2021 Rugby League World Cup
| 2021 World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Host country |
 England |
| Matches played | 31 |
The 2021 Rugby League World Cup will be the sixteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup. The tournament will include 16 teams, an increase of two from the last two tournaments.[1]
On 27 October 2016, it was confirmed that England won the hosting rights for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[2]
Host selection
There were initially three bids World Cup for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup but the United Arab Emirates bid[3] had to be cancelled due to the arrest of Sol Mokdad following a complaint from UAE rugby union officials.[4]
England, and the United States and Canada were the two remaining bidders of the event. The English RFL received U.K. government support - £15 million to enhance the tournament and up to a further £10 million into the game's infrastructure - for the event to be staged in the country. The RFL mentioned they wanted the event to be the most attended in history with over 1,000,000 people attending the grounds over the tournament’s days. They were also planning to use 12 venues for the event which included non-purpose and rugby league-purpose stadiums.[5]
The United States and Canada bid was initially a sole United States bid from an Australian sports marketing agency, Moore Sports International (MSI). Jason Moore of MSI stated that rugby league has a strong following in several US markets and that fans new to rugby league and "who have a hunger for gladiatorial-style sports are going to fall in love with this extraordinary game".[6] Eight to ten cities, featuring venues from either the NFL or MLS, were planned for the event, offering Rugby League International Federation the opportunity to stage the tournament outside of Europe and Australasia for the first time.[7] Canada Rugby League later announced they wanted to be a part of the United States bid stating that the cities of Vancouver and Toronto could also potentially host matches.[8]
On 27 October 2016, RLIF announced that England had won hosting rights for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[9] To avoid a conflict of interest, RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood, who is chairman of the RLIF, and RFL Chairman Brian Barwick, a fellow RLIF board member, did not take part in the decision-making process.[10]
Teams
| Country | Qualified as | Qualification date | Previous appearances in tournament | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England |
Hosts | 27 October 2016 | 6 (1975, 1995, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2017) | Europe |
Venues
There are initially 15 venues shortlisted which will be finalised to 12 for the tournament.[11]
| London | Manchester | London | Manchester | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wembley Stadium | Old Trafford | Olympic Stadium | Etihad Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 90,000 | Capacity: 75,700 | Capacity: 60,045 | Capacity: 60,000 | ||
 |
 |
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 | ||
| Liverpool | 
2021 Rugby League World Cup (England) |
Newcastle | |||
| Anfield | St James' Park | ||||
| Capacity: 54,074 | Capacity: 52,405 | ||||
 |
 | ||||
| Coventry | Sheffield | ||||
| Ricoh Arena | Brammall Lane | ||||
| Capacity: 32,609 | Capacity: 32,600 | ||||
 |
 | ||||
| Hull | Wigan | ||||
| KCOM Stadium | DW Stadium | ||||
| Capacity: 25,586 | Capacity: 25,138 | ||||
 |
.jpg) | ||||
| Huddersfield | Leeds | St Helens | Doncaster | Warrington | |
| John Smith's Stadium | Headingley Stadium | Langtree Park | Keepmoat Stadium | Halliwell Jones Stadium | |
| Capacity: 24,500 | Capacity: 21,062 | Capacity: 18,000 | Capacity: 15,231 | Capacity: 15,200 | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
.jpg) | |
References
- ↑ "Rugby League World Cup to feature 16 teams in 2021". skySports. 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2016-09-11.
- ↑ "Rugby League World Cup 2021: England chosen as hosts ahead of US & Canada". BBC. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ↑ "UAE plans bid to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup". skySports. 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
- ↑ "Sol Mokdad issues public apology to UAE Rugby Federation to end criminal proceedings against him". TheNational. 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
- ↑ "England to bid for 2021 Rugby League World Cup". skySports. 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ↑ Caldwell, Dave (2016-08-01). "Plan Seeks to Aid Rugby's Growth With a Global Event on U.S. Soil". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
- ↑ "USA submit bid to host 2021 Rugby League World Cup". nzherald.co.nz. 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
- ↑ "Vancouver — and Canada — aiming to be part of 2021 Rugby League World Cup bid". TheProvince. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
- ↑ "England to host RLWC2021 - North America recommended for RLWC2025". rlif.com. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
- ↑ "England beat USA to host Rugby League World Cup in 2021". www.dailymail.uk.co. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
- ↑ "RLWC England 2021: The Stadiums". 18th MAN. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.