New Zealand Rugby League is open to hosting the Rugby League World Cup in 2025 after it was confirmed that original hosts France had pulled out of running the tournament.
It was announced officially this morning that France had withdrawn due to financial issues, news not entirely unexpected in this part of the world, NZRL chief executive Greg Peters told 1News.
Peters said he had already spoken to the Australia Rugby League about the potential to co-host the tournament, with games also possible in the Pacific Islands.
“We’re extremely disappointed and saddened that it’s come to this because the French organising committee had a very ambitious plan for what would have been a fantastic World Cup, the first one they’d have hosted since the 1950s which was the first World Cup ever held,” Peters said.
“So to see that fall over is disappointing but on the other hand it does create a very exciting opportunity for this part of the world to showcase what we can do down here.”
New Zealand and Australia co-hosted the tournament in 2017, with three matches also held in Papua New Guinea. Australia last hosted the event alone in 2008. The 2021 edition of the tournament was held in England having been delayed to 2022 by Covid-19.
Peters said talks were already under way and that a proposal to host the tournament would have to be well advanced before a planned meeting with the International Rugby League in July.
“It’s very realistic – it’s just the exact nature and scale of it that remains to be seen as we work through it over the next few months,” he said. “It’s a short runway and we’ll be running but I think it’s possible.”
“We want to create a tournament that respects the indigenous people on both sides of the Tasman and also our Pasifika cousins who are such a big part of the game in Australasia and globally. If we can create something as diverse and unique as that I think we have the opportunity to do something special.”
Government funding on both sides of the Tasman would be critical, he said.
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