The European Championship B (formerly the European Shield), is a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

football competition. The competition is organised by the

European Rugby League The European Rugby League (ERL) (previously Rugby League European Federation (RLEF)) is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe. In the absence of other continental federations, ERL also controls ru ...

and is the second tier of the European Championship competition. It was first held in 2006 as the Central Europe Development Tri-Nations.

History

The competition was first held in 2006 under the name of Central Europe Development Tri Nations, with the aim of developing teams in central and eastern Europe. Up until 2009 the competition was made up of only three teams, until it was expanded in 2010 to six teams split into two conferences - East and West. In 2011 the competition was reverted back to three teams with Norway and Malta making their debuts. The competition was expanded again the year after though with four teams playing in winter between 2012–13. This was repeated again in the 2014–15 edition of the competition and was used for qualification for the 2017 World Cup. The 2018 competition was the last year of its current incarnation after a two-year hiatus. In 2020, it was announced promotion and relegation would be introduced with three teams in each division, expanding to six for 2023, with the top team being promoted and the bottom relegated. In March 2025, the

(ERL) announced the return of the tournament for Euro B, C, and D, with the competition returning to a three team per division competition. Competing nations were reseaded based off

Rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

, with the 2025 and 2026 tournaments confirmed. The ERL stated its aim to restart Euro A in 2027 following the

2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup The 2026 Men's Rugby League World Cup will be the seventeenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup, and will be one of three major tournaments part of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. The competition was to be held in October and November 202 ...

, with the top European teams unable to join earlier due to commitments in the qualification tournament for the World Cup.https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2510/three-tier-mens-european-rugby-league-ch

History

Team appearances

Results

Summary

See also

Notes

References

External links