The Koori Knockout is back for another huge year, and 2026 promises to be one of the biggest editions yet. Officially known as the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout, the carnival is heading to Worimi Country in the Hunter region, with the Newcastle Yowies hosting the tournament after their triumphant 2025 campaign in Tamworth. Whether you’re a lifelong supporter planning to make the trip, or a fan who wants to follow every try, tackle, and grand final moment from home, here’s everything you need to know about watching, streaming, and tracking scores at the 2026 Knockout.
What Is the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout?
Since its birth in 1971, the Koori Knockout has grown from a modest gathering of Aboriginal footballers into one of the largest Indigenous cultural and sporting events in the country. What began as a way to give overlooked Aboriginal talent a stage to shine has evolved into a four-day carnival that draws tens of thousands of spectators, hundreds of teams, and generations of families back together every October long weekend.
It’s often described as a “modern-day corroboree” — a title that captures what the Knockout really is. Yes, it’s a rugby league competition, with men’s, women’s, and junior divisions battling it out across dozens of fields simultaneously. But it’s also a reunion. Communities from across New South Wales — from the far west to the coast, from the Northern Rivers to the Riverina — travel enormous distances to compete, camp together, cook together, and celebrate culture, identity, and connection to Country. Elite NRL and NRLW players regularly return to play for their community sides, giving grassroots talent the chance to share a field with the stars they grew up watching.
The winning men’s club traditionally earns the right to host the following year’s carnival, which is exactly how the 2026 tournament ended up on Worimi Country.
When and Where Is the 2026 Knockout?
The 2026 NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout will run across four days from Friday, 2 October to Monday, 5 October 2026, coinciding with the NSW October long weekend. The carnival will be staged at Kings Park Sporting Complex in Raymond Terrace, within the Port Stephens local government area on Worimi Country in the Hunter region.
The host club, the Newcastle Yowies, secured hosting rights after a dominant showing at the 2025 carnival in Tamworth, where four of their teams — men’s, women’s, Under-15s girls, and Under-17s girls — all claimed grand final trophies. The men’s side edged out the Bourke Warriors 25-24 in a nail-biting decider, while the women’s team recorded a shutout win over the Wiradjuri Aboriginal Rivers.
Organisers chose Kings Park over the traditional Lakeside Sporting Complex venue in Raymond Terrace because of its larger, flatter grounds, which will be needed to accommodate what’s shaping up to be a massive field of entrants. Newcastle Yowies president Warren Schillings has said organisers are expecting somewhere between 190 and 200 teams across the men’s, women’s, and junior grades, with local authorities bracing for daily crowds that could reach into the tens of thousands. Port Stephens Council has been working alongside the Yowies to prepare local infrastructure, accommodation, and traffic management for the influx of visitors, many of whom will also spend time and money in nearby Newcastle and Maitland over the long weekend.
How to Watch the 2026 Koori Knockout Live
For those who can’t make the trip to Raymond Terrace, the good news is that the Knockout has increasingly become a broadcast event in its own right, reflecting just how much interest it draws from outside the communities directly involved. In recent years, the carnival has been covered through a mix of:
- Free-to-air and streaming coverage, with NITV and SBS On Demand historically providing highlights, features, and in some years live or near-live coverage of marquee games such as the men’s and women’s grand finals.
- Official social media channels, including the Koori Knockout’s own Facebook and Instagram pages, which typically run live crosses, score updates, and behind-the-scenes content across all four days.
- Host club and community broadcasts, where local clubs, radio stations, and independent creators stream individual games from the sidelines, particularly from marquee fields where the bigger clubs are playing.
- News outlet live blogs and wraps, with regional NSW mastheads and national Indigenous media publishing rolling updates, photo galleries, and match reports throughout the weekend.
Because the 2026 broadcast arrangements had not yet been finalised as of the venue announcement, the safest approach is to keep an eye on the official Koori Knockout Facebook page and the Newcastle Yowies’ own channels in the weeks leading into October. Broadcast partners, streaming platforms, and any pay-per-view or dedicated app coverage tend to be confirmed closer to the event, once the draw and field list are locked in. If you’re specifically chasing live streaming of individual pool games rather than just the finals, community-run streams from the sideline are usually your best bet — these tend to pop up organically once the carnival begins, shared and re-shared through Aboriginal community networks and rugby league Facebook groups.
For anyone planning to attend in person, Kings Park’s location near where the Hunter and Williams rivers meet makes it an accessible spot from Newcastle, the Central Coast, and the broader Hunter Valley, with organisers flagging plenty of open ground for spectators alongside the playing fields.
Following Results and Scores
With up to 200 teams expected across men’s, women’s, and junior divisions, the Knockout runs as a rapid-fire knockout format across dozens of games each day — hence the name. Pools are typically drawn a matter of weeks before the carnival, once final team registrations are locked in, so a detailed 2026 draw won’t be published until much closer to the October long weekend.
Once the tournament is underway, the best places to track live results and scores generally include:
- The official Koori Knockout Facebook page, which posts draws, pool results, and finals scores as they happen.
- Host club updates from the Newcastle Yowies, who as the organising club will likely post schedules and results throughout the carnival.
- Regional NSW news sites, including outlets covering the Hunter and Port Stephens region, which typically run live scoring wraps and next-day match reports.
- Word of mouth and community group chats, which remain, honestly, one of the fastest ways scores travel around the grounds during the weekend itself.
If the 2025 carnival is any guide, expect finals day to be the highlight for anyone following remotely. Last year’s decider was decided by a single point, with the Newcastle Yowies overturning a deficit against the Bourke Warriors to win 25-24 — the kind of finish that summed up why so many fans tune in even when they can’t be there in person.
What to Expect from the 2026 Field
As defending champions across four grades, the Newcastle Yowies will head into their home tournament as one of the sides to beat, chasing back-to-back men’s titles for the first time since their 2012 and 2013 wins — both of which also came while the carnival was staged at Raymond Terrace. That history has organisers and supporters wondering whether the Yowies can repeat the feat on home turf in front of what’s expected to be a partisan crowd.
They won’t have it easy. The Bourke Warriors, who fell agonisingly short in the 2025 men’s final, will be looking to go one better after also making the semi-finals in the all-western battle with Walgett Aboriginal Connection last year. Traditional powerhouse clubs from across the state — including sides from the Northern Rivers, the Riverina, the Far West, and the South Coast — are expected to field strong men’s, women’s, and junior teams once again, continuing rivalries that in some cases stretch back decades.
Beyond the results themselves, part of the appeal of following the Knockout is watching current and recently retired NRL and NRLW talent turn out for their home communities. It’s not unusual to see players who spent the season in the NRL trading in their club colours for their community jersey, reminding everyone that the Knockout’s roots as a pathway and a celebration of talent are just as strong today as they were in 1971.
Cultural Significance Beyond the Scoreboard
While scores and live streams are what most visiting fans are chasing, it’s worth remembering that the Knockout is about far more than results. NSW Aboriginal Land Council chair Raymond Kelly has described the event as a celebration of identity, kinship, and community that has helped forge lifelong friendships and bonds well beyond the football field. For many families, the long weekend doubles as an annual reunion — an opportunity to reconnect with relatives and friends from communities scattered right across New South Wales, share stories, and pass culture down to the next generation of players and supporters.
Local businesses, tourism bodies, and mining and resource companies operating in the regions the Knockout has visited in recent years have also become increasingly involved as sponsors, recognising both the scale of the event and its importance to Aboriginal communities. For Port Stephens and the wider Hunter region, hosting the 2026 carnival is being framed as both a cultural honour and a significant boost for local tourism and small business over the long weekend.
Quick Facts: 2026 Koori Knockout
- Dates: Friday 2 October – Monday 5 October 2026
- Venue: Kings Park Sporting Complex, Raymond Terrace
- Region: Worimi Country, Port Stephens, Hunter region NSW
- Host club: Newcastle Yowies
- Defending men’s champions: Newcastle Yowies
- Expected field: Around 190–200 teams across men’s, women’s, and junior grades
- Expected daily attendance: Up to 10,000 spectators per day
Final Thoughts
The 2026 NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout is shaping up to be another massive chapter in the carnival’s more than 50-year history, bringing statewide rivalries, elite talent, and one of the country’s biggest Indigenous cultural gatherings to Raymond Terrace. Whether you’re heading to Kings Park in person or following along through streams, social media, and live score updates from wherever you are, the best strategy is simple: lock in the October long weekend, follow the official Koori Knockout and Newcastle Yowies channels for broadcast and draw announcements as they’re confirmed, and get ready for four days of fast, tough, and unforgettable footy.
