The Tongan rugby league team began competing in earnest after the 1986 Pacific Cup was co-hosted in the country. The national team, known as "Mate Ma'a Tonga", gained greater exposure after playing against many of their Pacific rivals, and rugby league is now one of the country's most popular sports.
Tonga are increasingly one of the highest-ranked rugby league sides in the world; they have won 2 Pacific Cups, and reached the semifinals of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. They are also well-known for their pre-match war cry, the Sipi Tau.
