The Rugby League European Championship (formerly known as the European Cup and European Nations Cup) 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 tournament for European national teams that was first held in 1935. Originally, the European Cup had three teams, with

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

each playing each other once. Unlike the Tri-Nations series, there was no final; the team finishing at the top of the group was deemed the winner. From 1949 to 1956, a fourth Other Nationalities team entered the European Cup. In 2003 the tournament rights were acquired 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 saw an expansion of the tournament reflecting the then recent growth of the sport across Europe.

History

1935–1996: Original competition

The Rugby League European Championships was originally a tri-nations tournament between

, and

playing each other in a single round robin. The tournament was played annually, with the exception of the years of the Second World War. In 1946–47, the tournament was altered, with each team playing each other twice, home and away. The 1949–50 tournament saw return to single round robin format. The tournament also saw the Other Nationalities team brought out of hiatus for the first time since the 1930s. This team consisted of players who were not English, Welsh, or French playing in the British and French leagues. The 1955–56 tournament had no Welsh team, though Welsh players featured for Other Nationalities. The tournament was not played again until 1969–70, and not again until 1975 with the original three-team format. The tournament stayed as part of the calendar until 1981 where it was again cancelled thereafter, but saw a final revival in 1995 and 1996.

2003–2006: Nations Cup era and RLEF control

In 2003, the

Rugby League European Federation 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 ...

gained rights to the tournament and revived it under the name European Nations Cup. This saw the addition of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and

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with teams being split into two groups of three with the group winners competing in the final. The same format and teams featured in 2004. The 2005 tournament saw

withdraw as a result of reduced competitiveness of the expanded tournament. A qualification tournament was held to find a team to replace England which saw

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

beat

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and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

to earn the place. The tournament again when on hiatus with plans to reform the top tier. 2006 saw the introduction of a B and C tournament as a result of the increased number of rugby league playering nations in Europe.

2009–2018: European Cup era

The tournament returned in 2009 under the name European Cup under the same format as 2006 but with

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

replacing Russia and Georgia. France were absence from the 2009 edition due being invited to the

2009 Rugby League Four Nations The 2009 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (officially known as the Gillette (brand), Gillette Four Nations due to sponsorship) was the first Rugby League Four Nations since its expansion from the Rugby League Tri-Nations, Tri-Nations tournamen ...

. Poor performance from both newcomers would see the 2010 tournament reduced to four teams: France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales under a single round robin reminiscent of the original tournament and played every two years. Wales won the tournament, thus qualified for the

2011 Rugby League Four Nations The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (also known as the 2011 Gillette Rugby League Four Nations due to sponsorship by Gillette), was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament, and was played in England and Wales durin ...

. The 2012 tournament provided problems for the new biennial schedule. France and Wales opted out of the tournament, wanting stronger tests in preparation for the

2013 Rugby League World Cup The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth World Cup for men’s national rugby league teams. It took place between the 26 October and 30 November and was hosted by England and Wales (although some games were played in France and Ire ...

, and arranged a separate tri-nations tournament with England. Italy and England reserves were asked to replace France and Wales though travel issues prevented Italy from participating. England reserves won the tournament. The usual format was restored for the 2014 tournament which was won by Scotland, who as a result qualified for the

2016 Rugby League Four Nations The 2016 Rugby League Four Nations tournament (known as the 2016 Ladbrokes Four Nations, for sponsorship purposes) was the fifth staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England in October and November. The series was c ...

. Learning from 2012, the 2016 tournament was held a year prior so as to not interfere with preparations for the 2017 World Cup. The 2018 tournament acted as the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup European qualification tournament.

2020–present: Promotion and relegation era

The Rugby League European Federation announced changes for the 2020 tournament with promotion and relegation between each tier of the tournament for first and last place teams respectfully. The tournament was also expanded to include a D tier as well. The 2020 European Championship was to consist of six teams with one team being relegated to Euro B. In July 2020, the 2020 edition of the tournament was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The next tournament, scheduled for 2022 but pushed back to

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

due to the postponement of the

2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received � ...

due to the

, was also cancelled due to the late withdrawal of France hosting the

2025 Rugby League World Cup The 2025 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2025) was a planned collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league which was replaced by the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. Like 2021, the 2025 World Cup was to have run a men's, women's and wheelchai ...

as it could no longer be used as the European qualification tournament. This edition was set to feature a mass expansion of the tournament, featuring eight teams and the return of

. This edition would have also seeen Euro C and D cancelled due to all teams moving up divisions in the expanded tournament. 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

Team appearances

Results

Championship era (1935–1996)

Nations Cup era (2003–2005)

European Cup era (2009–2018)

Summary

Notes

References

External links

Rugby League International Federation
{{International Rugby League European championships in rugby league 1935 establishments in Europe Recurring sporting events established in 1935