The Official Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) World Rankings are calculated on each nation’s performance over the current season and the four preceding seasons.  Points are awarded to each team for each match based on:

• The result of the match i.e. win, lose or draw
• The margin of victory (or defeat)
• The relative strength of opposition faced
• The date of the match – more recent matches are weighted more heavily
• The importance of the match e.g. a World Cup match is given greater weighting than a standalone international.

The points are then used to create the Official World Rankings by ordering the teams by virtue of the points gained over the five season period.

Only matches played at senior level between two approved members are considered as part of the rankings. 

The World Rankings are automatically updated on the first day of every month. If that falls in the middle of an international series, the update will occur immediately following the series.