- The 2021 Rugby League World Cup will be held in England from October 15 to November 19, 2022.
- Sixteen teams will participate in the tournament, an increase of two from the previous two tournaments.
- The Rugby League World Cup will happen during the same period as the women’s and wheelchair tournaments.
The 2021 Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest international rugby tournament the world has ever seen.
To begin with, that’s not a typo in the name of the tournament. The 16th edition of the world cup would have happened last year but was rescheduled after New Zealand and Australia withdrew as a result of Covid.
Since the tournament was to take place last year, the organizers decided to feature 2021 in its name despite it happening in 2022.
The tournament begins this Saturday in England after a five-year wait and ends on November 19. The 2021 Rugby League World Cup features 16 teams, growing from 14 at the last world cup.
Tournaments like this often have matches to watch out for, players to watch, big fixtures in the knockout stages and grand finales.
This article will look at some of the reasons why the 2021 Rugby League World Cup is an unmissable event.
1. The Most Inclusive Rugby League Event
Rugby League World Cup trophies. Photo/ Love Rugby League.
The tournament, which begins on Saturday, October 15, is the most inclusive rugby league event of all time.
The tournament features the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cup events, all happening simultaneously.
This will be an opportunity for most rugby fans to see the skill levels in women’s rugby and how interesting wheelchair rugby is.
The 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup will start on November 3 and end on November 18. The women’s rugby games at the tournament will begin in November.
Both men’s and women’s players will receive equal pay for each game.
2. Cultural Magic
Most of the nations which will be competing at the tournament will excite fans with their spine-tingling performances. Tonga will deliver the Sipi Tau, whereas Samoa will excite the fans with their Siva Tau.
Rugby fans will enjoy New Zealand’s haka, the most famous pre-match cultural performance, at different venues throughout the tournament.
Fiji players will leave many fans moved with the hymns they sing before and after every match. You should expect the hymns whether they lose or win a match.
3. Elite Athletes
No rugby fan would want to miss the 2021 Rugby League World Cup due to the world-class athletes who will be on the show.
James Tedesco, captain of Australia, is one of the top players who fans will be eager to see in action. Dom Young is also another top player who will make fans create time to watch the tournament.
In the women’s section, Jess Sergis is a player you would love to see run the show. Jess Sergis is the first National Rugby League women’s player of the year.
England’s Jack Brown is one of the elite athletes who will make you watch the wheelchair tournament.
4. Emerging Powerful Teams
The 2021 Rugby League World Cup tournament will be exciting due to the powerful emerging teams who will make things difficult for the dominant teams.
Over the years, Australia has dominated international rugby. England and New Zealand have been the only teams making things difficult for Australia.
However, this time we expect Tonga and Samoa to be genuine contenders for the title. Tonga emerged as a superpower in the 2017 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals.
On the other hand, Samoa has quality players, making them great contenders for the World Cup trophy.
5. New Nations
The 2021 Rugby League World Cup has brought some new nations into the fold who have never participated on such a big stage before.
Jamaica will get the opportunity to play at a world cup tournament for the first time this Sunday as they face Ireland. The match, which promises to be a Caribbean takeover, will be played at Headingley, Leeds.
Greece have come a long way to feature in this year’s tournament. At one point, rugby league was banned in Greece, and the players had to play on neutral territories so as to qualify.
In women’s rugby, Brazil have set history by becoming the first South American team at the World Cup.
Brazil women’s national rugby league team. Photo/ NRL.com.
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