RLWC 2026 Confirmed

[sam4731]

10 hours ago, Jim from Oz said:

In 2034 the FIFA World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, probably around November, so an absolute direct clash  with the RLWC 

The 2022 World Cups didn't clash at all which I actually viewed as a missed opportunity. A bit of clever organising could have put England's RL games straight after the football on BBC 1, maximising potential viewing figures and getting free marketing to hopefully get more tickets sold.

With the time difference and the lack of interest from the Aussies for football in 2034, that won't be an option.

Competitions clashing given the right circumstances is not necessarily a bad thing. How many of us watch Olympic sports in the intervening 4 years between games but put all of them on at the same time and see what you get.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

19 hours ago, welshmagpie said:

Bids were placed on the basis of 21 games.

It’ll be a 443 group scenario: 6 games per group (18 games altogether)

two semi finals and a final lead to 21.

4,4 and 3 means 11 teams doesn't it?

[HawkMan]

43 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

The 2022 World Cups didn't clash at all which I actually viewed as a missed opportunity. A bit of clever organising could have put England's RL games straight after the football on BBC 1, maximising potential viewing figures and getting free marketing to hopefully get more tickets sold.

With the time difference and the lack of interest from the Aussies for football in 2034, that won't be an option.

Competitions clashing given the right circumstances is not necessarily a bad thing. How many of us watch Olympic sports in the intervening 4 years between games but put all of them on at the same time and see what you get.

Things maybe different in 10 years time, who knows, but in 2022 the Australians certainly had an interest in soccer World Cup. Was there all night parties when Australia won the RLWC ? One of our Aussie friends can answer that.

 

Edited July 29 by HawkMan

[Griff]

57 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

4,4 and 3 means 11 teams doesn't it?

Standards of arithmetic are very low these days.

[Griff]

47 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Things maybe different in 10 years time, who knows, but in 2022 the Australians certainly had an interest in soccer World Cup. Was there all night parties when Australia won the RLWC ? One of our Aussie friends can answer that.

 

If they didn't, it's down to the Aussies constantly talking down the international game.

[londonrlfan]

Hard to get excited over this WC. Only 10 teams with 8 automatic qualifiers, the majority from the tiny Pacific Islands. The highlight of any WC are the debutants, but there won't be any this time around, or next time. Also blocking teams due to heritage players, then letting others in, makes no sense. This is what happens when the NRL get involved, they dilute it and ruin it. No doubt they'll be praising themselves afterwards about it being the best WC ever. 

[JM2010]

On 30/07/2024 at 08:04, londonrlfan said:

Hard to get excited over this WC. Only 10 teams with 8 automatic qualifiers, the majority from the tiny Pacific Islands. The highlight of any WC are the debutants, but there won't be any this time around, or next time. Also blocking teams due to heritage players, then letting others in, makes no sense. This is what happens when the NRL get involved, they dilute it and ruin it. No doubt they'll be praising themselves afterwards about it being the best WC ever. 

I disagree. Less teams should allow the better teams to play each other rather than the blowouts we had last time. There’ll be some good quality games all way through this time

[JohnM]

I'm looking forward to it, with even a ( remote) possibility of going.

I'm especially looking forward to the rare, unusual and imaginative ways of some in saying it will be rubbish and a failure.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

On 30/07/2024 at 08:04, londonrlfan said:

The highlight of any WC are the debutants, but there won't be any this time around, or next time. 

If you are talking about debutant countries then speak for yourself 

I went to England Vs Greece and it was a complete waste of time 

I was also completely unexcited by a Jamaican heritage side being in the last one .....honestly what is the *****ing point 

And don't anyone bother saying ' just look at how happy they are' or ' Thier faces were so full of joy' or 'thier families in the crowd look so proud'......I couldn't give a ######....I don't watch sport as a charitable endeavour.....I want to see a contest or at least not blow outs 

I'd rather less teams with more matches in total only between the top 10 sides 

I must be the only person who actually liked the old 'super group' system...in a WC we want at least one game each between England, NZ and Aus 

BTW I am fully aware the military left wing faction on this site will hate these comments as usual 

Edited July 31 by Bedfordshire Bronco

[gingerjon]

There’s a military left wing faction of rugby league fans?

[JohnM]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

There’s a military left wing faction of rugby league fans?

You're not a member already?

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_left-wing_rebel_groups

Edited July 31 by JohnM

[17 stone giant]

Just now, JohnM said:

You're not a member already?

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_left-wing_rebel_groups

General Ginger isn't fooling anyone. It's like watching Adams and McGuinness denying being in the IRA.

[sam4731]

10 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

If you are talking about debutant countries then speak for yourself 

I went to England Vs Greece and it was a complete waste of time 

I was also completely unexcited by a Jamaican heritage side being in the last one .....honestly what is the *****ing point 

And don't anyone bother saying ' just look at how happy they are' or ' Thier faces were so full of joy' or 'thier families in the crowd look so proud'......I couldn't give a ######....I don't watch sport as a charitable endeavour.....I want to see a contest or at least not blow outs 

I'd rather less teams with more matches in total only between the top 10 sides 

I must be the only person who actually liked the old 'super group' system...in a WC we want at least one game each between England, NZ and Aus 

BTW I am fully aware the military left wing faction on this site will hate these comments as usual 

If we assume that France and the CI will take up the final 2 spots in the next WC, there were 15 matches between those 10 teams.

How many finished with a margin of fewer than 20 points...?

6

If you wany no blowouts, you may as well have 5/6 teams. Not every match in a WC has to be a stormer. We can have games just for the sake of having games.

[17 stone giant]

Each to their own, but I tend to agree with the sentiments expressed by Bedfordshire Bronco. I have never bothered to watch England World Cup matches against teams like Greece, Lebanon, and sometimes even France. The results are a foregone conclusion, and there are hardly any players actually from those countries (in the case of the first two).

It's normally November time so there's football and other stuff to do, rather than watch blowouts.

[Click]

29 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

If you are talking about debutant countries then speak for yourself 

I went to England Vs Greece and it was a complete waste of time 

I was also completely unexcited by a Jamaican heritage side being in the last one .....honestly what is the *****ing point 

And don't anyone bother saying ' just look at how happy they are' or ' Thier faces were so full of joy' or 'thier families in the crowd look so proud'......I couldn't give a ######....I don't watch sport as a charitable endeavour.....I want to see a contest or at least not blow outs 

I'd rather less teams with more matches in total only between the top 10 sides 

I must be the only person who actually liked the old 'super group' system...in a WC we want at least one game each between England, NZ and Aus 

BTW I am fully aware the military left wing faction on this site will hate these comments as usual 

Only an RL fan could attend England Vs Greece and come away thinking there was no point. 

What the * did you think was going to happen? Greece was going to put up a fight? 

It's not like you didn't know what the result was going to be before you went to it. How can you b*%$ and moan about it afterwards. 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

37 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

There’s a military left wing faction of rugby league fans?

You know full well there is

[Whippet13]

40 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

General Ginger isn't fooling anyone. It's like watching Adams and McGuinness denying being in the IRA.

I believe it is Commissar Ginger.

[JM2010]

I agree that England vs Greece is pointless and not a good spectacle. Less teams and more intense games is the way to go. England didn’t get to play Australia, NZ or Tonga in the last WC and they’re the teams I want to see them play. I’d even consider an 8 team WC until some more countries are able to be competitive. Could look something like this

Group A        Group B

England.      Australia 

NZ.               Samoa

Tonga.          PNG

Fiji.                Fr/Wa/CI/Lebanon

Edited July 31 by JM2010

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

You're not a member already?

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_left-wing_rebel_groups

He wasn't invited

[Tommygilf]

Whilst somewhat crudely articulated, BB makes a valid point. RL at its best is between two roughly equally competitive sides. Nobody likes watching a walkover.

Unfortunately the nature of the sport is that it encourages walkover scores. A dominant side gets rewarded with more dominance. And unlike football you can't park the bus or similar to make up for your own limitations.

The classic example is Samoa vs England at the last world cup. The opener showed that even 2 reasonably well matched sides can produce a cricket score in RL over 80 minutes.

This issue isn't just down to minnows vs heavyweights.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

2 hours ago, Click said:

Only an RL fan could attend England Vs Greece and come away thinking there was no point. 

What the * did you think was going to happen? Greece was going to put up a fight? 

It's not like you didn't know what the result was going to be before you went to it. How can you b*%$ and moan about it afterwards. 

I love rugby league and always have 

I wanted to watch as many games as I could especially the England games so I did

I wish the Greece spot in our group had been taken by a better side (and yes less teams/groups overall) ...then I'd have seen a better game at Brammal lane 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

3 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Whilst somewhat crudely articulated, BB makes a valid point. RL at its best is between two roughly equally competitive sides. Nobody likes watching a walkover.

Unfortunately the nature of the sport is that it encourages walkover scores. A dominant side gets rewarded with more dominance. And unlike football you can't park the bus or similar to make up for your own limitations.

The classic example is Samoa vs England at the last world cup. The opener showed that even 2 reasonably well matched sides can produce a cricket score in RL over 80 minutes.

This issue isn't just down to minnows vs heavyweights.

You've misspelt 'erudite'  (the third word you wrote)

[Dave T]

Nobody is going to England v Greece for a classic sporting contest, but the crowd was pretty healthy. 

But, imo, particularly for matches like this, the fanzone, presentation, food and drink and peripheral activities need to be top class, so that even when the match is a procession, people still have a cracking day. 

[Hello]

5 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I love rugby league and always have 

I wanted to watch as many games as I could especially the England games so I did

I wish the Greece spot in our group had been taken by a better side (and yes less teams/groups overall) ...then I'd have seen a better game at Brammal lane 

You misspelt Bramalll ane, pedant (can't be bothered to count which number word it was that you wrote, got better things to do with my time)

 

 

 

Edited July 31 by Hello

[eal]

People confuse a World Cup with a festival of rugby league. The Greeks and Jamaicans had no business being at an elite World Cup. I think 12 is the maximum number of teams we could support and am quite happy with 10 if it came in the format of two groups of five. Ideally you would have a second tier nations tournament underneath the RLWC - people can see the minnows and their smiling faces there.

Edited August 1 by eal