Bingham Cup 2026 players are already touching down in Australia.
The first players have started arriving in Brisbane, with more and more teammates and supporters joining them everyday, from all around the world.
After two years of anticipation, Bingham Cup 2026 is almost here, with the opening matches getting under way on Thursday 20 August.
Brisbane Hustlers RUFC are our hosts.
It’s the first Bingham Cup staged in Brisbane, with the tournament returning to Australia for the first time since Sydney hosted in 2014. Four exciting days of tournament rugby run from Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 August, culminating in Finals Day on Sunday, with celebratory social events planned to top and tail this global gathering.
QNews caught up with some of the early arrivals, including players from Amsterdam Lowlanders RC, Les Gaillards Paris Rugby Club and Seattle Quake RFC.
Read the full QNews article here: Game on! Bingham Cup players start arriving Down Under.
The biggest stage in inclusive rugby
The first Bingham Cup was held in San Francisco in 2002. The tournament is named in memory of Mark Bingham, a rugby player with San Francisco Fog who was among the heroic passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on 11 September 2001.
Since then, the Bingham Cup has brought inclusive rugby clubs together from around the world every two years, combining  competitive rugby with the international community spirit that has grown around IGR and its clubs.
The Bingham Cup and Amanda Mark Cup will both be contested in Brisbane, with teams competing across different levels throughout the tournament.
The champions arrive in Brisbane
Les Gaillards Paris Rugby Club arrive as defending Bingham Cup champions following their victory at Bingham Cup Rome 2024.
Amsterdam Lowlanders RC also head to Brisbane as defending Amanda Mark Cup champions following their success in Rome.
Other clubs arrive with recent tournament success behind them. Emerald Warriors RFC won the 2025 Union Cup in Oslo, while hosts Brisbane Hustlers won the 2025 Purchas Cup in Auckland.
They will be joined by clubs travelling from across the IGR community, bringing players and supporters together in Brisbane for four days of international inclusive rugby.
From around the world to Brisbane
The two years since Bingham Cup Rome 2024 have seen IGR clubs meet through competitions in different parts of the world, including the Union Cup in Europe, the NorAm Cup in North America and the Purchas Cup in Australasia, alongside other leagues, tournaments and fixtures involving IGR clubs.
Bingham Cup brings those different parts of the IGR community together in one place. Clubs that ordinarily play their rugby thousands of miles apart will share the same tournament, while players and supporters reconnect with friends from previous Bingham Cups and other IGR events.
Tournament week in Brisbane
- Sunday 16 August: Tournament Draw at The Wickham
- Wednesday 19 August: IGR AGM at the University of Queensland, followed by the Opening Ceremony at the UQ Centre
- Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 August: tournament rugby in Brisbane
- Sunday 23 August: Finals Day, followed by the Closing Ceremony at Fortitude Music Hall
Follow Bingham Cup 2026
Can’t get to Brisbane? You can still follow the tournament as it unfolds. Rugby Xplorer is the official Bingham Cup 2026 app, bringing fixtures, results and live match information together in one place.
You can also explore the full Bingham Cup 2026 programme and visit the official Bingham Cup Brisbane 2026 website. For more on the social events, ceremonies and everything happening around the rugby, see the QNews guide to Bingham Cup week.
And if Bingham Cup inspires you to get involved, find an IGR club and discover inclusive rugby in your part of the world.
Brisbane is ready. The teams are arriving. Bingham Cup 2026 is almost here.
#IGRugby #InclusiveRugby #BinghamCup #BinghamCup2026 #AmandaMarkCup #RugbyForAll
