The Rugby League World Cup is just one year away and with the Ashes over and done with, eyes are now turning to that tournament.
Australia and Papua New Guinea will host the tournament, with a majority of the games being played in Australia. That includes the final, which will be held at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Of course, England will be one of the 10 nations competing in the tournament and over the next few weeks, schedules and the draw will be released. There’s still plenty to be confirmed in the England camp after such a disappointing series against the Kangaroos, such as who will be the man at the helm, but next autumn’s World Cup is certainly something for fans and players to look forward to.
With that in mind, here’s what we know so far about the tournament.
Which teams have qualified?
The eight quarter-finalists from the 2021 World Cup all guaranteed themselves a spot in the 2026 competition. That means New Zealand, England, Australia, Fiji, Lebanon, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea all confirmed their spots in October 2022.
With next year’s tournament being a 10-team competition, the other two spots were filled by a qualification process. France, who were supposed to be holding the tournament before they withdrew, booked their spot by beating Jamaica last month and Cook Islands claimed the final spot with a win over South Africa on Sunday morning.
When does it get underway?
The opening game of the Men’s World Cup will take place on October 15, with Australia due to take on New Zealand at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney. That news was confirmed by Seven, the broadcaster who have secured the rights down under.
The final is due to be played on November 15, and with the exception of the Thursday opener, games are expected to be played on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
When is the draw?
A draw will be released later this month, with an exact date being unconfirmed at the time of writing. The NRL authorities have reportedly been handed full control of the draw by International Rugby League.
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What will be the format?
Well, according to reports, the 10 teams will split into three groups (one group of four and two of three). The winners of each group will progress to a semi-final, with the second placed team from the group of four also progressing.
Given they are due to face each other on the opening night of the tournament, Australia and New Zealand look set to be in the same group.
According to AAP, Samoa and Tonga will take on each other in the group stage, too. However, due to the format of the tournament, that likely means they will be drawn into different groups.
In order to play out three group stage games, the three teams in Group B will play the three teams from Group C. With no quarter-finals, only the winner of each group will progress.
What about the Women’s World Cup?
The Women’s World Cup appears to be a lot more straightforward with just eight teams competing. Australia, England, New Zealand, PNG, Wales, France, Samoa and Fiji will be the eight teams battling it out. Further information about the women’s competition is yet to be released
And the Wheelchair World Cup?
The same can be said for the Wheelchair competition, with the eight teams being: Australia, England, France, Wales, USA, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland.
