The 2025 Rugby League World Cup will be revamped to avoid the blowouts of the 2021 RLWC (postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19), with 10 teams instead of 16.
The eight quarter finalists from the 2021 RLWC will automatically qualify for the 2025 version in France, with a week-long qualifying tournament – held directly before the main RLWC – deciding the final two teams.
The eight qualifying tournament sides will be split into two pools of four, with the two pool winners progressing.
The 10 RLWC sides will be split into two groups of five, based on where they finished in the 2021 RLWC.
GROUP A:
2021 Champion
2021 Semi Finalist Loser 1
2021 Quarter Finalist Loser 1
2021 Quarter Finalist Loser 2
2025 Qualifier 1
GROUP B:
2021 Runner Up
2021 Semi Finalist Loser 2
2021 Quarter Finalist Loser 3
2021 Quarter Finalist Loser 4
2025 Qualifier 2
After each side has played four group games, the top two teams from each group will play in knockout semi-finals and the final.
International Rugby League Chairman Troy Grant hopes this new format will avoid all of the group stage blowouts in the current RLWC (so far: England 60 d Samoa 6, Australia 42 d Fiji 8, Ireland 48 d Jamaica 2, Australia 84 d Scotland 0) and still allow the ‘lesser’ sides to compete.
“We’ve seen how enthralling the qualifying tournament was in the T20 World Cup, so we decided to pinch it. And seeding the groups so the strongest sides play each other before the finals will hopefully produce closer games and more entertaining footy,” said Grant. “It’s the best of both worlds: the ‘lesser’ sides get their shot against comparable teams and will earn the right to play the best of the best.”
