’The Rooster is going to sing again’: France to host the 2025 Rugby League Cup
’The Rooster you can see on top of the trophy is going to sing again in 2025" Jean Castex, Prime Minister of France - It’s now official - the Rugby League World Cup will be held in France in 2025!
There will be 128 matches played in the four competitions during October and November 2025, with medium-sized cities to host the vast majority of matches and the semi-finals and finals to be played in big cities, such as Paris, Marseilles, Lyon and Toulouse.
This 17th edition of the World Cup is meant to be the most inclusive yet with 64 teams taking part in 40 cities. France will also host the Rugby union World Cup in 2023 and rugby will be present at the 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games for the Paris Olympic Ga;es in 2024.
Did you know? It is in France that rugby league was born in 1895. It was also in France that the first idea of a Rugby League World Cup was raised in 1934. At that time the idea was to have France, England, Wales and Australia meet.