2025 Rugby League World Cup

The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will be the seventeenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup. It is scheduled to be held in October and November 2025 or 2026.

This article is about 2025 Rugby League World Cup. For other uses, see 2025 Rugby League World Cup (disambiguation).
2025 (2025) Rugby League World Cup  ()
Number of teams16
Tournaments
 < 2021
2029 > 

The tournament was originally planned to be held in the United States and Canada,[1][2] who in 2018 withdrew, and was re-awarded to France in 2022.[3][4][5] However, on 15 May 2023, the French organising committee announced that they were withdrawing from hosting the tournament due to lack of support from the newly elected French Government.[6][7][8][9][10]

Beyond the Men's Rugby League World Cup, there will be several other separate World Cups under the tournament umbrella, including the women's, wheelchair and youth competitions. There will be 16 teams playing in each competition.[11][12]

Host selection
Main article: Rugby League World Cup hosts

Host 1: United States and Canada

After the United States lost the 2021 Rugby League World Cup bid to England, International Rugby League (IRL) recommended that the United States and Canada should host the 2025 event after a bid by Moore Sports International.[13] The IRL Congress reviewed that recommendation at a meeting in November 2016.[14] On 20 November, it was announced that the United States and Canada bid had won the rights to host the 2025 World Cup. This would have been the first time the tournament was held outside of Europe and Oceania.[1][2]

On 4 December 2018, plans for the World Cup to be held in North America were scrapped due to financial concerns and that the location of the 2025 Rugby League World Cup would be determined by a new bidding process in 2019.[15]

Host 2: France

In March 2021, it was reported that France is the preferred destination for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[16] France officially lodged a bid later that year, in July.[17]

In January 2022, France won the bid to host the world cup. The official announcement announcing France as the host nation was made on 11 January 2022 by then French prime minister, Jean Castex.[3][4][5]

On 15 May 2023, it was announced that France had pulled out of hosting the tournament, due to financial concerns from the new French government elected in May 2022.[6][7][8][9][10]

Controversy surrounding the withdrawal

Frollowing the withdrawal of France as hosts, organisers and journalists began to criticise the French government on their decision as it was reported that that the French Government were demanding "financial guarantee to cover the risk of losses". Criticism comes from the planned investment of €10,000,000 being dwarfed compared to the money already invested by the French Government into the 2023 Rugby Union World Cup (~€170,000,000[18]) and 2024 Summer Olympics (~€1,500,000,000[19]). Other journalists have also likened the dissociation of rugby league by the French Government to the sport's ban under the Vichy France regime.[20][21]

Host 3: TBD

One day after France's withdrawal, New Zealand announced it was considering a bid to host the tournament in 2026, as well as a bid with potential co-hosts Australia which could be staged in the intended 2025.[22][23] Fiji, Qatar, and South Africa have also expressed interest.[24][25][26][27]

Qualification
Main article: 2025 Rugby League World Cup qualification

Team Method of
qualification		 Date of
qualification		 Total
times
qualified		 Last
time
qualified		 Current
consecutive
appearances		 Previous best
performance
 France Intended Hosts 11 January 2022 17 2021 17 Runners-up (1954, 1968)
 New Zealand 2021 Group C winners 28 October 2022 17 2021 17 Winners (2008)
 England 2021 Group A winners 29 October 2022 8[lower-alpha 1] 2021 8 Runners-up (1975, 1995, 2017)
 Australia 2021 Group B winners 29 October 2022 17 2021 17 Winners (12 times)
 Fiji 2021 Group B runners-up 29 October 2022 7 2021 7 Semi-finals (2008, 2013, 2017)
 Lebanon 2021 Group C runners-up 30 October 2022 4 2021 3 Quarter-finals (2017, 2021)
 Tonga 2021 Group D winners 30 October 2022 7 2021 7 Semi-finals (2017)
 Samoa 2021 Group A runners-up 30 October 2022 7 2021 7 Runners-up (2021)
 Papua New Guinea 2021 Group D runners-up 31 October 2022 9 2021 9 Quarter-finals (2000, 2017, 2021)
 Brazil
 Canada,
 Jamaica, or
 United States		 2023 Americas Rugby League Championship winners 2023
2023 Americas Rugby League Championship runners-up 2023
 Ireland
 Italy,
 Scotland
 Serbia,
 Spain,
 Wales,
 Czech Republic
 Germany,
 Greece,
 Netherlands,
 Norway, or
 Ukraine		 2023 European Championship highest ranked team in each group.[lower-alpha 2] 2023
2023
Playoff winner between 2023 European Championship B highest ranked team in each group and 2023 European Championship second highest ranked team in each group.[lower-alpha 2] 2024
2024
 Cook Islands,
 Ghana,
 Nigeria,
or  South Africa		 Winner of:  Cook Islands vs winner of 2023 MEA Rugby League Cup[lower-alpha 3] 2024

Competitions

Seeing an increase from three in 2021, the 2025 World Cup alongside the primary have three other tournaments occurring simultaneously. Alongside the men's 2025 Rugby League World Cup sits the women's, wheelchair and youth world cups.[12][11]

Notes
  1. Competed as part of Great Britain in nine previous tournaments, finishing as champions on three occasions (1954, 1960, 1972). The squads largely consisted of English players, but also featured Welsh players in every tournament. Scotland (1954, 1968, 1977, 1989–92) and Ireland (1957) were represented by native-born players in some tournaments.
  2. Outside of France and England who have already qualified.
  3. Or runners up if winners are Lebanon who have already qualified

References
  1. "Rugby League World Cup moves to North America in 2025". stuff sport. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  2. "North America to Host 2025 Rugby league World Cup". Canada Rugby League Association. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  3. "France to host 2025 World Cup". National Rugby League. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  4. Shaw, by Matthew (11 January 2022). "French Prime Minister Jean Castex's pride after securing Rugby League World Cup". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  5. "France set to host the 2025 Rugby League World Cups". Asia Pacific Rugby League. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  6. "France pulls out of hosting Rugby League World Cup". BBC Sport. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  7. "France no longer able to host 2025 Rugby League World Cup". seriousaboutrl.com. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. Bower, Aaron (15 May 2023). "2025 Rugby League World Cup in doubt after France pull out of staging event". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  9. "France withdraw from hosting 2025 Rugby League World Cup over financial concerns". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  10. "Confirmed: France will not host 2025 Rugby League World Cup". LoveRugbyLeague. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  11. "'The Rooster is going to sing again': France aiming high for 2025 World Cup". National Rugby League. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  12. "Everything you need to know about the 2025 World Cup in France". 11 January 2022.
  13. "US-Canada set to host Rugby League World Cup in 2025". nzherald.co.nz. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  14. "England to host RLWC2021 – North America recommended for RLWC2025". rlif.com. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  15. Adrian Proszenko (4 December 2018). "US World Cup hosting plans torpedoed by money trouble". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  16. Dave Woods (30 March 2021). "International Rugby League Board planning 2025 World Cup in France". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  17. "France officially to bid to host 2025 Rugby League World Cup | Rugby League Planet". Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  18. "Rugyby - France pads bid to land 2023 World Cup". Reuters. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  19. "Government report sees Paris Olympics 500 million euros over budget". Reuters. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  20. "Sadness and anger as Government slammed for treatment of rugby league". LoveRugbyLeague. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  21. Pattison, Cam (15 May 2023). "Explained: Why France will no longer host 2025 World Cup". Rugby League News. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  22. Hytner, Mike (16 May 2023). "New Zealand makes bid to co-host 2025 Rugby League World Cup with Australia after France pulls out". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  23. "New Zealand keen to host 2025 Rugby League World Cup with Australia after France pull-out". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  24. https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/65621301.amp
  25. https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/the-four-countries-to-have-shown-interest-in-hosting-the-2025-world-cup
  26. https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/2023/may/17/qatar-steps-up-to-join-bidders-for-next-rugby-league-world-cup-in-2025
  27. https://www.totalrl.com/qatar-expresses-an-interest-in-staging-rugby-league-world-cup/


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