France 2025: 13 questions answered about the Rugby League World Cup

France Prime Minister Jean Castex last week confirmed that they will be hosting the 17th Rugby League World Cup in 2025. The announcement was made in Paris, where the confirmation of government support towards a €59m budget has enabled the French rugby league federation to activate their bid. “The rooster you can see on top of the trophy is going to sing again in 2025,” proclaimed Castex.

Why is it being held in France?The tournament had been provisionally promised to the USA only for the promoters behind that bid to collapse following the loss-making England v New Zealand Test in Denver in 2018. Desperate to avoid returning to Australia and New Zealand so soon after 2017, and fulfilling their policy of pursuing G7 markets, IRL chief Troy Grant knew France was the obvious option and provided “enormous potential”. He convinced Luc Lacoste, the president of the French rugby league federation, to take the baton and run.

Why are France saying 2025 will be the biggest World Cup ever?Because it will be. There are four tournaments, an increase of one on this year’s World Cup in England, with the men’s event running alongside women’s, wheelchair and a new Under-19 competitions. Not only that, but all four will have 16 competing teams, meaning there will be 64 teams in France compared to 32 in England this year and just 20 at the previous World Cup in 2017.

Has France hosted the World Cup before?The whole concept of a Rugby League World Cup was first mooted in France in 1934 and came to fruition 20 years later thanks to the visionary secretary of their federation Paul Barriere, 33 years before the first rugby union version. In 1954, a weakened Great Britain side shocked even themselves by winning it at a time when only four