announcement describes the match as a friendly, it explicitly says IRL ranking points are at stake. The IRL likewise calls it a sanctioned ranking international. “Friendly” therefore does not mean an unranked exhibition in this case.
The subsequent Wales squad announcement reconfirms The Wern and the 3pm kick-off. It also lists a separate 12.30pm curtain-raiser between Wales A and the Sir Billy Boston Select XIII; that game is not part of the Wales–USA senior head-to-head.
The 17 October international remains a scheduled fixture, not a fourth result. A Wales win would extend their lead to 3–1; a USA win would level the record at 2–2.