Ireland will be looking to maintain bragging rights over Wales and Scotland as the World Cup nations ramp up preparations for RLWC2026 when the Wheelchair Celtic Cup returns to Edinburgh in May

The back-to-back Celtic Cup champions are drawn in the same pool as England, Wales and the United States at RLWC2026, which will again be held alongside the Men’s and Women’s World Cups and staged in Wollongong from October 31 to November 13.

“The Celtic Cup grows in strength, and this year promises to provide three great matches on the back of domestic development in each nation,” Ireland coach Phil Roberts said.

“Our goal for the tournament is to produce two consistent performances with high intensity and skill execution. That is what we have been working to achieve and, if we do that, everything else falls into place.”

Roberts, like his counterparts, will use the May 23 tournament at Edinburgh’s Oriam Performance Centre as preparation for RLWC2026, with Ireland – ranked No.3 in the latest IRL World Rankings behind England and France - aiming for the nation’s first World Cup final.

However, Wales will be keen to demonstrate their improvement on the back of a solid start to World Cup preparations which included two games against the UK Armed Forces.

Caron was delighted by what he saw in the first half of the 42-24 win at Wrexham University, where he primarily played his potential first choice side.

Wales led 42-0 at halftime against a team of Super League players, led by England World Cup winner James Simpson-Hill. Wales A also won the earlier match against the UK Armed Forces.

The seven-time Celtic Cup champions between 2016 and 2023 will now be seeking to lay down a marker against Ireland, in particular, ahead of their November 3 clash at WIN Entertainment Centre in the group stages of the World Cup.

“We understand what it means to wear that red shirt and are determined to represent it with pride,” Wales coach Alan Caron said. “The Celtic Cup is vital in getting us to where we need to be for Australia.”

Scotland are the only nation of the trio who are yet to record a Celtic Cup triumph, but a steady year of growth domestically and with Edinburgh Giants competing in the Wheelchair Super League has given the squad a lift in confidence under head coach Martyn Gill, who is in his second year in charge.

“As we head into our second Celtic Cup together as a group, there’s a real sense of growth around the squad,” Gill said.

“Last year was an important step for us — it gave the players a chance to experience the level, intensity, and standards required in this competition. We learned a lot from that campaign, not just tactically but about ourselves as a team.

“The players have taken those lessons on board, and we saw some improvements when we faced Ireland in the Autumn. This is another opportunity for us to keep building.”

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