Governing Bodies

International Rugby League (IRL)

Also Known As Rugby League International Federation (RLIF)

Citation Formats

General Reference

Sport and Games Atlas. "International Rugby League (IRL)." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://sport.interactiveatlas.org/governing-bodies/international-rugby-league.

APA Style

Sport and Games Atlas. (n.d.). International Rugby League (IRL). Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://sport.interactiveatlas.org/governing-bodies/international-rugby-league

BibTeX

@misc{sportandgamesatlas-international-rugby-league-irl,
  author = {Sport and Games Atlas},
  title = {International Rugby League (IRL)},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://sport.interactiveatlas.org/governing-bodies/international-rugby-league},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football, headquartered in London, England. Its lineage traces to the Rugby League Imperial Board, founded 1927. In 1998 the Super League International Board was disestablished and replaced by the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF). On 14 October 2019 the RLIF board voted to officially change the organization's name to International Rugby League, effective the next day, as part of a rebranding that followed international rugby league's reunification after the Super League war era.

Facts

Body Type

International federation 1

Founded

1927 1

Headquarters

London, England. 1

Founders

The current organization, International Rugby League, was created by a 14 October 2019 rebranding vote of the Rugby League International Federation board; RLIF itself had been formed in 1998 to replace the disestablished Super League International Board, tracing lineage back to the original Rugby League Imperial Board of 1927. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections