The Balkan Wars were a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defeated it, in the process stripping the Ottomans of their European provinces, leaving only Eastern Thrace under Ottoman control. In the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria fought against the other four original combatants of the first war. It also faced an attack from Romania from the north. The Ottoman Empire lost the bulk of its territory in Europe. Although not involved as a combatant, Austria-Hungary became relatively weaker as a much enlarged Serbia pushed for union of the South Slavic peoples. The war set the stage for the July crisis of 1914 and thus served as a prelude to the First World War.
The Balkans, corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whole of Bulgaria. The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, the Aegean Sea in the south, the Turkish straits in the east, and the Black Sea in the northeast. The northern border of the peninsula is variously defined. The highest point of the Balkans is Musala, 2,925 metres (9,596 ft), in the Rila mountain range, Bulgaria.
Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Greece, southern Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, southern France, Spain, Turkey, and Vatican City.
The Greece national rugby league team represents Greece in rugby league. The team has been participating in international competition since 2003.
The Serbia national rugby league team represents Serbia in the sport of rugby league football. They have competed in international competition since 2003 under the administration of the Serbian Rugby League.
Rugby league is a team sport that is relatively new to Greece.
The Kosovo national football team represents Kosovo in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Football Federation of Kosovo, the governing body for football in Kosovo, and is under the jurisdiction of FIFA globally.
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's population of 1.83 million. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians and a few other minorities.
The Philippines national rugby league team represent the Philippines in international rugby league football matches. They were established in 2011. In their short history the Tamaraws have been relatively successful, being repeated Asian Cup winners and regularly participating in the Cabramatta International 9s rugby league tournament.
The Denmark national rugby league team represents Denmark in the sport of rugby league.
The France women's national rugby league team, also known as the Chanticleers or locally as Les Tricolores, represents France in women's rugby league. They are administered by the French Rugby League Federation. With a victory over Serbia on 22 June 2024, France qualified for the 2026 Women's Rugby League World Cup.
The Balkans Cup is a rugby league football tournament for Balkan nations. It was first held in 2014, with Serbia, Greece, Hungary and Bosnia each playing against a random first round opponent, then the losing teams contesting the 3rd place match, and the winning teams battling it out in the Grand Final. Greece were crowned inaugural Balkans Cup winners. The Balkans Cup is contested biennially with four teams and the most recent one was held in 2017, with Bulgaria joining the competition. It is run by the Rugby League European Federation.
The Bosnia national rugby league team represents Bosnia and Herzegovina in the sport of rugby league football and have been participating in international competition since 2014.
Rugby league is played in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which now has over 1000 registered players nationwide, many of which are juniors. These numbers are rapidly increasing each year.
Rugby union in Montenegro is a minor but growing sport. The game has only recently been developed in the country since its independence in 2006. The governing body is the Montenegrin Rugby Union which was accepted as a member of Rugby Europe at the 2014 convention held in Split, Croatia. It is affiliated with World Rugby since 2024.
The Kosovo women's national football team represents Kosovo in international women's football and is controlled by the Football Federation of Kosovo.
The Turkey national rugby league team represents Turkey in international rugby league. The team played their first match in 2018.
A list of men and women international rugby league matches played throughout 2022 and does not include wheelchair rugby league international matches. A † denotes a recognised, but unofficial match that did not contribute to the IRL World Rankings.
Bulgaria 8 - 68 Greece 
Malta 78 - 0 Bulgaria 
