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2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification – Europe

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The 2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup European qualification tournament was an international rugby league tournament held in October 2024 to decide the nation that qualifies for the 2025 World Series and in-turn, potentially qualify for the 2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup.[1]

Number of teams4
Host country France
Winner France
Matches played4
Quick facts Number of teams, Host country ...
2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification – Europe
Number of teams4
Host country France
Winner France
Matches played4
Attendance3,407 (852 per match)
Top scorersFrance César Rougé (20)
Wales Matty Fozard
Top try scorersFrance Nittim Pedrero (3)
France Éloi Pélissier
Tournaments
 < 2021
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Background

See also: 2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup qualification

The tournament took place in October 2024 and was open to all full member nations as of 15 March 2024. The winner of the tournament advanced to the World Series in 2025.[1]

On 14 March 2024, Ireland, Italy, and Scotland had their membership downgraded to affiliate members due to non-compliance with the membership policy, and as a result were no longer eligible to participate in the World Cup qualification process.[2][3]

Seeding and format

Teams played semi-finals and a final. The semi-finals were based on IRL Rank with highest-ranked playing lowest-ranked and second-highest playing second-lowest. The losing semi-finalists contested a third place playoff; this had no bearing on World Cup qualification, but did count for world ranking points.[4]

The four eligible nations to compete in the tournament were confirmed to be participating on 25 July 2024; France, Serbia, Ukraine and Wales.

More information IRL Men's World Rankings – Europe, Rank ...
IRL Men's World Rankings – Europe
Rank Full Team Pts %
8 Yes France28
11 Yes Serbia19
12 No Netherlands17
13 No Italy15
14 No Greece15
15 No Malta14
16 No Ireland14
17 Yes Wales13
19 No Scotland9
20 Yes Ukraine7
21 No Czech Republic7
22 No Germany6
24 No Poland6
25 No Norway6
32 No Montenegro4
34 No Turkey3
35 No North Macedonia3
36 No Bulgaria3
38 No Spain2
40 No Albania1
45 No Russia0
46 No Sweden0
47 No Bosnia and Herzegovina0
48 No Hungary0
53 No Latvia0
54 No Denmark0
55 No Belgium0
56 No Estonia0
References:[5][6]
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Venues

The venues selected for the tournament were:[7]

More information Carcassonne, Saint-Estève ...
Carcassonne Saint-Estève
Stade Albert Domec Stade Municipal
Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 6,000
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Squads

On 16 October 2024, the squads were announced for the four nations competing in the tournament.[8]

France

More information Player, Club ...
Player Club
Jayson GoffinFrance Albi
Nittim PedreroFrance Albi
Romain FrancoEngland Bradford Bulls
Lucas AlbertFrance Carcassonne
Vincent AlbertFrance Carcassonne
Clément BoyerFrance Carcassonne
Nolan Lopez-ButtignolFrance Carcassonne
Guillermo Aispuro BichetFrance Catalans Dragons
Alrix Da CostaFrance Catalans Dragons
Théo FagesFrance Catalans Dragons
Matthieu LaguerreFrance Catalans Dragons
Clement MartinFrance Catalans Dragons
Arthur MourgueFrance Catalans Dragons
Romain NavarreteFrance Catalans Dragons
Arthur RomanoFrance Catalans Dragons
César RougéFrance Catalans Dragons
Thomas LacansEngland Featherstone Rovers
Louis JouffretEngland Halifax Panthers
Hugo SalabioEngland Huddersfield Giants
Mickaël GoudemandEngland Leeds Rhinos
Justin SangaréEngland Leeds Rhinos
Ugo TisonEngland London Broncos
Hakim MiloudiFrance Pia
Florian VailhenFrance Pia
Lambert BelmasFrance Toulouse Olympique
Benjamin LaguerreFrance Toulouse Olympique
Anthony MarionFrance Toulouse Olympique
Éloi PélissierFrance Toulouse Olympique
Maxime StefaniFrance Toulouse Olympique
Mathieu CozzaEngland Wakefield Trinity
Tiaki ChanEngland Wigan Warriors
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Serbia

More information Player, Club ...
Player Club
Nicholas O'MeleyAustralia Burleigh Bears
Nick CotricFrance Catalans Dragons
Andrej MoraSerbia Dorcol Tigers
David NofoalumaAustralia Glebe Dirty Reds
Sasha PopovicAustralia Glebe Dirty Reds
Jake O’MeleyAustralia Lakes United Seagulls
Ilija CotricAustralia Mounties
Jesse SoricNew Zealand New Zealand Warriors Reserves
Aleksandar PavlovicSerbia Partisan Belgrade
Djordje KrnjetaSerbia Partisan Belgrade
Dzavid JasariSerbia Partisan Belgrade
Enis BibicSerbia Partisan Belgrade
Strahinja StoiljkovicSerbia Partisan Belgrade
Jordan GrantAustralia Penrith Panthers
Stefan ArsicSerbia Radnicki Nis
Marko JankovicSerbia Red Star Belgrade
Milos CalicSerbia Red Star Belgrade
Nikola DjuricSerbia Red Star Belgrade
Rajko TrifunovicSerbia Red Star Belgrade
Vojislav DedicSerbia Red Star Belgrade
Vuk StrbacSerbia Red Star Belgrade
Joshua CoricAustralia St George Illawarra Dragons Reserves
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Ukraine

More information Player, Club ...
Player Club
Tim KnightAustralia Caloundra Sharks
Daniel JanissenWales Cardiff Cobras
Jonah NgaronoaAustralia Glebe Dirty Reds
Yevhen ChechetaUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Yevhen DavydovUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Anatolii HrankovskyiUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Volodymyr KarpenkoUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Vitalii PuchkovUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Dmytro SemerenkoUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Oleksandr ShcherbynaUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Oleksandr SkorbachUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Oleksandr SyvykozUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Mykhailo TroianUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Yevhenii TrusovUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Volodymyr VoitovUkraine Kharkiv Legion
Valentyn KorchakUkraine Lviv Tigers
Ostap KozakUkraine Lviv Tigers
Victor TereszkoAustralia Queanbeyan Blues
Danylo VedlerUkraine Rivne Giants
Brock JurkansAustralia Singleton Greyhounds
Tigris PolataAustralia Southern Suburbs Magpies
Tom MencinskyAustralia Sydney University RLFC
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Wales

More information Player, Club ...
Player Club
Bailey AntrobusEngland York Knights
Harry BootsEngland Cornwall
Sam BowringEngland Midlands Hurricanes
Mike ButtEngland Widnes Vikings
Max ClarkeEngland Barrow Raiders
Joe Coope-FranklinEngland Salford Red Devils
Connor DaviesEngland Halifax Panthers
Curtis DaviesEngland Dewsbury Rams
Gil DudsonEngland Warrington Wolves
Will EvansEngland Whitehaven
Ben EvansWales North Wales Crusaders
Jude FerreiraEngland Hunslet
Matty FozardEngland Widnes Vikings
Charlie GloverEngland Salford Red Devils
Elliot Kear (C)England Batley Bulldogs
Ben LaneEngland St. Helens
Rhodri LloydEngland Widnes Vikings
Josh RalphAustralia St. George Illawarra Dragons Reserves
Owen RestallEngland Dewsbury Rams
Luis RobertsEngland Leeds Rhinos
Ashton RobinsonEngland Leeds Rhinos
Matt RossEngland Cornwall
Anthony WalkerEngland Swinton Lions
Billy WalkleyEngland Keighley Cougars
Rhys WilliamsEngland Swinton Lions
Huw WorthingtonEngland Whitehaven
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Fixtures

Bracket

Semi-finals Final
      
8  France 74
20  Ukraine 8
 France 48
 Wales 6
11  Serbia 0
17  Wales 48 Third-place playoff
 Serbia 50
 Ukraine 10

Semi-finals

22 October 2024
17:00 CEST (UTC+02:00)
More information Serbia, 0–48 ...
Serbia  0–48  Wales
1st: 0–30
2nd: 0–18
Report
 Tries: Fozard, Kear, Walker, Evans, Connor Davies, Butt, Worthington, Coope-Franklin
Goals: Fozard (7/7), Kear (1/1)
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Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne
Attendance: 1,257[9]
Referee: Geoffrey Poumes (France)
More information Serbia, Position ...
Team details
SerbiaPositionWales
NameNumberNumberName
Nikola Cotic1
FB
1Billy Walkley
Rajko Trifunovic2
WG
2Joe Coope-Franklin
Nick O'Meley3
CE
3Mike Butt
David Nofoaluma4
CE
4Will Evans
Andrej Mora5
WG
5Rhys Williams
Jesse Soric6
SO
6Elliot Kear
Vojislav Dedic7
SH
7Josh Ralph
Jake O'Meley8
PR
8Huw Worthington
Sasha Popovic9
HK
9Matty Fozard
Milos Calic10
PF
10Ben Evans
Stefan Arsic11
SR
11Connor Davies
Nikola Djuric12
SR
12Max Clarke
Enis Bibic13
LF
13Sam Bowring
Dzavid Jasari14
IN
14Curtis Davies
Ilija Cotric15
IN
15Matt Ross
Djordje Krnjeta16
IN
16Anthony Walker
Marko Jankovic17
IN
17Ashton Robinson
Aleksandar Pavlovic18
RES
18Fin Yates
Darren Fisher
Coach
Mark Moxon
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Wales head coach, John Kear, did not travel to France with the squad, after being admitted to hospital the preceding weekend. In his absence the team was coached by assistant coach, Mark Moxon.[10]

22 October 2024
19:30 CEST (UTC+02:00)
More information France, 74–8 ...
France  74–8  Ukraine
Tries: Vailhe, Budde, Pedrero (3), Vailhen, Pelissier (2), Zenon, Goffin, Jouffret, Aispuro Bichett (2), Martin
Goals: Albert (6/10), Aispuro Bichett (3/4)
 1st: 48–0
2nd: 26–8
Report
 Tries: Skorbach, Polata
Close
Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne
Attendance: 1,257[11]
Referee: Stephane Vincent (France)
More information France, Position ...
Team details
FrancePositionUkraine
NameNumberNumberName
Louis Jouffret1
FB
1Yevhhen Davydov
Nittim Pedrero2
WG
2Tigris Polata
Guilerno Aispuro Bichett3
CE
3Mykhailo Troian
Tanguy Zenon4
CE
4Jonah Ngaronoa
Clement Martin5
WG
5Danylo Vedler
Lucas Albert6
SO
6Oleksandr Skorbach
Thomas Lacans7
SH
7Daniel Janissen
Clement Boyer8
PR
8Oleksandr Syvokoz
Nolan Lopez-Buttignol9
HK
9Dmytro Semerenko
Florien Vailhen10
PF
10Volodymyr Karpenko
Jayson Goffin11
SR
11Yevhenii Trusov
Hnaloan Budden12
SR
12Tom Mencinksy
Mickael Goudemand13
LF
13Victor Tereszko
Eloi Pelissier14
IN
14Yaroslav Davydov
Tiaki Chan15
IN
15Vitalii Puchkov
Hugo Salabio16
IN
16Yevhen Checheta
Justin Sangare17
IN
17Valentyn Korchak
Laurent Frayssinous
Coach
Dan Beardshaw
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Third-place playoff

The third-place playoff formed part of the tournament but had no bearing on qualification.

26 October 2024
17:00 CEST (UTC+02:00)
More information Ukraine, 10–50 ...
Ukraine  10–50  Serbia
Tries: Vedler, Skorbach
Goals: Jannissen (0/1), Skorbach (1/1)
 1st: 0–22
2nd: 10–28
Report
 Tries: Popovic, Pavlovic (2), N. Cotric (2), I. Cotric, Nofoaluma, Jankovic, O'Meley
Goals: Soric (6/7), O'Meley (1/2)
Close
Stade Municipal, Saint-Estève
Referee: Mo Drizza (France)
More information Ukraine, Position ...
Team details
UkrainePositionSerbia
NameNumberNumberName
Yevhhen Davydov1
FB
1David Nofoaluma
Tigris Polata2
WG
2Rajko Trifunovic
Mykhailo Troian3
CE
3Nikola Cotic
Vitali Puchov4
CE
4Aleksandar Pavlovic
Danylo Vedler5
WG
5Andrej Mora
Oleksandr Skorbach6
SO
6Nick O'Meley
Daniel Jannissen7
SH
7Jesse Soric
Volodymyr Karpenko8
PR
8Jake O'Meley
Dmytro Semerenko9
HK
9Sasha Popovic
Oleksandr Syvokoz10
PF
10Enis Bibic
Jonah Ngaronoa11
SR
11Ilija Cotric
Yevhenii Trusov12
SR
12Nikola Djuric
Tom Menchinksy13
LF
13Stevan Stevanovic
Valentyn Korchak14
IN
14Vuk Štrbac
Yaroslav Davydov15
IN
15Milos Calic
Yevhen Checheta16
IN
16Marko Jankovic
Oleksandr Shcherbyna17
IN
17Jason Muranka
Dan Beardshaw
Coach
Darren Fisher
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Final

26 October 2024
14:30 CEST (UTC+02:00)
More information Wales, 6–48 ...
Wales  6–48  France
Tries: Williams
Goals: Fozard (1/1)
 1st: 6–20
2nd: 0–28
Report
 Tries: Romano, Rouge (2), Franco, Pelissier, Sangare, Fages, Belmas, Chan
Goals: Rouge (6/9)
Close
Stade Municipal, Saint-Estève
Attendance: 2,150[12]
Referee: Aaron Moore (England)
More information Wales, Position ...
Team details
WalesPositionFrance
NameNumberNumberName
Billy Walkley1
FB
1Cesar Rouge
Joe Coope-Franklin2
WG
2Hakim Miloudi
Mike Butt3
CE
3Arthur Romano
Will Evans4
CE
4Mathieu Laguerre
Rhys Williams5
WG
5Romain Franco
Elliot Kear6
SO
6Ugo Tison
Josh Ralph7
SH
7Theo Fages
Huw Worthington8
PR
8Lambert Belmas
Matthew Fozard9
HK
9Alrix Da Costa
Ben Evans10
PF
10Tiaki Chan
Connor Davies11
SR
11Maxime Stefani
Matt Ross12
SR
12Mathieu Cozza
Sam Bowring13
LF
13Mickael Goudemand
Curtis Davies14
IN
14Eloi Pelissier
Anthony Walker15
IN
15Justin Sangare
Ashton Robinson16
IN
16Clement Boyer
Sam Grice17
IN
17Anthony Marion
Mark Moxon
Coach
Laurent Frayssinous
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References

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