The Rugby League European Championship (formerly known as the European Cup and European Nations Cup) is a rugby league football tournament for European national teams that was first held in 1935.
Originally, the European Cup had three teams, with England, Wales and France each playing each other once. Unlike the Tri-Nations series, there was no final; the team finishing at the top of the group was deemed the winner. From 1949 to 1956, a fourth Other Nationalities team entered the European Cup.
From 2003 to 2009, the tournament featured six teams, and the presence of a final. Between 2014 and 2018, the European Championship was reduced to four teams. 2020 saw a massive expansion with promotion and relegation introduced.
History
1935–1996: Original competition
The French captain, Georges Ailleres, carried on his teammates' shoulders after a win against England during the 1969-70 tournament.
The Rugby League European Championships was originally a tri-nations tournament between England, Wales, and France playing each other in a single round robin. The tournament was played annually, with the exception of the years of the Second World War.
In 1946–47, the tournament was altered, with each team playing each other twice, home and away.
The 1949–50 season saw a return to playing only once, but a new team, "Other Nationalities", was added. This team consisted of players who were not English, Welsh, or French playing in the British and French leagues.
The 1955–56 tournament had no Welsh team, though Welsh players featured for Other Nationalities.
The tournament was not played again until 1969–70, and not again until 1975 with the original three-team format.
The tournament was cancelled again after the 1981 tournament, but it was revived again under the same format for 1995 and 1996.
2003–2009: Nations Cup era and RLEF control
In 2003, the tournament was revamped under the control of the Rugby League European Federation.[1] This saw the inclusion of Scotland, Ireland, and Russia. The tournament came with a new structure of two groups of three, with the winner of each group meeting in a final. This structure was continued for the 2004 tournament.
From 2004 Scotland, Ireland, and Wales had to have at least four 'domestic based' players from their domestic competitions (in the case of Wales and Scotland this means Welsh clubs playing in the RLC Welsh Premier Division and RLC Scottish Premier) in their squad.
The 2005 tournament did not include England as a participant. Georgia won the first ever European Nations qualifying tournament in 2005, beating both Serbia and the Netherlands to win a spot in the tournament.
2006 saw the introduction of a B and C tournament.[1]
2010–2018: European Cup era
The 2010 and 2014 tournaments were used to choose the team that compete with Australia, New Zealand and England in the subsequent Four Nations. Starting in 2018, the tournament is being used as a part of the qualification process for the Rugby League World Cup.
2020–present: Promotion and relegation era
The Rugby League European Federation announced changes for the 2020 tournament with promotion and relegation between each tier of the tournament for first and last place teams respectfully. The tournament was also expanded to include a D tier as well. The 2020 European Championship was to consist of six teams with one team being relegated to Euro B. In July 2020, the 2020 edition of the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
The next tournament, scheduled for 2022 but pushed back to 2023 due to the postponement of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, was also cancelled due to the late withdrawal of France hosting the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.[3] This edition was set to feature a mass expansion of the tournament, featuring eight teams and the return of England. This edition would also see Euro C and D cancelled due to all teams moving up divisions in the expanded tournament.[4][5]
^The 2020 tournaments were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Euro B and D took place in 2021, while Euro C took place in 2022. Euro A did not take place as teams were competing in the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup. Expansion for 2023 meant that some teams were promoted despite not winning their competition.
^Between 2005 and 2021 England did not compete in the European Championship, instead favouring the Four Nations.
^Ukraine played in both Euro B and Euro C in 2020.
2023 Rugby League European Championship
France (9th title)
England (14 titles)_-_53Fi549.jpg)
