Wheelchair rugby league is a wheelchair-based version of rugby league football, one of two recognised disability versions of the sport. It was developed in France in 2000. Unlike other wheelchair sports, people without disabilities are allowed to compete in top-level competition. [1] The sport is also unique in the fact that men and women of any age can play against each other in top-level competition.
Wheelchair rugby league was developed by French rugby league players and coaches, Robert Fassolette and Wally Salvan, in 2000. [2] [3] [4] The first competition was played by three teams, Vichy, Roanne and Beauvais, as part of a French Téléthon. [4] Meetings establishing the official rules of the sport took place in 2002. [5] The sport spread to the south of France with the establishment of teams from Perpignan, Cahors, and Montauban in 2004, [4] and internationally after a tour by a French team to Australia [6] and an exhibition match played in England in 2005. [7] In May 2006, the RLIF accepted a proposal by France to endorse wheelchair rugby league [8] and a month later the first test match was played between France and a touring Great Britain team. [9] The first international between England and France took place in 2007 and the following year the inaugural World Cup was held in Australia. [7]
From its inception, until very recently, the top level of the sport was played no differently to other levels of the game. All matches took place in community sports halls, including international games, often with no-one in attendance. [10] In 2013, the venue for the World Cup, Medway Park, had a crowd capacity of 500. [11] However, following the 2021 World Cup (played in 2022), where the competition was given equal prominence with the men's and women's game, [12] [13] the popularity of the sport, both during and after the tournament, exploded. Games of the 2021 tournament, and following matches, have since been played in major areas in countries such as Australia, France, and the United Kingdom, often with several thousand in attendance. In the year following the 2021 World Cup, participation of the sport also rose by 71%. [10]
In March 2024, wheelchair rugby league's first ever varsity fixture was played between Brunel University London and St Mary's University, Twickenham. [14]
New Zealand made their international debut on 1 November 2024, marking the tenth nation to participate in the sport at international level. [15]
There are only nine countries with national wheelchair rugby league teams registered with the International Rugby League.
| Official rankings as of June 2024 | |||
| Rank | Change | Team | Pts % |
| 1 |  |  England | 100 |
| 2 | |  France | 89 |
| 3 | |  Australia | 61 |
| 4 |  1 |  Ireland | 49 |
| 5 |  1 |  Wales | 47 |
| 6 | |  Scotland | 38 |
| 7 | 1 |  United States | 27 |
| 8 | 1 |  Spain | 23 |
| 9 | |  Italy | 0 |
| Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT | |||
The game shares many features with the regular rugby league: [16]
The game then sees its own particular rules:
The inaugural Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup was held at indoor venues in Sydney, Australia in 2008.
The 2013 Wheelchair RL World Cup was held in Gillingham, England in July. It saw a tightly fought game with big collisions culminate in a victory for France.
The 2017 World Cup was held in the south of France in July. The holders, France, triumphed over a strong England side in another tightly fought contest.
The 2021 World Cup (played in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) took place in England with 8 teams, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, USA and Australia. For the USA this was to be their first major tournament. England defeated France 28–24 in the final in Manchester with an attendance of 4,526, the largest in the sport's history. [19] Also, in a world first, all matches were broadcast by the BBC.
| Year | Host nation(s) | Teams | Final result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | |||
| 2008 | Sydney, Australia | 4 | England | 44–12 | Australia |
| 2013 [20] | Gillingham, England | 6 | France | 42–40 [21] | England |
| 2017 | France | 7 | France | 38–34 | England |
| 2021 | England | 8 | England | 28–24 [22] | France |
The Wheelchair Rugby League European Championship was first held in 2015 as a one off tournament. It is expected to occur every four years from 2023.
| Year | Host nation(s) | Teams | Final result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Runner-up | |||
| 2015 | Gillingham, England | 5 | England | 28–24 | France |
The Celtic Cup has been held annually since 2015 and features the three Celtic nations of the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
The Fassolette-Kielty Trophy is a challenge competition between England and France, and is played for during all non-tournament tests.
ARL [23] FFR [24] 
RFL [25] SRL [26] WRL [27]  |
The British domestic league is one of the more established in the world with over twenty teams from across the country taking part. They feature in the RFL Wheelchair Super League, Championship League and then regional development leagues. Teams in Britain include: [25]
As with the running variant of the sport, most of the French wheelchair rugby league teams are situated in the south of the country. A list of clubs include: [24]
Unlike the running game, the Scottish league is not integrated into the British rugby league system, however the teams have played in the all Great Britain Wheelchair Challenge Cup.
The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in England. Founded in 1895 as the Northern Rugby Football Union following 22 clubs resigning from the Rugby Football Union, it changed its name in 1922 to the Rugby Football League.
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. The IRL organises the Rugby League World Cup, the oldest international rugby World Cup, as well as the Women's and Wheelchair equivalent.
Rugby league is played across England but is most popular in Northern England, especially Yorkshire and Lancashire where the game originated. These areas are the heartland of rugby league. The sport is also popular in Cumbria where the amateur game is particularly powerful.
Rugby league is a sport played in Wales. The governing body of the game in Wales is the Wales Rugby League.
Rugby league has been played in France since 1934. As with rugby union, rugby league was introduced by the English and the heartland of the game is in the south of France.
Wales Rugby League is the national governing body for rugby league football in Wales.
Women's rugby league is the female-only version of rugby league.
The Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup is an international wheelchair rugby league tournament contested by the top national teams. The tournament was first held in Australia as part of the 2008 Festival of World Cups and was upgraded to a centrepiece event in 2021.
Rugby league is played across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but its heartland in parts of Northern England is where the sport is most popular, and is where the majority of professional clubs are based. The sport was first established in the George Hotel, Huddersfield, where 22 clubs split from the Rugby Football Union to form the Northern Rugby Football Union.
The 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup was the 16th Rugby League World Cup, and one of three major tournaments of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in England from 15 October 2022 to 19 November 2022. It was originally due to be held between 23 October 2021 and 27 November 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent withdrawals of Australia and New Zealand caused the tournament to be postponed. 16 teams competed in the tournament, an increase of two from the previous two tournaments and the first to feature 16 teams since the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.
The England national wheelchair rugby league team represents England in wheelchair rugby league. The team have played in all four World Cup tournaments, winning both the inaugural competition in 2008 and the 2021 edition on home soil, and being runners up in both 2013 and 2017. They also won the 2015 European Rugby League Championship.
The Wales national wheelchair rugby league team represents Wales in wheelchair rugby league. They have competed at the World Cup, the European Championships and several tournaments within the British Isles, such as the Celtic Cup and Four Nations competitions.
Rugby league is an increasingly popular sport for women in Great Britain.
The Elite 1 Wheelchair Championship is the highest level of wheelchair rugby league in France.
The Fassolette-Kielty Trophy is a trophy awarded in wheelchair rugby league. Inaugurated in 2012, the trophy is competed for between the national teams of England and France. The trophy is not awarded when the two countries meet in the World Cup or another international trophy. The current holders are France who won the most recent encounter on 23 November 2024.
The 2017 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup was the third staging of the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held from 20 July to 28 July 2017 and was originally planned to be held in Sydney, Australia, as part of the 2017 Festival of World Cups but was relocated to France. The tournament was won by France who defeated England 38–34 in the final in Perpignan to retain the title.
The Australia national wheelchair rugby league team represent Australia in wheelchair rugby league. The team have played at all four World Cup tournaments and were finalists in the inaugural competition in 2008.
The European Club Challenge is a single match wheelchair rugby league competition played between the previous season's British Super League and French Elite 1 champions. The competition was established in 2023 and is similar in concept to the World Club Challenge in the running game.
The Halifax Panthers Wheelchair Rugby League Football Club are an English wheelchair rugby league club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire. The club competes in the RFL Wheelchair Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. The club was formed in 2005.
The France national wheelchair rugby league team represents France in wheelchair rugby league. The team have played in all four World Cup tournaments, finishing third in the inaugural competition in 2008 tournament before finishing as championns in both 2013 and 2017. They finished as runners-up in 2021 and also finished runners-up in the 2015 European Rugby League Championship.
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