2025 Rugby League World Cup
The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will be the seventeenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and will be held in France in October and November 2025. Beyond the 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 the men's, as well as 16 teams playing in the women's, youth (Under-19 men) and wheelchair umbrella competitions.[1]
| 2025 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Host country |  France |
Host selection
After the U.S. lost the 2021 Rugby League World Cup bid to England, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) recommended that the United States and Canada should host the 2025 event after an impressive bid by Moore Sports International.[2] The RLIF Congress reviewed that recommendation at a meeting in November 2016.[3] On 20 November, it was announced that the North America 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.[4]
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.[5]
In March 2021, it was reported that France is the preferred destination for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[6] France officially lodged a bid later that year, in July.[7]
In January 2022, France won the bid to host the world cup.[8] The official announcement announcing France as the host nation was made on 11 January 2022 by French prime minister, Jean Castex. It is intended that the tournament will be played at 40 cities across France during October and November 2025.[9]
Qualification
| Team | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Total times qualified |
Last time qualified |
Current consecutive appearances |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France |
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) |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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.svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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 |
Venues
38 cities have bid to host matches of the four major tournament of the World Cup. These are:[10]
Albi, Arras, Autun, Beauvais, Blagnac, Begles, Besancon, Biganos, Bordeaux, Boulazac, Carcassonne, Chambery, Chatillon, Issoire, Le Creusot, Le Mans, Libourne, Limoges, Limoux, Lourdes, Marmande-Tonneins, Martigues, Massy, Montauban, Montlucon; Narbonne, Nice, Paris, Periguex, Perpignan, Pia, Roanne, Salon-de-Provence, Toulouse, Trelissac, Vannes, Vichy, Villefrance-de-Rouergue, Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
It is expected that Paris, Toulouse and Marseille will host the final and semi-finals of the men's tournament.[11]
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.[11]
Notes
- 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.
- Outside of France and England who have already qualified.
- Or runners up if winners are Lebanon who have already qualified
References
- "'The Rooster is going to sing again': France aiming high for 2025 World Cup". National Rugby League. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- "US-Canada set to host Rugby League World Cup in 2025". nzherald.co.nz. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- "England to host RLWC2021 – North America recommended for RLWC2025". rlif.com. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- "Rugby League World Cup moves to North America in 2025". stuff sport. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- Adrian Proszenko (4 December 2018). "US World Cup hosting plans torpedoed by money trouble". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- Dave Woods (30 March 2021). "International Rugby League Board planning 2025 World Cup in France". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- "France officially to bid to host 2025 Rugby League World Cup | Rugby League Planet". Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- "France to host 2025 World Cup". National Rugby League. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- "France to host 2025 Rugby League World Cup 71 years after hosting sport's first showpiece in 1954". Sky Sports. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- "Rugby League World Cup news: 38 towns and cities bid to host at France 2025". 11 January 2022.
- "Everything you need to know about the 2025 World Cup in France". 11 January 2022.