International Rugby League records massive interest in France World Cup 2025

The International Rugby League (IRL) board has revealed the massive interest for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup held in France.

At its meeting this week, the board recorded that a total of 84 expressions of interest have been received for the women’s, wheelchair and youth competitions. 

The 2025 tournament will feature four competitions with 16 teams competing in each. The qualification process for the men’s competition has already begun with the European Championship D competition, which was held in Turkey last year. It will continue through 2022, in Colombia and Ghana, 2023, and possibly into 2024 (depending on results from RLWC2021 later this year).

All members were invited to express their interest in participating in the three remaining competitions (with observer members eligible only for the wheelchair event) and positive responses were received from 31 nations for the women’s competition (compared to 16 for England 2021), 24 for the wheelchair (compared to 10) and 29 for the youth competition.

The qualification process for the women’s competition will be designed to qualify three Americas countries, six from each of Asia Pacific and Europe and one from Middle East Africa. The eight nations competing at RLWC2021 will automatically qualify (subject to meeting certain development guidelines designed to boost the growth of women’s rugby league).

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Julia Lee, chair of the IRL Women and Girl’s Advisory Group (WGAG) commented: “This is further proof of the march of women’s sport and rugby league in particular. The level and spread of interest is remarkable. Each expression of interest has come from a member with an existing women’s programme in place.