Wikiwand AI

2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification

International football competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification was the qualifying process which will decide the 8 teams that would join the 8 quarter-finalists from the 2017 World Cup including the hosts England, who received an automatic spot, at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The process commenced in June 2018, with the commencement of the 2018–19 Rugby League European Championship C tournament, which acted as the first round for European qualification.

DatesJune 2018 – November 2019
Teams20 (from 4 confederations)
Quick facts Tournament details, Dates ...
2021 World Cup qualification
Tournament details
DatesJune 2018 – November 2019
Teams20 (from 4 confederations)
← 2017
2026 →
Close

Background

In October 2016, England was announced as the host the tournament, granting them automatic qualification.[1]

In March 2017, the RLIF confirmed that the 8 quarter-finalists from the 2017 World Cup would receive automatic qualification to the 2021 tournament, along with details of how many slots each region will be allocated: "Seven teams will be qualified from Europe, six from the Asia-Pacific, two from the Americas, and one from a play-off series hosted in Middle East/Africa."[2] Because Lebanon gained automatic qualification, a repechage play-off between the 2nd placed Middle East/Africa team (behind Lebanon), 2nd placed Americas team (behind the Americas qualifying team), and the 7th placed Asia-Pacific team (behind the 6 auto qualifiers) will take place instead of qualifying 2 Americas teams.

The RLIF requires participating nations to hold full or affiliate level membership.[3] The Netherlands are the only such nation that opted to not participate.

Qualified teams

More information Team, Method of qualification ...
Team Method of
qualification		 Date of
qualification		 Total
times
qualified		 Last
time
qualified		 Current
consecutive
appearances		 Previous best
performance
 England Hosts 27 October 2016 7[a] 2017 7 Runners-up (1975, 1995, 2017)
 Fiji 2017 Group D winners 10 November 2017 6 2017 6 Semi-finals (2008, 2013, 2017)
 Tonga 2017 Group B winners 11 November 2017 6 2017 6 Semi-finals (2017)
 New Zealand 2017 Group B runners-up 11 November 2017 16 2017 16 Winners (2008)
 Samoa 2017 Group B third place 11 November 2017 6 2017 6 Quarter-finals (2000, 2013, 2017)
 Australia 2017 Group A winners 11 November 2017 16 2017 16 Winners (11 times)
 Lebanon 2017 Group A third place 11 November 2017 3 2017 2 Quarter-finals (2017)
 Papua New Guinea 2017 Group C winners 12 November 2017 8 2017 8 Quarter-finals (2000, 2017)
 France Europe second round winners 11 November 2018 16 2017 16 Runners-up (1954, 1968)
 Wales Europe second round runners-up 11 November 2018 6[a] 2017 3 Semi-finals (1995, 2000)
 Jamaica Americas Championship winners 17 November 2018 1 – 1 –
 Ireland Europe third round Group A winners 9 November 2019 5[a] 2017 5 Quarter-finals (2000, 2008)
 Italy Europe third round Group A runners-up 9 November 2019 3 2017 3 Group stage (2013, 2017)
 Scotland Europe third round Group B winners 9 November 2019 5[a] 2017 5 Quarter-finals (2013)
 Greece Europe third round Group B runners-up 9 November 2019 1 – 1 –
 Cook Islands Inter-regional repechage winners 16 November 2019 3 2013 1 Group stage (2000, 2013)
Close
Notes
  1. [a]
    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.

Europe

England were the only European team to have been guaranteed qualification as they are hosting the tournament. France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales all failed to reach the quarter finals of the 2017 World Cup. With the World Cup expanding to 16 teams in 2021, one extra European slot was available in comparison to the 2017 tournament.

The qualification structure is as follows:[4]

  • First round: 4 teams, who are the top-ranked teams in Europe excluding England, play in round-robin matches for the 2018 European Championship. The winners and runners-up qualify for the World Cup, with third and fourth place advancing to the third round.
  • Second round: 6 teams divided into two pools of three teams play round-robin matches with the winners and runners-up of each pool qualifying for the World Cup.

First round

Main article: 2018 Rugby League European Championship

The 2018 European Championship acted as the first round of European qualification for the 2021 World Cup and automatically qualified 2 teams to the World Cup; France and Wales. The bottom two nations; Ireland and Scotland, became the top seeds in the third round.[5][6]

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  France 3 3 0 0 106 38 +68 6 Qualification for 2021 Rugby League World Cup
2  Wales 3 2 0 1 108 74 +34 4
3  Ireland 3 1 0 2 54 74 −20 2 Advance to Europe Repêchage for 2021 World Cup qualification
4  Scotland 3 0 0 3 32 114 −82 0
Close
Source: ERL
27 October 2018
14:00 IST (UTC+01:00)
More information Ireland, 36−10 ...
Ireland  36−10  Scotland
Tries: Higginson (2), Bentley, McCarthy, McMahon, O'Donnell, Ryan
Goals: Finn (4/7)
 Report
 Tries: Glohe, Kavangh
Goals: Brierley (1/2)
Close
Morton Stadium, Santry[7]
Attendance: 200[8]
Referee: Tom Grant (England)[9]
27 October 2018
18:00 CEST (UTC+02:00)
More information France, 54–18 ...
France  54–18  Wales
Tries: Escaré (2), Marcon (2), Ader, Curran, Gigot, Miloudi, Navarette
Goals: Gigot (7/8), Albert (1/1), Curran (1/1)
 Report
 Tries: Kear, Olds, Ralph
Goals: Olds (3/3)
Close
2 November 2018
19:30 GMT (UTC+00:00)
More information Scotland, 12–50 ...
Scotland  12–50  Wales
Tries: Bell, Dixon
Goals: Brierley (2/2)
 Report
 Tries: Williams (3), Jenkins (2), Ralph (2), Butler, Evans
Goals: Olds (7/9)
Close
Netherdale, Galashiels[11]
Attendance: 250[12]
Referee: Ben Casty (France)[9]
3 November 2018
14:00 GMT (UTC+00:00)
More information Ireland, 10–24 ...
Ireland  10–24  France
Tries: McNally, Ryan
Goals: Finn (1/2)
 Report
 Tries: De Costa (2), Ader, Marcon
Goals: Gigot (4/5)
Close
Morton Stadium, Santry[7]
Attendance: 250[13]
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas (England)[9]
10 November 2018
18:00 CET (UTC+01:00)
More information France, 28–10 ...
France  28–10  Scotland
Tries: Escaré (2), Fages, Marion
Goals: Escaré (6/6)
 Report
 Tries: Dixon, Robertson
Goals: Brierley (0/1), Thomas (1/1)
Close
Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne[7]
Attendance: 2,854[14]
Referee: Greg Dolan (England)[9]
11 November 2018
15:00 GMT (UTC+00:00)
More information Wales, 40–8 ...
Wales  40–8  Ireland
Tries: Bennion, Butler, Evans, Lloyd, Ralph, Williams
Goals: Olds (8/10)
 Report
 Tries: Grix, King
Goals: Finn (0/2)
Close
Racecourse Ground, Wrexham[15]
Attendance: 1,257[16]
Referee: Gareth Hewer (England)[9]

Second round

Main article: 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification – Europe Repechage

The second round of European qualification allowed four of the six teams to advance to the World Cup. It was scheduled for October and November 2019 and consisted of Ireland, Scotland, Serbia[a], Spain, Greece and Italy. The six teams were split into two round-robin pools. The winners and runner-up in each pool qualified for the 2021 World Cup. There was no European qualification to the intercontinental play-off. The qualifiers were Ireland and Italy from Pool A and Scotland and Greece from Pool B.

Pool A

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Ireland 2 2 0 0 67 12 +55 4 Qualification for 2021 Rugby League World Cup
2  Italy 2 1 0 1 38 29 +9 2
3  Spain 2 0 0 2 12 76 −64 0
Close
Source: ERL
26 October 2019
17:00 CEST (UTC+02:00)
More information Spain, 8–42 ...
Spain  8–42  Ireland
Tries: R. Franco
Goals: Pallares (2/2)
 Report
 Tries: McCarthy (2), Bentley, Keyes, McNally, Podesta, Roberts
Goals: Podesta (7/7)
Close
Ciutat de l'Esport, Xàtiva[18][19]
Attendance: 1,013[20]
Referee: Geoffrey Poumes (France)[21]
Touch judges: Ludovic Bernard (France), Alexandre Guedes (France)
2 November 2019
16:00 CET (UTC+01:00)
More information Italy, 34–4 ...
Italy  34–4  Spain
Tries: Passera (2), Campagnolo, King, Santi, Tramontana
Goals: Campagnolo (5/7)
 Report
 Tries: L. Franco
Goals: Pallares (0/1)
Close
Stadio G. Teghil, Lignano Sabbiadoro[18]
Referee: Benjamin Casty (France)[21]
Touch judges: Jaroslav Bžoch (Czech Republic), Geoffrey Poumes (France)
9 November 2019
19:00 IST (UTC+01:00)
More information Ireland, 25–4 ...
Ireland  25–4  Italy
Tries: Moran (2), McNally, King
Goals: Podesta (4/4)
Drop goals: Keyes
 Report
 Tries: Tramontana
Goals: Campagnolo (0/1)
Close
Morton Stadium, Santry[18]
Referee: Liam Moore (England)[21]
Touch judges: Gareth Jones (England), Andy Smith (England)


Pool B

More information Pos, Pld ...
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Scotland 2 2 0 0 128 24 +104 4 Qualification for 2021 Rugby League World Cup
2  Greece 2 1 0 1 106 48 +58 2
3  Serbia 2 0 0 2 6 168 −162 0
Close
Source: ERL
26 October 2019
15:00 BST (UTC+01:00)
More information Scotland, 86–0 ...
Scotland  86–0  Serbia
Tries: Oakes (3), Scott (3), Brierley (2), Alex Walker (2), Glohe, Hellewell, Kavanagh, McLelland, Turland
Goals: Brierley (13/15)
 Report
Close
Lochinch Sports Pavilion, Glasgow[18][22]
Attendance: 300[23]
Referee: Tom Grant (England)[21]
Touch judges: Dean Bowmer (England), Jack Smith (England)
1 November 2019
20:20 GMT (UTC+00:00)
More information Greece, 24–42 ...
Greece  24–42  Scotland
Tries: Kambos, Mamouzelos, Tuliatu, Zampetides
Goals: Meads (4/4)
 Report
 Tries: Kavanagh (2), McLelland (2), Brierley, Douglas, Oakes, Scott
Goals: Brierley (2/6), Thomas (2/2), Douglas (1/1)
Close
New River Stadium, London[24]
Attendance: 350[25]
Referee: James Child (England)[21]
Touch judges: Peter Brooke (England), Matt Rossleigh (England)
9 November 2019
13:00 CET (UTC+01:00)
More information Serbia, 6–82 ...
Serbia  6–82  Greece
Tries: Mirčeski
Goals: Zogović (1/1)
 Report
 Tries: Robinson (3), Bosmos (2), Meads (2), Mitsias (2), Constantinou, Dardamanis, Kambos, Magoulias, Mamouzelos, Mougios, G. Tsikrikas
Goals: Meads (9)
Close
Makiš Stadium, Belgrade[18]
Attendance: 180[26]
Referee: Robert Hicks (England)[21][27]
Touch judges: Denys Cherniev (Ukraine), Andrew Pilkington (Spain)

Americas

Main article: 2018 Americas Rugby League Championship

The Americas group comprised four teams and was played as a single elimination knock-out tournament. Jamaica won the group beating Canada in the first round and then United States in the final. United States qualified for the intercontinental play-off by finishing as the runner-up of the tournament.[28]

Semi-finals Final
    
 Canada 8
 Jamaica 38
 United States 10
 Jamaica 16
 United States 62
 Chile 0
First semi-final
13 November 2018
17:30 EDT (UTC−04:00)
More information Canada, 8–38 ...
Canada  8–38  Jamaica
Tries: Borggren, McGoff
 Report
 Tries: B. Jones-Bishop (2), A. Brown, Bryan, Golding, Magrin, Thomas
Goals: Coleman (5/7)
Close
Second semi-final
13 November 2018
20:00 EDT (UTC−04:00)
More information United States, 62–0 ...
United States  62–0  Chile
Tries: Anderson (4), Burroughs (3), Faraimo (2), Offerdahl (2), Donehue, Howard
Goals: Faraimo (5/13)
 Report
Close
Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville[29]
Referee: Geoffrey Poumes (France)
Championship final
17 November 2018
16:00 EDT (UTC−04:00)
More information United States, 10–16 ...
United States  10–16  Jamaica
Tries: Burroughs, Donehue
Goals: Faraimo (1/2)
 Report
 Tries: Ogden, Farrell
Goals: Coleman (4/6)
Close

Inter-regional Repechage

The intercontinental play-off consisted of the Americas championship runner up (United States), 7th highest ranked Asia-Pacific team (Cook Islands), and the 2nd highest ranked Middle East-Africa team (South Africa). Cook Islands played South Africa in a preliminary match, which Cook Islands won. They then defeated the United States in the final play-off match, clinching the final place at the World Cup.

Play-off qualifier Play-off
 United States 16
 Cook Islands 66  Cook Islands 38
 South Africa 6
Play-off qualifier
21 June 2019
19:00 AEST (UTC+10:00)
More information Cook Islands, 66–6 ...
Cook Islands  66–6  South Africa
Tries: Ulberg (3), Niukore (2), R. Rennie (2), Dargan, E. Noovao, Puna, V. Rennie, Teroi
Goals: Marsters (9/12)
 Tries: Turner
Goals: Cryer (1/1)
Close
Ringrose Park, Sydney[30][31]
Attendance: 2,621[32]
Referee: Peter Gough (Australia)[33]
Touch judges: Adam Cassidy (Australia), Darian Furner (Australia)[33]
Player of the Match: Vincent Rennie (Cook Islands)
More information Team details ...
Close
Play-off
16 November 2019
17:00 ET (UTC−04:00)[34]
More information United States, 16–38 ...
United States  16–38  Cook Islands
Tries: Faraimo, Howard, Shipway
Goals: Faraimo (2/3)
 Report
 Tries: Dargan (2), Arona, Gelling, Glenn, R. Rennie, V. Rennie
Goals: Marsters (5/7)
Close
Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville[35]
Attendance: 150[36]
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas (England)
Touch judges: Peter Tapper (Jamaica), Kemoy White (Jamaica)[37]
More information Team details ...
Close

Notes

  1. [a]
    Russia were the winners of the European Qualifying B tournament but withdrew from the play-offs in August 2019 to be replaced by Serbia.[17]

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks