New Zealand has offered to come to the International Rugby League’s rescue as it weighs up the possibility of stepping in to co-host the 2025 World Cup, with Australia saying it is “ready for any situation” over the next few years.
Plans for the quadrennial tournament were thrown into turmoil on Tuesday when France pulled out of hosting duties amid concerns in the country over the financial viability of the event.
It leaves the IRL scrambling to find a new host with just over two years to go before kick-off, or face the possibility of postponing the tournament until 2026.
The New Zealand Rugby League on Tuesday expressed interest in taking over from France alongside Australia, as the two nations did in 2017.
“We are exploring the possibility of a southern hemisphere RLWC as an alternative to France 2025,” NZRL chief executive Greg Peters said. “We’re keen to work with ARLC to host the tournament in New Zealand and Australia and have started the conversations.
“Bringing the international tournament down under is an exciting proposition not only for the fans but our Indigenous and Pasifika communities.”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo would not be drawn on whether Australia would throw its hat into the ring, but admitted the Australian Rugby League Commission had been prepared for the French bid to run into problems.
“In terms of World Cups, it’s a bit premature to talk about that, but needless to say we’ll be ready for any situation that unfolds over the next couple of years,” Abdo said at the NRL’s Indigenous round launch on Tuesday.
“I’ve been across the issues for a while now. France 2025 was alway going to be a great opportunity for us to grow the game in Europe and particularly in France, but it wasn’t without challenge or risk and it required a few things to go the way of IRL.
“It’s too premature to comment on just exactly what we do next. But having said that we have been anticipating some of the challenges and we are working on mitigation plan to make sure international content is played over the next five years.
“Beyond the Rugby League World Cup in 2025, the Commission and everyone in the game is really united around how we revive and invest in international football.
“It’s disappointing for us not to have the certainty of France 2025. But having said that we believe in international football and we believe in a five-year plan to really grow international football
“If we’re not playing a World Cup in France there are plenty of other really good opportunities to showcase our game.”
Any new host nation would be the third to have been awarded hosting rights for the next edition of international rugby league’s biggest event. France was in the frame after the US and Canada, the original co-hosts, withdrew in 2018, ending plans to take the tournament out of Europe and Oceania for the first time.
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France announced its own withdrawal after the French government’s demands for a guarantee over the economic viability of the event were unable to be met.
Troy Grant, the chair of the IRL, said the tournament in France “was always an ambitious project” but the impact of the economic crisis meant the bid team were unable to satisfy the government’s strict conditional benchmarks.
“I respect the French government’s decision amid the challenges they are facing but I can’t hide my disappointment,” Grant said. “Despite our focus having been on France, we will now accelerate our consideration of other contingency options.”
France will still host the 2023 rugby union World Cup later this year.
The IRL will now convene at a board meeting to consider alternatives to France 2025, which was to be the biggest in the tournament’s history. Sixteen teams were expected to play across 40 venues in the men’s competition, with women’s, wheelchair and youth events also included.
Australia, the 12-time and reigning world champions after beating 2021 hosts England, last hosted a World Cup in 2017, along with New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The trans-Tasman rivals have co-hosted three times since the tournament’s inception in 1954, with Australia involved in a total of six events.
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