List of Rugby League World Cup opening matches

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England fans ahead of the opening game of the 2021 World Cup at St James' Park England @St James Park.jpg
England fans ahead of the opening game of the 2021 World Cup at St James' Park

The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition established in 1954. The tournament has taken place fifteen times in irregular intervals, [1] however the tournament is currently happening every four years.

Contents

The opening match is the first match of the tournament and usually it has a ceremony to go with it. Often, it features the host nation.

List of opening matches

Italics denotes host nation.

YearWinning TeamFinal scoreLosing TeamVenueLocationAttendanceReferencesNotes
1954 France  Flag of France.svg22–13Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Parc des Princes Paris, France 13,240 Report
1957 Great Britain  Flag of the United Kingdom.svg23–5Flag of France.svg  France Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney, Australia 50,077 Report
1960 Great Britain  Flag of the United Kingdom.svg23–8Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Odsal Stadium Bradford, England 20,577 Report [lower-alpha 1]
Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg13–12Flag of France.svg  France Central Park Wigan, England 20,278 Report
1968 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg25–10Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney, Australia 62,256 Report
1970 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg47–11Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Central Park Wigan, England 9,805 Report
1972 France  Flag of France.svg15–10Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Stade Vélodrome Marseille, France 20,748 Report
1975 France  Flag of France.svg14–7Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales Stadium de Toulouse Toulouse, France 7,563 Report
1977 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg27–12Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Carlaw Park Auckland, New Zealand 18,000 Report
1985–1988 New Zealand  Flag of New Zealand.svg18–0Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Carlaw Park Auckland, New Zealand 15,327 Report
1989–1992 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg22–14Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand Mount Smart Stadium Auckland, New Zealand 15,000 Report
1995 England  Flag of England.svg20–16Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Wembley Stadium (1923) London, England 41,271 Report
2000 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg22–2Flag of England.svg  England Twickenham Stadium London, England 33,758 Report
2008 England  Flag of England.svg32–22Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea Willows Sports Complex Townsville, Australia 10,780 Report [lower-alpha 2]
2013 Italy  Flag of Italy.svg32–16Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales Millennium Stadium Cardiff, Wales 45,052 Report [lower-alpha 3]
2017 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg18–4Flag of England.svg  England Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Melbourne, Australia 22,724 Report
2021 England  Flag of England.svg60–6Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa St James' Park Newcastle upon Tyne, England 43,199 Report

Notes

  1. Two matches were played at the same time on the opening day.
  2. The opening ceremony was held the following day before a double header, with the matches being Indigenous Dreamtime 34–26 New Zealand Maori (not a tournament match) and Australia 30–6 New Zealand at the Sydney Football Stadium.
  3. This was the first match in a double header with Australia 28–20 England being the other match.

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References

  1. "Rugby League World Cup | History & Winners". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-03-26.