Matches will be played in 18 different stadiums, with those hosting the semi’s and final to be announced in 2012, though the strong favourite for the final is Old Trafford which would be a sell-out.

League is gaining popularity in France and Ireland, though it still struggles against Union in Wales the matches should see good crowds in the chosen venues of: Limerick (Ireland), Avignon and Perpignan (France), and Neath and Wrexham (Wales).

Tournament director Nigel Wood said: “We are excited the tournament will visit established rugby league venues and also some new locations, It is quite well known that the sport is particularly strong in France, but not so much the progress it has made in Ireland over the last five years. Limerick recently hosted an international against France and it went well, the enthusiasm for rugby league in that part of the world is overwhelming.”

The quarter-finals venues are: Headingley, Wrexham, Warrington and Wigan.

Nigel Wood said the bidding process had been competitive. “We experienced massive interest in hosting matches from all across Europe and we have had to make some tough decisions. The new locations give us unique opportunities to grow the game and deliver a lasting legacy for our sport. It has been a fantastic and inspiring bidding process and we have been extremely impressed with the quality, detail and diverse nature of the host bids received.”

Full List Stadiums

Avignon, Bristol, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull (KC Stadium and Craven Park), Leeds, Leigh, Limerick, Perpignan, Neath, Rochdale, Salford, St Helens, Warrington, Whitehaven, Wigan, Wrexham

Hosting Locations

Bolton, Bradford, Manchester, Preston, Widnes and Workington will act as hosts, providing training camps.

Woods also added: “There are 14 great nations competing in this World Cup and two of those; Italy and the USA, have only qualified in the last month or so. The fact those two teams beat countries like Lebanon, Serbia, South Africa and Jamaica to qualify demonstrates the benchmark at entry level is pretty high. It is the essence of sport that you will get a few surprise results in the competition, that would be terrific.”

Co-hosts Wales have been drawn in Group D, along with Cook Islands and Atlantic qualifier. Scotland are paired with Tonga and a European qualifier in group C. Only the winners in both these groups will go through to the quarter-finals.

The format has stayed very much as it was for 2008, though this time all of the big three have not been drawn against each other in the group match’s, just England and Australia. Further good news is this time the competition has been enlarged from 10 teams to 14 and so there will be a quarter-final round.

Group Structure

Group A: England, Australia, Fiji, Ireland (three go through to quarter-finals).
Group B: New Zealand, France, Papua New Guinea, Samoa (three go through to quarter-finals).
Group C: Scotland, Tonga, European qualifier (winners through to quarter-finals).
Group D: Wales, Cook Islands, Atlantic qualifier (winners through to quarter-finals).

In Groups C and D, teams play the other nations in their group and also one team from the opposite group as follows: Scotland v Atlantic qualifier, Tonga v Cook Islands, Wales v European qualifier.

The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) announced this week that 14 nations will compete in the modified and expanded tournament, with two of the countries coming from qualifying tournaments in the northern and southern hemispheres.

The proposal for a 14-nation World Cup was ratified in Singapore at a meeting of the RLIF.

RLIF chairman Colin Love said: (quote) We are delighted to have ratified this proposal for a 14-nation Rugby League World Cup, which was unanimously supported by RLIF delegates. Going forward I am confident that in 2013 we will see a tournament that will successfully showcase international rugby league to a worldwide audience.

Australia also submitted a bid to stage the event again after the success of the 2008 tournament, but perhaps it was to soon as the last time it was in the UK was 2000. There will be a one year delay to avoid a clash with the 2012 Olympics in London.

Richard Lewis, the deputy chairman of the RLIF and executive chairman of the Rugby Football League, said: (quote) It is a great boost for rugby league in the northern hemisphere to secure the World Cup in 2013. I thought that the 2008 tournament was an outstanding success and our goal is to build on that success and to deliver a profitable tournament that further enhances the international prestige of rugby league.(end quote)

Although the RFL says the matches will be focussed around the game’s heartland areas in the north of England, it is speaking to various agencies about the possibility of staging games in London, Wales and Scotland.

The RLIF also agreed that in future, there will be no Four Nations tournament staged in the year prior to a World Cup with Test schedules between nations being developed.

The 2009 and 2011 Four Nations will be staged in England with both Australia and New Zealand hosting it in 2010 and Australia the next hosts after the World Cup in 2014.

The event would be an integral part of the so-called “golden decade” of sport in the UK, along with the 2012 Olympics in London, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 2015 Rugby World Cup and also the 2018 football World Cup, which the Football Association is hopeful of bringing to English soil.

The trophy, was taken to New Zealand by squad members Manu Vatuvei, Jerome Ropati and Evarn Tuimavave plus staff and management and then team manager Gordon Gibbons handed it to the New Zealand Rugby League Museum’s curator Don Hammond as the cup will be housed there until the next World Cup tournament in 2013.

NZRL general manager Peter Cordtz said (quote)it was important that as many New Zealanders as possible were able to see and enjoy a trophy of such significance. This success is so special not just for rugby league in New Zealand but for the whole country. We want everyone to enjoy the achievement and celebrate our win.(end Quote)

New Zealand 34 Australia 20

Scorers

New Zealand
Tries: Smith, Ropati, Hohaia, Marshall, Penalty try, Blair
Goals: Luke 3, Marshall 2
Australia
Tries: Lockyer 2, Williams, Inglis
Goals: Thurston 2

Teams

New Zealand: Hohaia, Perrett, Mannering, Ropati, Vatuvei, Marshall, Fien, Cayless, Leuluai, Blair, Fa’alogo, Harrison, Smith.
Replacements: Luke, Eastwood, Rapira, Manu.

Australia: Slater, Monaghan, Inglis, Folau, Williams, Lockyer, Thurston, Kite, Smith, Civoniceva, Laffranchi, Stewart, Gallen.
Replacements: Hunt, Fitzgibbon, Tupou, Watmough.

Referee: A Klein (Great Britain)

Scorers

New Zealand
Tries: Smith, Ropati Goals; Luke 2
Australia
Tries: Lockyer 2, Williams Goals; Thurston 2

The final is on SkySports 2 from 8:30 on Saturday 22 Nov.

Teams

Australia: Slater, Monaghan, Inglis, Folau, Williams, Lockyer (captain), Thurston; Civoniceva, Smith, Price, Stewart, Laffranchi, Gallen.
Interchange: Hunt, Fitzgibbon, Tupou, Kite.

New Zealand: Hohaia, Perrett, Mannering, Ropati, Vatuvei, Marshall, Fien; N Cayless (captain), Leuluai, Blair, Harrison, Fa’alogo, Smith.
Interchange: Luke, Eastwood, Rapira, Manu.

Officials:

Referee: Ashley Klein Touch Judges: James Childs, Steve Chiddy Video Referee: Steve Ganson

Australia 52 Fiji 0

Scorers

Australia
Tries: Gallen, Tate 2, Slater 3, Thurston 3, Inglis Goals: Thurston 6

Teams

Australia: Slater; Monaghan, Inglis, Folau, Tate; Lockyer (capt), Thurston; Civoniceva, Smith, Price, Stewart, Laffranchi, Gallen. Replacements: Hunt, Fitzgibbon, Tupou, Kite.

Fiji: Hayne; Tadulala, Naiqama (captain), Millard, Uate; Noilea, Groom; Sadrau, Sukanaveita, Vonomateiratu, Sims, Koroi, Bukuya. Replacements: Storer, Bradley-Qalilawa, Tora, Wesele.

Referee: A Klein (Great Britain)

Teams

Australia: Slater; Monaghan, Inglis, Folau, Tate; Lockyer (capt), Thurston; Civoniceva, Smith, Price, Stewart, Laffranchi, Gallen. Replacements: Hunt, Fitzgibbon, Tupou, Kite.

Fiji: Hayne; Tadulala, Naiqama (captain), Millard, Uate; Noilea, Groom; Sadrau, Sukanaveita, Vonomateiratu, Sims, Koroi, Bukuya. Replacements (from): Storer, Bradley-Qalilawa, Macilai, Tora, Naqau, Wesele (two to be omitted).