Three West Australian players to represent Australia at Cornhole World Cup

Peter Ryan, Tim Sivewright and Liam Murphy are not heading into the World Cup as tourists. The three West Australians will carry Australia into a 16-country field in September, and the line between a respectable showing and a true breakthrough is clear: beat the sport’s established powers, and especially make the United States uncomfortable while it chases a fourth straight title.

For Ryan, the jump has been rapid. What started as a weekly Friday-night backyard game with a few beers among friends has taken him all the way to Croatia, where Australia made its first appearance at the Cornhole World Cup in 2025. That debut came with a six-player squad spread across Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria. The next step is bigger than simply turning up again. A podium finish, or a run that puts Australia in the late rounds against the American standard-bearers, would give the program a result worth building around.

The rise in Western Australia has been fuelled by more than good timing. It has tracked with the formation of the Australian Cornhole Federation, while Perth-based TP Cornhole has produced more than 500 sets after its founders first made their own boards and bags because there was so little available in WA. That kind of homegrown supply tells its own story: the sport has gone from improvisation to production, and from backyard sessions to international selection.

Australia’s cornhole scene now has the scaffolding to match the ambition. The Australian Cornhole Association, which describes itself as the governing body for cornhole in Australia, says a league can be started with a minimum of four players and that it can host national and international tournaments virtually through Facebook Live. The game itself has been formalised as well. The World Series of Cornhole says singles are played to 21 points, and regulation boards measure 47.75 to 48 inches long and 23.75 to 24 inches wide.

That is the point of this World Cup trip for Western Australia’s three representatives. It is not just about showing Australia can field a team. It is about proving the country belongs in a sport where the margins are measured in points, inches and nerve.