THE DRAW for the 2024 Pacific Championships, which will be played in four countries across four consecutive weekends in October and November, was revealed last week.
Fiji will host Pacific Championship matches for the first time, with Port Moresby’s Santos Stadium to host matches alongside Brisbane, Christchurch, Auckland and Sydney.
The 2024 tournaments will see the introduction of promotion and relegation, with the winner of the Men’s and Women’s Pacific Bowls to play off against the third-placed Pacific Cup nations for a place in their respective 2025 Pacific Cup pools.
“The 2024 Pacific Championships will be the biggest sporting event in the region,” said NRL CEO Andrew Abdo.
“This year we have raised the stakes by adding promotion and relegation across the men’s and women’s tournaments so there is a great deal at stake in the Pacific Championships.
“As the Pacific’s largest sport, Rugby League is fast becoming the language that unifies the region.”
The 2024 men’s tournament will once again feature two divisions with top-ranked nations Australia, New Zealand and Tonga to contest the Cup, while Fiji, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Cook Islands will face-off for the Bowl.
An expanded 2024 women’s tournament will include four weeks of Cup and Bowl matches, with the Bowl to serve as a Rugby League World Cup 2026 qualifying event.
Australia, New Zealand and PNG will contest the Women’s Cup, with Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and Samoa to contest the Bowl. The Women’s Bowl winners will be rewarded with direct entry to RLWC 2026, while the runner-up will progress to the 2025 World Series.
Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium will host a Men’s and Women’s Cup double-header to kick-off the 2024 Pacific Championships on Friday, October 18.
Fiji will host consecutive double-headers on Saturday October 19 and October 26 featuring Men’s and Women’s Bowl fixtures, while the PNG capital Port Moresby will welcome a Women’s Cup – Men’s Bowl double-header on Sunday, November 3.
The 2024 Pacific Championships will culminate with a quadruple-header at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium on Sunday, November 10, headlined by the Men’s and Women’s Cup Finals.
2024 Pacific Championships
Pacific Cup – Men
Fri 18 Oct Australia v Tonga Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Sun 27 Oct New Zealand v Australia Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch
Sat 2 Nov New Zealand v Tonga Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Sun 10 Nov Final CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Pacific Cup – Women
Fri 18 Oct Australia v PNG Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Sun 27 Oct New Zealand v Australia Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch
Sun 3 Nov PNG v New Zealand Santos Stadium, Port Moresby
Sun 10 Nov Final CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Pacific Bowl – Men
Sat 19 Oct Fiji v PNG Fiji
Sat 26 Oct Fiji v Cook Islands Fiji
Sun 3 Nov PNG v Cook Islands Santos Stadium, Port Moresby
Sun 10 Nov Promotion/Relegation Play-off CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Pacific Bowl – Women
Sat 19 Oct Tonga v Samoa Fiji
Sat 26 Oct Fiji v Cook Islands Fiji
Sat 2 Nov Final Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Sun 10 Nov Promotion/Relegation Play-off CommBank Stadium, Sydney
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