The best thing that happened for Greek Rugby League was to make the last Rugby League World Cup. We knew that they wouldn't win anything but we celebrated every mile stone as if it was a cup victory. As a result, the game experienced growth domestically as did support from Greeks around the world. Terrible news and a slap in the face for all those who have been working so hard to get back there.
100%. What confuses me so much is how people like you and I can see that - but the people in charge of the game cannot. Greece have a huge potential to successfully combine domestic players with heritage players (Lachlan Ilias, Peter Mamuzelos, Billy Magoulias), but they’ve taken away that chance for seemingly no reason
@@TheLeaguie say in like 20/25 years in a fantasy land how cool would it be to have a rugby league euro league with a Rome team Amsterdam team or another Dutch city (sorry don’t know many) and Athens team along with a Edinburgh and Glasgow teams plus others
@@stelpanagakos2520 That's exactly the kind of thing I think about. It isn't impossible. What's likely is that those cities join the Super League but unfortunately as we saw with the Toronto Wolfpack, there's a lot of resistance from fans of the traditional clubs there to expanding their league.
From the uk here and when I heard this news I was furious. The last World Cup was great and I was really looking forward to the next one but this IRL decision was mind boggling
Awesome to have a viewer from the UK! And yeah I agree completely. I want to assume the best intentions but the fact they’ve made a backwards decision and haven’t justified it is a huge concern
I legit thought League was going to have a rise in world sport like none ever seen before after SAMOA of all countries defeated England in the last world cup Semi.......all they had to do was carry that momentum over..........Not only have they failed in doing that, but they've gone backwards.
While I can’t relate (as I was born in NZ) i think that the players that have worked their backsides off just to grow their nation to get into the World Cup have just been slapped in the face. It’s honestly disgraceful that the international rugby league got rid of 6 nations. Yeah sure it will probably be one of the most competitive world cups but a World Cup is about celebrating how many countries play our great game. People who want to grow the game in their countries who aren’t really affiliated with rugby league deserve some sort of recognition. Great vid btw
So then why not make it 32 countries if competitiveness doesn't matter? It devalues the WC if there's too many non-competitive nations. Rugby Union has only been having 20 teams in their WC and is far more widespread internationally.
Think of a World Cup in any given sport. It's unlikely that any more than 5 countries, at best 10, would be any chance of winning. Even the most global of sports, soccer, which will see 48 teams in it's next World Cup has only ever been won by one of eight teams. They understand that it's not just about finding out who is best, but also seeing your sport played by those all over the world. And growing it.
@@paemataxviii4776 Think of a World Cup in any given sport. It's likely that most countries will have players that were born in that country or at least lived in it. League has players who have never even set foot in the country they "represent".
Absolutely agree with you Leaguie. At the very least, we should have had a parallel 'Plate' competition for the minnows going on at the same time, with double headers, potentially played in Country locations.
It is a disgrace how little the leaders care on growing the game internationally especially the big potential in the future that would be bigger than state of origin. As a Greek born in Australia it was such a proud moment to see them playing especially in the scenes in Athens
I’ve said for a long time that Tonga v Samoa can be an origin-calibre game within 5 years. It’s got so much potential. But even at levels below that - I think you’re right. I want to assume the best intentions but to see the governing body make such a backward decision and not justify it is… concerning
@@TheLeaguie 100% agree with your comment. Tonga vs Samoa was massive, here in Australia we have a lot of Samoans and Tongans and that match was FUCKING HUGE!!!!!!! Like I have never seen so many Tongan and Samoan flags in my life, everywhere I went I heard "Toa Samoa" it was crazy. I wish they would rethink their decision.
Rugby League is reducing the size of their world cup from 16 to 10 teams while Rugby Union is in the process of increasing the size of their world cup from 20 to 24 teams. I still remember watching a Rugby Union World Cup match at The Lowenbrau where Australia beat Namibia 142-0
Thanks for shining a light on this issue. Many of us NRL supporters would have very little understanding of how the game operates at a local level throughout Europe. I agree, by drastically reducing the number of eligible nations they are striking a fatal blow to many developing RL nations that see the RL World Cup as their ultimate goal. I agree, many of these teams may not be ready to compete on the same level as say, England, France and Italy but, as you point out, its not just about the scoreboard. How can we hope to grow the game internationally if we don't provide these burgeoning RL nations with a chance to compete internationally?
I started following the NRL around RLWC2021 (2022) and was fascinated by the different countries there were playing RL and how many Australians were playing for foreign countries. Shows how wonderfully multicultural. I was disappointed France pulled out of hosting the next World Cup. I had already saw they’d reduced the comp to 10 teams, 8 quarterfinalists and then the top 2 of a qualifying tournament of which Cook Islands, South Africa and Jamaica have already gone straight into. It loses a lot that some good rugby league countries don’t even have the chance to qualify. I really hope the 2026 cup doesn’t go to 3 groups 1 of 4 and 2 of 3, literally a joke.
You’re a fantastic example of those obscure countries bringing in new fans. The Jamaica Reggae Warriors are etched into rugby league folklore now - and yet under the current system they wouldn’t have ever made the WC. It’s absurd
I was thinking the same thing the reduced the numbers at ICC WC 19 and 23 but then increased the numbers again for 27. A reduction might save on costs but it reduces revenue because sport is about content and you have the ip on that content so it keeps making you revenue well inot the future. Less teams less matches equals less content and lower value for braodcasting rights etc. I think it wa pressure from clubs to reduce participants so they could reduce the number of their players playing in their post season. But World Rugby just increased the numbers in RWC to 24 and that will have an effect. OZ can spend 600 mil on a NRL franchise in PNG but not a World Cup how contradictory is that.
Ngl I don't really see International Rugby League taking off anytime soon. If you look at countries who have such a big rugby heritage like France, South Africa, etc. with rugby union being such a bigger and global sport it's hard to retain talent from grassroots. Like if we look we at the French club rugby league competition, it's almost like non-existent as it's not as big as compared to the Top 14. But, I really hope IRL gets back on it's feet soon as the competition started before the Rugby World Cup.
I don’t disagree. But there’s no point sitting around and justifying inaction by saying it won’t take off soon. Otherwise it’ll become a self-fulfilling prophecy. And either way - whether the chances of it taking off soon are high or not… it’s the IRL’s responsibility to do everything it can to make it take off
Such a huge step back, exposure of Rugby League around the world is crucial to the future of the sport. I also believe Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad could play for Norway too.
As a Cook Islander myself, hearing you mention our small nation and use it as an example was heartwarming to hear. The Cook Islands have been developing and improving every year and reducing the number of teams competing is disappointing and leaves many opportunities for rising nations to progress and improve.
Fortunately for you guys - you’ll likely remain in the top 10 and therefore still be able to regularly participate. But you’ll cop more criticism now being one of the lowest ranked teams in the tournament
At a time when other sports are growing their World Cups Rugby League is decreasing it's baffling. Association Football going from 32 to 48, Rugby Union going from 20 to 24 and Cricket going from 10 to 14. Why are we going backwards.
Great video, really hoped this wasn't the case when there was rumours about the drop in teams after the last comp but it's a seriously disgusting decision
As someone who’s Maltese & we were the best ranked team last WC that didn’t qualify so we had the hope of qualifying for the next 1 this is disappointing even now we can’t qualify for the women’s 1 even tho we qualified for the next round because they made the teams competing shortened it’s disappointing it’s our national sport in Malta yes football may be popular but we have a lot more & a lot better rugby league players
@@TheLeaguie agreed i’d love to see him represent Malta at a World Cup it’s impossible now the limit on teams but reckon he could definitely get a try or 2 against some of the teams more on our level
@@JamesSant1 Mate, I would love to see Malta giving it their all at the WC. I wish they would expand the roster to 30 teams. Would be fantastic. I know NZ, England and Aus would be favourites, but damn it would be entertaining seeing all of the other teams compete.
The problem is according to Tony Kemp, that Australia provided more than 180 players to other countries in the RLWC. Most on Ireland, Wales and Scotland team were made up of English. Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Cook Islands are nearly born in NZ or Aussie. The problem is grassroots rugby league has never been established anyway and when it comes time for RLWC teams are dependent on how many Aussies that get on their team. You can't have a WC when the majority of people don't even live or play in the countries they represent. The public will not buy it regardless of all the marketing and hype....
I can see why they did it, to avoid the Tier 1 teams from playing cannon fodder, but at the same time most of the cannon fodder is getting players who are atleast a Qcup, NSWCup level too, there needs to be more games where they can play together though other then just the WC which is what mostly happens.
Mate I would be happy even if they had 2 level tourneys.......1 it would bring more eyes to the world stage and 2 it would give so many countries the chance to compete. Have tier 1 and the best tier 2 countries compete in the tier 1 tourney, then have the rest of the tier 2 and the qualifiers of tier 3 compete in the tier 2 tourney. That way we have a distinguished country winner and an up and comer winner. It would be magnificent for the game and bring so many eyes to the game. I could book this shit in my sleep and do better than the actual organisers.
They should do a play-in tourney like cricket does. Less stompings, find the best of the minnows at that time and place, also provide valuable experience and make sure the worst teams are already warmed up by the time they play the big boys.
As long as it's under the World Cup banner, and maybe 1-2 of the teams can qualify for the World Cup knockouts, then I think it's a good idea. If it's a seperate tournament running at the same time as the RLWC, I fear nobody will be interested in it
You are spot on. Personally I don’t think reducing the amount of teams was the answer but changing the format would have been suffice. I also think that having solely NZ as host could have worked too
Thanks mate - yeah I agree with that. Especially given that this tournament was meant to be played in France, NZ would’ve been nice to still somewhat grow the game
10 team tournament makes sense given the depth of talent globally. The emerging nations can have an emerging nations World Cup. Also, consider the financial burden on someone like Netherlands whose amateur players will need to take a month off work, etc.
Unfortunately I don’t think an emerging nations World Cup would be viable - because I don’t think anyone would watch it if it isn’t under the full ‘World Cup’ banner. As for the financial burdens of players, it’s a consideration but I’d be very surprised if more than a couple of them said no to a RLWC because they can’t get time off work
I definitely agree with you. I guess context matters, the decision was made last year after France pulled out and the IRL decided to reduce it to ten since they lost money at the last world cup so it was more financial reasons and not led by the complaining fans (there's an article on the IRL in about August last year) Either way the decision is extremely disappointing as you've said many teams Netherlands, Greece and Jamaica who have all done extremely well in recent years. Also since they only allow full member nations teams that you mentioned like the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland and Italy aren't even allowed to qualify. At this stage it's down to just France, Serbia, Wales, Ukraine, Cook Islands, South Africa and Jamaica.
Yep. What leaves me unsatisfied about that explanation is that the NRL are currently boasting record profits, and they’re the ones hosting this tournament. If the IRL don’t have the money to pay for another 6 teams (who I suspect would be prepared to pay for themselves), I’d expect the nrl to use what’d be a tiny fraction of those profits to host a full tournament
Troy Grant runs the international rugby league. And yep - it is about money. But it seems the likes of the NRL (who have the money to back this) are prioritising their short term interests over the sport’s long term interests here
League is a club game played in a couple of states in Australia. It is only around 15 years younger than Rugby and has had just about as long as Rugby to grow. Ask yourself, why isn't it as big as Rugby? Because Rugby is the far superior game obviously.
Nope. Not to mention that the two sports are the same age - they had the same origin. Rugby Union has traditionally been better run, and is culturally ingrained in places like NZ, SA, and even the UK. The biggest sport on earth is soccer. Do you think that’s the most entertaining sport in the world?
@@TheLeaguie I suppose I could use your excuse on why Soccer is bigger than Rugby - "has traditionally been better run, and is culturally ingrained in places like....."
Agree with everything you said. They want to grow the game globally however they're stopping it from growing. So sad as I'd love to see Netherlands, Croatia and USA play.
Wait til you find out about how quickly the grassroots are dying in the country in Australia. The game is going backwards in some areas, the Barwon Darling League (Bourke, Walgett & District) only played a 4-game season this year. That same competition was playong 10 games just a few years ago, and was playing 15 games with two grades in 1982 (they only have one now). They can't see past the professional domestic game...
I’m going to make a video on country footy in the coming week or so. If there’s anything specifically you think I should address, feel free to message me @TheLeaguie on Instagram or X
Really well presented and explained. Personally i think it's the correct call to make the next World Cup 10 teams. RLWC21 was a chore to get through and I'm as diehard as it gets. It wasnt a tournament that was getting casuals to click over to either. Reducing it WILL make it the most competitive WC ever. You said "you dont have to watch the game." in reference to.a C.I. vs Italy match. Well for starters that sounds like a cool game. Ultimately. Who wants to go ahead with a tournament knowing only half of it will be watched? As a spectacle. As a product. There was too much fat. I agree with you that them stating it'll be the most "culturally rich" is laying it on a bit thick. Just for this WC I'm happy to see it at 10. Now though, it is up to the IRL to help create a European Championship Tournament. Held on a yearly basis.
Thanks mate, and yeah those arguments absolutely have merit. I agree completely that there should be a European tournament and I’d love to see something like that televised (it’d hardly cost broadcasters anything). But with regards to the RLWC - I have a more long-term view. I’m not looking to the success of RLWC 2026 (which would have been good enough regardless of the fat). I’m looking to the success of RLWC 2030, 2034 and 2038. Unless the plan is to have only these 10 teams competing forever - then freezing out the other teams is a short-term decision that severely damages the long term. If you included Greece, Ukraine, France, Holland etc, they could all be solid teams capable of an upset in a few tournaments time. Now they won’t be.
Cricket did the exact same thing and it's stunted the growth of ODI cricket, while doing the opposite did wonders for t20 cricket's interest in the rest of the world
and it was a stoppage fest. I'm from Brazil and everyone complains to me how boring "Rugby" is to watch. Then i show them League and they are like "wow". This sport has so much potential.
@@ArtilleryAffictionado1648 Funny, I met a lot of Brazilians at the last World Cup in France and they couldn’t emphasis enough how much they love Rugby (Union). But let’s kid ourselves. “Everyone” in Brazil hasn’t seen a game of Union nor league in their live. Rugby Union is a tiny niche sport, league as good as non existent.
@@LomuHabana exactly. Those that enjoy rubgy are a small minority of braziians. I know of of people who went to wach the WC, but that is because the circle is small jaja
I watched every 2017 and 2022 Rugby League WC game. I paid $100 for last one with Fite here in USA. I ❤ the RL WC. I was fearful when France pulled out. I was worried there may not be one because of that. Although 10 is not ideal I’m just happy it was picked up in Oz and PNG. We were saved.
That’s a point worth making - although I’d say that no RLWC at all would be a pretty catastrophic failure. It’s still 2 years away - I find it hard to think they can only have 10 because they picked it up late
Absolutely bloody brilliant video, truly. All the points you make here hold real value, and it's a bloody shame we're a part of the minority who think this deeply about the game. I believe the inclusion of more countries is worth fighting for, not just for the growth of the game internationally, but also for giving these players the opportunity to represent their country, which is an unreal honor. Can you imagine the influx of young kids into the game with the knowledge that one of their coaches is a national representative player? Or perhaps, that their chances of getting there are, relatively speaking, much higher than other countries?
Thank you mate, it genuinely means a lot to read a comment like that. I've now made a second video on this topic and I do intend to keep fighting for it. The tournament is still over 2 years away, I think there is time to change this decision... or at least enough time to justify trying. I'll accept any genuine insurmountable excuse from the IRL - but so far they haven't tried to justify it at all.
@@TheLeaguie Already given the second video a watch, and it's wild to see all the superstars of our game who will miss out on their opportunity to play for their respective nations. I agree with you regarding the only acceptable excuse being a lack of funds to bring these teams in, but as you said, with the NRL boasting record profits you think they'd step in...
@@louie1944 For sure. I honestly believe that the average aussie NRL fan doesn't realise the ramifications of this decision - and it's because the media haven't criticised it AT ALL. I'm going to keep demanding answers but the mainstream NRL media have really been a let down here.
I think the IRL is broke, hance the reason why they made the cut. But with your awareness of this, maybe the IRL could go back to 16 teams. Also, the IRL might be relinquished if the NRL and SL merge to become the EPL of footy.
If that’s the case… I’d be very disappointed that the NRL - currently boasting their record profits - couldn’t chip in to get the remaining 6 teams over for a tournament they’re hosting
@@TheLeaguie I will say to be fair, NRL is probably still recovering from Covid and if they buy SL, they likely won't have any money to spare. NRL isn't in the same position as AFL, AFL owns Marvel stadium (worth about $2 billion AUD) and has similar viewership plus much larger gate attendance than NRL. NRL operates much more riskily at barely any profit per season. So if they buy SL, they won't really have anything to spare. In the long run both may prosper, but it will take time.
@@TheLeaguie I would say it was the NRL behind this decision to reduce teams to reduce costs because as part of the hosting agreement Australia would pick up the tab for the participating countries.
I feel very sorry for the RL powerhouses of Lebanon and Greece. Nobody in either country has ever even seen a game. Face it, RL is a provincial oddity and has actually regressed over the past decade.
I don't understand that logic though. All you're saying is that RL is small internationally. Which like... duh... it obviously is. I'm not denying that at all in this video. What I'm saying is that is has a presence, and that presence has potential.
They could have a 2nd tier minnows World Cup before the RLWC. The two minnow finalists earn entry to the World Cup. Better than having developing teams like Greece and Jamaica be humiliated on the world stage for just making up the numbers.
That's not justification for not trying to make it better. And it's not even true. 5 teams can win it now - which is more genuine contenders than there have ever been.
@TheLeaguie be honest, if Aussie entered the origin teams rather than the kangaroos, whose playing in the final? I'm a kiwi and the NRL is the best club competition in the world IMO, but international league is rather pointless.
@@DownUnderWarboss That comes down to whether the likes of To'o, Luai, Crichton, Kaufusi, Fotuaika, etc. represent origin or their own countries. If those guys are playing for Tonga/Samoa, I genuinely believe those teams and the Kiwis are origin-calibre.
Pretty fair video. Are they doing the one day cricket World Cup model with 10 teams where every team plays each other before finals? Surely they’re not going to have to play 12 games to win the World Cup.
This feels very counter productive, especially when Rugby Union are expanding their respective World Cup. As a Scotsman, I'd rather watch us lose by record scores than not be in the World Cup. Representation is what brings new fans in and therefore more money, views, etc.
Rugby League makes Baseball look like a truly global sport Pretending that there are 16 or even 10 nations that take it seriously isn’t doing anybody any favours
@@TheLeaguieI had a think about this and my best suggestion so far is put the previous tournaments top three straight into the last 4 and then have a tournament amongst the remainder to get the 4th place It’s roughly based on the cricket World Cup
@@TomPage51 I think the issue with that would be the big teams not playing enough games. With these tournaments struggling to make money as is, you couldn't have the likes of Aus, NZ, or England playing only 1-2 games.
The video illustrates everything that's wrong with having 16 teams. Having an Italian, Irish.. etc team full of heritage players ( Nathan Brown playing for Italy lol ) does nothing to grow the sport in those countries. Italy currently doesn't have a domestic competition. Do people really want to watch an Irish or Italian team that doesn't actually have any Italians or Irish ? The better decision is to reduce the teams to 10 making the tournament more profitable and using that money to invest in growth areas. Countries where league is growing could desperately use some money to grow the game ( Jamaica, Serbia, Ghana ) even France, where league is established would benefit greatly. Maybe in 10 years we can introduce more countries who can field a team without relying on heritage players and not be blown put by 90pnts
I simply disagree. I had heaps to do with the Dutch boys back in the day and I know each of them would’ve learnt a heap by playing alongside the likes of Ryan Papenhuyzen. These countries combine domestic players with heritage players and that’s how it grows. You say in 10 years we can field teams that won’t be blown out and don’t have heritage players, and yet you think excluding those countries from the RLWC and the lessons+money it brings will… somehow achieve that goal? That doesn’t make sense
@@TheLeaguie i cant speak for other countries, but i definitely know that part of the lack of interest in the last RLWC in ireland was due to having no home grown players in the irish team (apart from ronan michael, who barely played)
@@strawberrykicker2 That's difficult to balance then - because if Ireland had fielded a decent proportion of home grown players, you could equally expect a lack of domestic interest because of how uncompetitive they'd be. It's hard to know which of those teething periods is the best one to go through.
I got into rugby league when the US made back-to-back World Cups in 2013 and 2017 and did pretty good in both. I was disappointed that they haven't made the last two additions but I was hopeful they'd have momentum going forward. I don't buy the reasons given for shrinking the World Cup. There's no real point to pay attention if my team has just about no shot at even qualifying.
Absolutely. Look at Jamaica even as an example in the 2022 World Cup. Sure, they lost by big margins every game, but scoring that try against New Zealand was a super special moment for them and was actually the headline over the NZ big win. You still have your close games if you really want them when the finals roll around. To be honest, if they actually increased the number of teams competing, you’d also have more close games by putting some of the teams that aren’t as strong against each other, rather than against Australia and what not. Its so stupid lowering the teams and the tournament won’t be nearly as fun as 2022 🤦♂️
Agreed. The Jamaica Reggae Warriors will live long in the memory. Everyone knew they’d get pumped but it was fun, it was worth celebrating. This decision is completely out of touch with that
💯%!!! Most of these people who whinge about these blow-out scores seem to think that the world 🌎 revolves around Sydney and act like they've never left the place! Always moaning about everything but refusing to come with a solution!
I’m sympathetic to the point you’re making. Personally I’d have loved to of seen all those spots for nations to compete remain as well. But I think it is important to recognise the actual cost of running these kinds of events. Don’t forget that the last World Cup held in the UK was significantly reliant upon government funding, and still ended up losing a significant amount of money overall. Yes there are many reasons which contributed to this, but the financial risk is a reality for these kinds of events. It’s partly why they’ve split the men’s, women’s and wheelchair games up, to reduce that financial burden on future hosts and thus generate more potential host candidates (the recent candidates for the women’s World Cup is evidence of this). It’s also why they’d have reduced the number of teams for the next tournament. It’s a shame, but it is equally important for the game to operate sustainably from a financial perspective, and to try and present as consistent a standard of league for any event they may be televising to sell it in new markets (i.e. the US), let alone existing markets. The hope is that other tournaments are created for those developing nations in the interim so they can continue to build the game and their overall capacity to participate in future. Good video though, glad to see some passion for the international game 👏
Yep, good points there and all well made. My understanding based on what others have said is that the NRL had the option to pay the difference, but decided not to because they want the RLWC to develop from a point where it's consistently profitable. My issue with that is that it assumes the federations around the world will continue to grow, and one day reach a level where they can be competitive on the RLWC stage. While not impossible, cutting them out of the RLWC is a big obstacle to that development. Running it at a loss now is a necessary condition to have a full, competitive world cup in future.
@@TheLeaguie That’s true to a certain extent. But the NRL is not the IRL, and they are already contributing a lot. It’s the only profitable league in the world right now which means they’re carrying a lot of the load already, and that capacity has only really emerged post the COVID years (at least to the scale they’re succeeding at now). Remember the NRL was close to collapse because of COVID compared to the AFL because of its lack of cash reserves and assets. They’re still trying to rectify that now. It’s unfortunately a simple business decision, reduce the costs of the tournament by reducing teams, increase the number of more competitive games so that broadcasters are more interested in bidding for telecast rights, and maintain a standard of match up and attendance for brand/image purposes. Empty seats and low viewership doesn’t help grow the game or revenue. This all relies on trickle down economics which isn’t effective as you rightly suggest, but the hope is that as these tournaments succeed, on and off the field, that more money and interest is made available to support the international game. I think patience and sustainability is the key unfortunately. Just think of how longs it’s taken us to get back to 20 teams! And as I said before, there should still be alternative tournaments for those developing nations so they do have a pathway to grow (eg similar to the Pacific Bowl, but for Europe), they just may not be televised initially. Getting a Six Nations like tournament for the UK and European nations in league seems like a worthwhile thing to investigate. Anyway, just food for thought. Hopefully the international tournaments will continue to improve and be a spotlight again, and eventually grow it out to include those other nations again 🤞
As you said m8, these minnows of international rugby league would cherish playing against their stars and rubbing shoulders with other league players, sharing the fight to win etc. An absolute travesty. It helps raise the level of the game and a massive learning curve for all new international players, whether Australian, Kiwi or Dutch. Stinks of some form of elitism. Lets all hope that common sense prevails at the next World Cup and more countries have a chance to represent.
As an Irish footy fan ‘used to live in Sydney’, people who are non league fans need an avenue to become fans of the game, maybe these people have never seen Nrl or origin and watching their country be involved internationally makes them a fan.
Whilst I'm unhappy with the number of teams being reduced, I'm more angry about the plan to have the women's and wheelchair tournaments at different times from the men's after 2026. One of the things that I liked about the world Cup was that it was a big festival of the sport showcasing it's many variations. I became a fan of wheelchair rugby league because of it. I feel that international rugby league has taken a massive step backwards over the last couple of years. I'm half Scottish and half Jamaican and I don't think they have played a game since the World Cup. That and the recent games between England and France being a double header BEFORE a 2nd division game is insane to me. I believe that the NRL provided the majority of the players involved in the last World Cup and I believe that they have had a big say in this decision.
Technically the IRL have their own board - and I have no tangible evidence that says whether they're vastly influenced or not - but the NRL are by far the most powerful Rugby League organization in the world. Make of that what you will.
Im a union guy. But this sucks for you guys. From a complete outsider I would have to ask is there any chance that the NRL and the Super Leauge are strong arming international Rugby leauge to keep their comps as the "pinnacle of the sport" looking at the American models and how the NFL which is by far the most insular of the sports makes the most money?
The NRL I'm not sure about, but it wouldn't surprise me at all from a Super League perspective. The fans of traditional teams over there were super standoffish about the Toronto Wolfpack back in the day. They want to maintain what they have instead of striving for more. I love the passion the English have for their clubs, but that's an area in which I'm very critical of them.
As a Kiwi, I used to have zero interest in watching rugby union but I started getting into it because of the 2019 RWC and the fantastic atmosphere the international game gives with all the nations competing. Now that there's just 10 teams, I've got no interest in this rugby league cup. I'm sure most casuals like me won't give a shit about watching it now either, I have no idea how they can't see this is a terrible move lol.
The NRL and Origin is sold, as the best rugby league competition in the world. Which it probably is. I mean Kalyn Ponga chose Australia just to play for QLD. But I think this means that a lot of the rest of the world just see RL as an Australian game now. The lack of investment world wide from IRL is the problem, I do believe that if the NRL ran international RL there would be far more competition by now. I’m Scottish and we have 4 clubs in the whole country but lots of kids that would play it, if it was actually offered. I am more of a union fan, but I just want to see rugby off all forms continue to grow and thrive across multiple countries.
What's your point then though? Are you just pointing out that it's not as developed internationally as other sports (which we all know is true anyway), or do you actually have a way of solving that problem?
@@TheLeaguie League has been trying for decades to become an international sport and their only success is letting New Zealand ring-ins build a strong Samoa/Tonga/Fiji teams. My favourite was when they shitcanned the 2004 'World Cup' because seeing second string nations get smashed by 60 points was bad for the sport. Also, the so-called 'Malta' team was made up of 100% Australians; League didn't even exist as a sport in Malta at the time.
At this point, the IRL idiots just don't really care or want to grow the game. I pretty much agree with your points, especially when it's more than just one-sided affairs in games at the world cup beyond that. Makes one wonder if IRL is even helping the emerging nations bodies to grow and promote the game then if that's the case, but still a meathead decision cutting the RLWC teams.
Personally I think that state of origin should be played over three weeks and have 3 rep rounds at the same same time but the clubs wouldn't have a bar of it
The more the world gets involved the more the skill grows the funner the game is to watch the more who watch more money this is not a shot in the foot someone's losing a leg 😢
Rugby Union WC had just as many blow outs as the league WC, the difference is Union celebrate Portugal, Chile etc making it to a WC, in league we laugh at anybteam that can't compete with the big 3
The next FIFA World Cup will have 48 teams. Maybe 6 of them have a decent chance of winning it (1 in 8). That’s a smaller proportion than we’d have even with 16 teams (conservatively: Aus, NZ, Eng, Samoa can all win. Making it 1 in 4). I agree with you completely
I'm not sure that is true. I found most Rugby fans quite happy at the Minos getting in. I noticed a lot of Union fans writing in to forums and venting their bile.
if i was in control I would make the opening game in eden park samoa vs tonga.. and maybe in Leeds England... ireland vs england. once people in Europe see the atmosphere in auckland it might have kinda chain effect.. we all know how the British support there teams
There are hobbyist societies more professionally operated than IRL, any entity which can allow Nigel Wood to elevate to CEO for any amount of time should be looked upon with a degree of cynicism. The game has basically reverted back to the 2000-2008 era of contraction, with the added bonus that the professional game in the Northern Hemisphere is withering away at present.
It’s a disgrace that they dropped the numbers back to 10. This could put people off playing the sport and see the usual nations play in the WC. What should happen is to organise more friendlies between teams of 2nd and 3rd tier nations
Union fan (but League enthusiast) here and I was flabbergasted to see this decision. Obviously you want your sport to grow and taking away teams from world cups is not the way to go. We've seen the blueprint in Union, it works! Why can't we have the same for league?? What are the reasons stated for this? Can the countries themselves not raise the funding, or what?
The countries themselves would struggle. They're amateur competitions with little commercial interest domestically. But they are generally growing. Paying for them to play is an investment into the future, and I genuinely believe it will reap rewards.
That simply isn’t true. In fact, it’s not even close to true. Particularly if we’re talking about the six teams that’ll now be excluded. A lot of these countries are now going out of their way to not pick aussie players in order to prove how strong their domestic players are
Origin is what keeps Internationals down. In order for Origin to giveway to Internationals, NSW has to have long periods of dominance to the point where QLDers lose interest and passion, then Origin dwindles in popularity, then IR replaces it as the pinacle
It does seem counterintuitive to have a state game held in such higher esteem than international games. But then again, did someone say NSW dominance? Sign me up 😍
I understand them trying to make it more competitive, but surely the knockout’s would be competitive anyway? I’m from England so I can’t really understand too much, but surely if you’re a die hard league fan from somewhere like the Netherlands, just seeing your team at a WC, even if they get battered 60-0 for three games, is worth it?
It’s 100% worth it. The achievement is getting there. Any success once you get there is a bonus. And you’re right - we’ll still get the high quality games between Aus, Eng, NZ, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji etc with or without the other 6. I truly don’t get it
@@TheLeaguie I think if we want to grow the domestic competition in other countries (which they claim they want to do) we must allow 16 teams to qualify for the WC. That’s why I thought that downgrading teams like Scotland and Italy for being almost fully heritage nations was a good idea, because it should encourage growth domestically, but then they pull something like this which completely undoes all of that.
It looks like the 2026 RLWC will be France, England, and 8 Australian or South Pacific teams. 10 teams isn't bad because most people watching their team are in that region.
Could this be Australia moaning off with the gibberish quality over quality piffle. Maybe there should be nine teams and England could refuse to play on principle.
Damn saddest decision made. You can't develop OUR GAME GLOBALLY if the IRL deny countries the opportunity. I have relatives who can opt to play for 2 nations in the RLWC. That's not only developing their experience INTERNATIONALLY and CULTURALLY, but GLOBALLY.
That is a stupid decision. I watch union more, but the last League WC was interesting as countries like Lebanon and Greece were involved and did pretty well with their Australians. In time, it may have grown the sport in places like that if it was shown in Greece or wherever. This reduction has killed that. You might as well go all the way and give Australia a bye to the final as well.
The discussion should be more about how to build the countries up first. 6 amateur clubs in the Netherlands is not many and surely you would need more than that to build great players at an international level. The idea of having aussies all representing other countries is a bit of a joke to be fair however the island nations sure bring the fun to the league world cup.
Then the question becomes how you build up those domestic competitions. My argument here is that exposure to the expertise and resources the RLWC features can help those nations grow. Having qualifying for the RLWC be a realistic goal is also motivating for those countries. Either way, this decision works contrary to those interests
ADDITIONAL INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS NOT MENTIONED:
Norway: Charnze Nicoll Klokstad, Kyle Feldt
Ukraine: Hudson Young, Jaeman Salmon
Netherlands: Kodi Nikorima
Zimbabwe: Jake Averillo
Wales: Bradman Best, Tyson Frizell, Sam Hughes
USA: Ronaldo Mulitalo, Royce Hunt, Harrison Graham
Serbia: Nick Cotric
Malta: Bronson Xerri, Tallis Duncan, Sean O’Sullivan
Ireland: Pat Carrigan, Josh Curran, Blayke Brailey, Jayden Brailey
Germany: Reuben Cotter, David Klemmer, Brad Schneider
Poland: DWZ
from memory there is also Haas also for Philippines and Switzerland, Saab for Nigeria.
@@TheLeaguie would love to see Duncan O’Sullivan & Xerri play for us at a world cup but it’s only ever gonna be a dream unless expansion happens again
How strong rugby league would be if these players went to play for other nations would be awesome
would be hilarious seeing DWZ barnstorming it with a bunch of Polish battlers who've been playing league for about 3 months
The best thing that happened for Greek Rugby League was to make the last Rugby League World Cup. We knew that they wouldn't win anything but we celebrated every mile stone as if it was a cup victory. As a result, the game experienced growth domestically as did support from Greeks around the world. Terrible news and a slap in the face for all those who have been working so hard to get back there.
100% agree the celebration when we scored our first try
100%. What confuses me so much is how people like you and I can see that - but the people in charge of the game cannot.
Greece have a huge potential to successfully combine domestic players with heritage players (Lachlan Ilias, Peter Mamuzelos, Billy Magoulias), but they’ve taken away that chance for seemingly no reason
@@TheLeaguie say in like 20/25 years in a fantasy land how cool would it be to have a rugby league euro league with a Rome team Amsterdam team or another Dutch city (sorry don’t know many) and Athens team along with a Edinburgh and Glasgow teams plus others
@@stelpanagakos2520 That's exactly the kind of thing I think about. It isn't impossible. What's likely is that those cities join the Super League but unfortunately as we saw with the Toronto Wolfpack, there's a lot of resistance from fans of the traditional clubs there to expanding their league.
@@TheLeaguie if only I had millions also denan kemp mentioned u the bloke in the bar podcast today
Biggest mistake was stopping the four nations and the Anzac test
From the uk here and when I heard this news I was furious. The last World Cup was great and I was really looking forward to the next one but this IRL decision was mind boggling
Awesome to have a viewer from the UK! And yeah I agree completely. I want to assume the best intentions but the fact they’ve made a backwards decision and haven’t justified it is a huge concern
I legit thought League was going to have a rise in world sport like none ever seen before after SAMOA of all countries defeated England in the last world cup Semi.......all they had to do was carry that momentum over..........Not only have they failed in doing that, but they've gone backwards.
While I can’t relate (as I was born in NZ) i think that the players that have worked their backsides off just to grow their nation to get into the World Cup have just been slapped in the face. It’s honestly disgraceful that the international rugby league got rid of 6 nations. Yeah sure it will probably be one of the most competitive world cups but a World Cup is about celebrating how many countries play our great game. People who want to grow the game in their countries who aren’t really affiliated with rugby league deserve some sort of recognition. Great vid btw
So then why not make it 32 countries if competitiveness doesn't matter? It devalues the WC if there's too many non-competitive nations. Rugby Union has only been having 20 teams in their WC and is far more widespread internationally.
I feel your pain as a Union fan. It must be hard to see League struggle internationally as I watch Union flounder domestically.
Think of a World Cup in any given sport. It's unlikely that any more than 5 countries, at best 10, would be any chance of winning. Even the most global of sports, soccer, which will see 48 teams in it's next World Cup has only ever been won by one of eight teams. They understand that it's not just about finding out who is best, but also seeing your sport played by those all over the world. And growing it.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 🔥
@@paemataxviii4776 Think of a World Cup in any given sport. It's likely that most countries will have players that were born in that country or at least lived in it. League has players who have never even set foot in the country they "represent".
Yeah, but that is completely overblown. No one wants 48 countries. That World Cup will have way too many games, and too many weak teams.
LOL.
Australia has won all but one 'World Cup' since 1972.
Absolutely agree with you Leaguie. At the very least, we should have had a parallel 'Plate' competition for the minnows going on at the same time, with double headers, potentially played in Country locations.
An excellent idea.
Your well-considered, articulately expressed argument is appreciated. I was ignorant of the Netherlands league. Thanks.
Thanks mate, I appreciate you saying that 💚
It pissed me off man as person who would watch Greece at the world cup
It is a disgrace how little the leaders care on growing the game internationally especially the big potential in the future that would be bigger than state of origin. As a Greek born in Australia it was such a proud moment to see them playing especially in the scenes in Athens
I’ve said for a long time that Tonga v Samoa can be an origin-calibre game within 5 years. It’s got so much potential.
But even at levels below that - I think you’re right. I want to assume the best intentions but to see the governing body make such a backward decision and not justify it is… concerning
@@TheLeaguie 100% agree with your comment. Tonga vs Samoa was massive, here in Australia we have a lot of Samoans and Tongans and that match was FUCKING HUGE!!!!!!! Like I have never seen so many Tongan and Samoan flags in my life, everywhere I went I heard "Toa Samoa" it was crazy. I wish they would rethink their decision.
If you're born in Australia, you're Australian of Greek heritage, not Greek.
How are you a Greek born in Australia?
Bro your channel is so good. You need your own TV show
Much love brother thank you! 💚
Rugby League is reducing the size of their world cup from 16 to 10 teams while Rugby Union is in the process of increasing the size of their world cup from 20 to 24 teams. I still remember watching a Rugby Union World Cup match at The Lowenbrau where Australia beat Namibia 142-0
Another great video. Thanks The Leaguie!
Much obliged random citizen 🫡
Thanks for shining a light on this issue. Many of us NRL supporters would have very little understanding of how the game operates at a local level throughout Europe. I agree, by drastically reducing the number of eligible nations they are striking a fatal blow to many developing RL nations that see the RL World Cup as their ultimate goal. I agree, many of these teams may not be ready to compete on the same level as say, England, France and Italy but, as you point out, its not just about the scoreboard. How can we hope to grow the game internationally if we don't provide these burgeoning RL nations with a chance to compete internationally?
Those are the exact points I hope this video raises to the IRL, and the ones I want them to answer
I started following the NRL around RLWC2021 (2022) and was fascinated by the different countries there were playing RL and how many Australians were playing for foreign countries. Shows how wonderfully multicultural. I was disappointed France pulled out of hosting the next World Cup. I had already saw they’d reduced the comp to 10 teams, 8 quarterfinalists and then the top 2 of a qualifying tournament of which Cook Islands, South Africa and Jamaica have already gone straight into. It loses a lot that some good rugby league countries don’t even have the chance to qualify. I really hope the 2026 cup doesn’t go to 3 groups 1 of 4 and 2 of 3, literally a joke.
You’re a fantastic example of those obscure countries bringing in new fans. The Jamaica Reggae Warriors are etched into rugby league folklore now - and yet under the current system they wouldn’t have ever made the WC. It’s absurd
The cricket World Cup made this mistake when they went down to ten teams, and they went back to 14 teams.
I was thinking the same thing the reduced the numbers at ICC WC 19 and 23 but then increased the numbers again for 27. A reduction might save on costs but it reduces revenue because sport is about content and you have the ip on that content so it keeps making you revenue well inot the future. Less teams less matches equals less content and lower value for braodcasting rights etc. I think it wa pressure from clubs to reduce participants so they could reduce the number of their players playing in their post season. But World Rugby just increased the numbers in RWC to 24 and that will have an effect. OZ can spend 600 mil on a NRL franchise in PNG but not a World Cup how contradictory is that.
I wouldn't be surprised if the IRL idiots in charge bring it back to 16 teams or more in future.
Ngl I don't really see International Rugby League taking off anytime soon. If you look at countries who have such a big rugby heritage like France, South Africa, etc. with rugby union being such a bigger and global sport it's hard to retain talent from grassroots. Like if we look we at the French club rugby league competition, it's almost like non-existent as it's not as big as compared to the Top 14. But, I really hope IRL gets back on it's feet soon as the competition started before the Rugby World Cup.
I don’t disagree. But there’s no point sitting around and justifying inaction by saying it won’t take off soon. Otherwise it’ll become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And either way - whether the chances of it taking off soon are high or not… it’s the IRL’s responsibility to do everything it can to make it take off
League in France has never recovered since Vichy Gov outlawed it.
Great video, thanks for bringing attention to an issue I had not heard raised before.
Such a huge step back, exposure of Rugby League around the world is crucial to the future of the sport. I also believe Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad could play for Norway too.
True! I made this video in a real hurry so I did it off the top of my head, but he’s Norway eligible. As is Kyle Feldt!
@@TheLeaguie I'm so happy that those 2 guns are Norway eligible, I am of Norwegian descent and love my Rugby League.
As a Cook Islander myself, hearing you mention our small nation and use it as an example was heartwarming to hear. The Cook Islands have been developing and improving every year and reducing the number of teams competing is disappointing and leaves many opportunities for rising nations to progress and improve.
Fortunately for you guys - you’ll likely remain in the top 10 and therefore still be able to regularly participate. But you’ll cop more criticism now being one of the lowest ranked teams in the tournament
At a time when other sports are growing their World Cups Rugby League is decreasing it's baffling. Association Football going from 32 to 48, Rugby Union going from 20 to 24 and Cricket going from 10 to 14. Why are we going backwards.
Great video, really hoped this wasn't the case when there was rumours about the drop in teams after the last comp but it's a seriously disgusting decision
Thanks mate. I hoped the same. I just want them to explain why this decision has been made
As someone who’s Maltese & we were the best ranked team last WC that didn’t qualify so we had the hope of qualifying for the next 1 this is disappointing even now we can’t qualify for the women’s 1 even tho we qualified for the next round because they made the teams competing shortened it’s disappointing it’s our national sport in Malta yes football may be popular but we have a lot more & a lot better rugby league players
One player I didn't mention in this video is Bronson Xerri, who is eligible for Malta. How good would it be seeing him at a world cup!
Bro is allergic to using full stops.
@@TheLeaguie agreed i’d love to see him represent Malta at a World Cup it’s impossible now the limit on teams but reckon he could definitely get a try or 2 against some of the teams more on our level
@@jordantassone Bro’s mad because he only wants the world cup to be competitive not what world cups are actually for showing off cultures
@@JamesSant1 Mate, I would love to see Malta giving it their all at the WC. I wish they would expand the roster to 30 teams. Would be fantastic. I know NZ, England and Aus would be favourites, but damn it would be entertaining seeing all of the other teams compete.
The problem is according to Tony Kemp, that Australia provided more than 180 players to other countries in the RLWC. Most on Ireland, Wales and Scotland team were made up of English. Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Cook Islands are nearly born in NZ or Aussie. The problem is grassroots rugby league has never been established anyway and when it comes time for RLWC teams are dependent on how many Aussies that get on their team. You can't have a WC when the majority of people don't even live or play in the countries they represent. The public will not buy it regardless of all the marketing and hype....
I can see why they did it, to avoid the Tier 1 teams from playing cannon fodder, but at the same time most of the cannon fodder is getting players who are atleast a Qcup, NSWCup level too, there needs to be more games where they can play together though other then just the WC which is what mostly happens.
Yep. And the way to make that cannon fodder into decent teams who can cause an upset is by involving them in tournaments like this
Mate I would be happy even if they had 2 level tourneys.......1 it would bring more eyes to the world stage and 2 it would give so many countries the chance to compete. Have tier 1 and the best tier 2 countries compete in the tier 1 tourney, then have the rest of the tier 2 and the qualifiers of tier 3 compete in the tier 2 tourney. That way we have a distinguished country winner and an up and comer winner. It would be magnificent for the game and bring so many eyes to the game. I could book this shit in my sleep and do better than the actual organisers.
International rugby league is parts of Northern England, Queensland, NSW and Auckland
I think this video, which covers two solid domestic competitions in european countries, disproves that comment.
They should do a play-in tourney like cricket does. Less stompings, find the best of the minnows at that time and place, also provide valuable experience and make sure the worst teams are already warmed up by the time they play the big boys.
As long as it's under the World Cup banner, and maybe 1-2 of the teams can qualify for the World Cup knockouts, then I think it's a good idea. If it's a seperate tournament running at the same time as the RLWC, I fear nobody will be interested in it
You are spot on. Personally I don’t think reducing the amount of teams was the answer but changing the format would have been suffice. I also think that having solely NZ as host could have worked too
Thanks mate - yeah I agree with that. Especially given that this tournament was meant to be played in France, NZ would’ve been nice to still somewhat grow the game
10 team tournament makes sense given the depth of talent globally. The emerging nations can have an emerging nations World Cup.
Also, consider the financial burden on someone like Netherlands whose amateur players will need to take a month off work, etc.
Unfortunately I don’t think an emerging nations World Cup would be viable - because I don’t think anyone would watch it if it isn’t under the full ‘World Cup’ banner.
As for the financial burdens of players, it’s a consideration but I’d be very surprised if more than a couple of them said no to a RLWC because they can’t get time off work
I definitely agree with you. I guess context matters, the decision was made last year after France pulled out and the IRL decided to reduce it to ten since they lost money at the last world cup so it was more financial reasons and not led by the complaining fans (there's an article on the IRL in about August last year) Either way the decision is extremely disappointing as you've said many teams Netherlands, Greece and Jamaica who have all done extremely well in recent years. Also since they only allow full member nations teams that you mentioned like the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland and Italy aren't even allowed to qualify. At this stage it's down to just France, Serbia, Wales, Ukraine, Cook Islands, South Africa and Jamaica.
Yep. What leaves me unsatisfied about that explanation is that the NRL are currently boasting record profits, and they’re the ones hosting this tournament.
If the IRL don’t have the money to pay for another 6 teams (who I suspect would be prepared to pay for themselves), I’d expect the nrl to use what’d be a tiny fraction of those profits to host a full tournament
Great video mate. I can't believe the idiocy of the people that made this decision. Probably to do with money though, right?
Troy Grant runs the international rugby league. And yep - it is about money. But it seems the likes of the NRL (who have the money to back this) are prioritising their short term interests over the sport’s long term interests here
League is a club game played in a couple of states in Australia. It is only around 15 years younger than Rugby and has had just about as long as Rugby to grow. Ask yourself, why isn't it as big as Rugby? Because Rugby is the far superior game obviously.
Nope. Not to mention that the two sports are the same age - they had the same origin. Rugby Union has traditionally been better run, and is culturally ingrained in places like NZ, SA, and even the UK.
The biggest sport on earth is soccer. Do you think that’s the most entertaining sport in the world?
@@TheLeaguie I suppose I could use your excuse on why Soccer is bigger than Rugby - "has traditionally been better run, and is culturally ingrained in places like....."
@@kirwan1414 For sure, I use that reasoning all the time. It's even more true for soccer than it is for Rugby Union
Just like what happened in the last few Cricket World Cups where it had exactly the same scenario
Agree with everything you said. They want to grow the game globally however they're stopping it from growing. So sad as I'd love to see Netherlands, Croatia and USA play.
Wait til you find out about how quickly the grassroots are dying in the country in Australia. The game is going backwards in some areas, the Barwon Darling League (Bourke, Walgett & District) only played a 4-game season this year. That same competition was playong 10 games just a few years ago, and was playing 15 games with two grades in 1982 (they only have one now).
They can't see past the professional domestic game...
I’m going to make a video on country footy in the coming week or so. If there’s anything specifically you think I should address, feel free to message me @TheLeaguie on Instagram or X
Really well presented and explained.
Personally i think it's the correct call to make the next World Cup 10 teams.
RLWC21 was a chore to get through and I'm as diehard as it gets. It wasnt a tournament that was getting casuals to click over to either.
Reducing it WILL make it the most competitive WC ever.
You said "you dont have to watch the game." in reference to.a C.I. vs Italy match. Well for starters that sounds like a cool game.
Ultimately. Who wants to go ahead with a tournament knowing only half of it will be watched? As a spectacle. As a product. There was too much fat.
I agree with you that them stating it'll be the most "culturally rich" is laying it on a bit thick.
Just for this WC I'm happy to see it at 10.
Now though, it is up to the IRL to help create a European Championship Tournament. Held on a yearly basis.
Thanks mate, and yeah those arguments absolutely have merit. I agree completely that there should be a European tournament and I’d love to see something like that televised (it’d hardly cost broadcasters anything).
But with regards to the RLWC - I have a more long-term view. I’m not looking to the success of RLWC 2026 (which would have been good enough regardless of the fat). I’m looking to the success of RLWC 2030, 2034 and 2038.
Unless the plan is to have only these 10 teams competing forever - then freezing out the other teams is a short-term decision that severely damages the long term. If you included Greece, Ukraine, France, Holland etc, they could all be solid teams capable of an upset in a few tournaments time. Now they won’t be.
Cricket did the exact same thing and it's stunted the growth of ODI cricket, while doing the opposite did wonders for t20 cricket's interest in the rest of the world
Hey, I was wondering if I could show a clip of this on my podcast with credit and a link to your vid of course.
100% mate, no worries at all. Thanks for asking first 💚
Thanks mate, feel really bad for the places that can’t compete, hopefully it will change in the next couple years, I really would like a USA team.
@@TheRedV-odcast Mate, that would be fantastic, if any country can have any pull in growing a sport, it is the good old U.S. of A.
Rugby 🏉 Unions World Cup had the highest all time view count last year so reducing teams makes no sense
and it was a stoppage fest. I'm from Brazil and everyone complains to me how boring "Rugby" is to watch. Then i show them League and they are like "wow". This sport has so much potential.
@@ArtilleryAffictionado1648sadly league will always be in unions shadow just look at the rugby 7s at the olympics the biggest crowds of any event.
@@ArtilleryAffictionado1648 Funny, I met a lot of Brazilians at the last World Cup in France and they couldn’t emphasis enough how much they love Rugby (Union). But let’s kid ourselves. “Everyone” in Brazil hasn’t seen a game of Union nor league in their live. Rugby Union is a tiny niche sport, league as good as non existent.
@@LomuHabana exactly. Those that enjoy rubgy are a small minority of braziians. I know of of people who went to wach the WC, but that is because the circle is small jaja
I watched every 2017 and 2022 Rugby League WC game. I paid $100 for last one with Fite here in USA. I ❤ the RL WC. I was fearful when France pulled out. I was worried there may not be one because of that. Although 10 is not ideal I’m just happy it was picked up in Oz and PNG. We were saved.
That’s a point worth making - although I’d say that no RLWC at all would be a pretty catastrophic failure. It’s still 2 years away - I find it hard to think they can only have 10 because they picked it up late
Absolutely bloody brilliant video, truly. All the points you make here hold real value, and it's a bloody shame we're a part of the minority who think this deeply about the game.
I believe the inclusion of more countries is worth fighting for, not just for the growth of the game internationally, but also for giving these players the opportunity to represent their country, which is an unreal honor.
Can you imagine the influx of young kids into the game with the knowledge that one of their coaches is a national representative player? Or perhaps, that their chances of getting there are, relatively speaking, much higher than other countries?
Thank you mate, it genuinely means a lot to read a comment like that.
I've now made a second video on this topic and I do intend to keep fighting for it. The tournament is still over 2 years away, I think there is time to change this decision... or at least enough time to justify trying. I'll accept any genuine insurmountable excuse from the IRL - but so far they haven't tried to justify it at all.
@@TheLeaguie Already given the second video a watch, and it's wild to see all the superstars of our game who will miss out on their opportunity to play for their respective nations.
I agree with you regarding the only acceptable excuse being a lack of funds to bring these teams in, but as you said, with the NRL boasting record profits you think they'd step in...
@@louie1944 For sure. I honestly believe that the average aussie NRL fan doesn't realise the ramifications of this decision - and it's because the media haven't criticised it AT ALL. I'm going to keep demanding answers but the mainstream NRL media have really been a let down here.
Also, gonna be tough growing league in Adelaide or Perth without enough matches to play there, AFL are gonna love this
I think the IRL is broke, hance the reason why they made the cut. But with your awareness of this, maybe the IRL could go back to 16 teams. Also, the IRL might be relinquished if the NRL and SL merge to become the EPL of footy.
If that’s the case… I’d be very disappointed that the NRL - currently boasting their record profits - couldn’t chip in to get the remaining 6 teams over for a tournament they’re hosting
@@TheLeaguie I will say to be fair, NRL is probably still recovering from Covid and if they buy SL, they likely won't have any money to spare. NRL isn't in the same position as AFL, AFL owns Marvel stadium (worth about $2 billion AUD) and has similar viewership plus much larger gate attendance than NRL. NRL operates much more riskily at barely any profit per season. So if they buy SL, they won't really have anything to spare. In the long run both may prosper, but it will take time.
@@TheLeaguie I would say it was the NRL behind this decision to reduce teams to reduce costs because as part of the hosting agreement Australia would pick up the tab for the participating countries.
Many of the NRL clubs would have been broke 20 years ago if not for the poker machines. Different these days with the TV money.
I feel very sorry for the RL powerhouses of Lebanon and Greece. Nobody in either country has ever even seen a game.
Face it, RL is a provincial oddity and has actually regressed over the past decade.
I don't understand that logic though. All you're saying is that RL is small internationally. Which like... duh... it obviously is. I'm not denying that at all in this video. What I'm saying is that is has a presence, and that presence has potential.
They could have a 2nd tier minnows World Cup before the RLWC. The two minnow finalists earn entry to the World Cup. Better than having developing teams like Greece and Jamaica be humiliated on the world stage for just making up the numbers.
The league world cup is a bit of a joke to be honest.
That's not justification for not trying to make it better. And it's not even true. 5 teams can win it now - which is more genuine contenders than there have ever been.
@TheLeaguie be honest, if Aussie entered the origin teams rather than the kangaroos, whose playing in the final? I'm a kiwi and the NRL is the best club competition in the world IMO, but international league is rather pointless.
@@DownUnderWarboss That comes down to whether the likes of To'o, Luai, Crichton, Kaufusi, Fotuaika, etc. represent origin or their own countries. If those guys are playing for Tonga/Samoa, I genuinely believe those teams and the Kiwis are origin-calibre.
I support your stance bro.. Ridiculous decision.!
Hi Leaugie
Up you go champ. Give it to those stiffs ,who decided to SHRINK the competition.
Haha yes mate! The Revolution starts here! 💚
Pretty fair video. Are they doing the one day cricket World Cup model with 10 teams where every team plays each other before finals? Surely they’re not going to have to play 12 games to win the World Cup.
I’m not sure if they’ve confirmed it yet but yeah nah it’ll almost certainly be groups
This feels very counter productive, especially when Rugby Union are expanding their respective World Cup. As a Scotsman, I'd rather watch us lose by record scores than not be in the World Cup. Representation is what brings new fans in and therefore more money, views, etc.
Rugby League makes Baseball look like a truly global sport
Pretending that there are 16 or even 10 nations that take it seriously isn’t doing anybody any favours
How would you develop it then? Because in my experience being involved with these developing federations, I assure you they take it seriously
@@TheLeaguieI had a think about this and my best suggestion so far is
put the previous tournaments top three straight into the last 4 and then have a tournament amongst the remainder to get the 4th place
It’s roughly based on the cricket World Cup
@@TomPage51 I think the issue with that would be the big teams not playing enough games. With these tournaments struggling to make money as is, you couldn't have the likes of Aus, NZ, or England playing only 1-2 games.
The video illustrates everything that's wrong with having 16 teams. Having an Italian, Irish.. etc team full of heritage players ( Nathan Brown playing for Italy lol ) does nothing to grow the sport in those countries. Italy currently doesn't have a domestic competition.
Do people really want to watch an Irish or Italian team that doesn't actually have any Italians or Irish ?
The better decision is to reduce the teams to 10 making the tournament more profitable and using that money to invest in growth areas.
Countries where league is growing could desperately use some money to grow the game ( Jamaica, Serbia, Ghana ) even France, where league is established would benefit greatly.
Maybe in 10 years we can introduce more countries who can field a team without relying on heritage players and not be blown put by 90pnts
I simply disagree. I had heaps to do with the Dutch boys back in the day and I know each of them would’ve learnt a heap by playing alongside the likes of Ryan Papenhuyzen. These countries combine domestic players with heritage players and that’s how it grows.
You say in 10 years we can field teams that won’t be blown out and don’t have heritage players, and yet you think excluding those countries from the RLWC and the lessons+money it brings will… somehow achieve that goal? That doesn’t make sense
@@TheLeaguie i cant speak for other countries, but i definitely know that part of the lack of interest in the last RLWC in ireland was due to having no home grown players in the irish team (apart from ronan michael, who barely played)
@@strawberrykicker2 That's difficult to balance then - because if Ireland had fielded a decent proportion of home grown players, you could equally expect a lack of domestic interest because of how uncompetitive they'd be. It's hard to know which of those teething periods is the best one to go through.
I got into rugby league when the US made back-to-back World Cups in 2013 and 2017 and did pretty good in both. I was disappointed that they haven't made the last two additions but I was hopeful they'd have momentum going forward. I don't buy the reasons given for shrinking the World Cup. There's no real point to pay attention if my team has just about no shot at even qualifying.
We love to see many different countries' participate in the rugby league world cup. ❤❤😢😊.
It's money. It's always money.
Absolutely. Look at Jamaica even as an example in the 2022 World Cup. Sure, they lost by big margins every game, but scoring that try against New Zealand was a super special moment for them and was actually the headline over the NZ big win. You still have your close games if you really want them when the finals roll around. To be honest, if they actually increased the number of teams competing, you’d also have more close games by putting some of the teams that aren’t as strong against each other, rather than against Australia and what not. Its so stupid lowering the teams and the tournament won’t be nearly as fun as 2022 🤦♂️
Agreed. The Jamaica Reggae Warriors will live long in the memory. Everyone knew they’d get pumped but it was fun, it was worth celebrating. This decision is completely out of touch with that
💯%!!! Most of these people who whinge about these blow-out scores seem to think that the world 🌎 revolves around Sydney and act like they've never left the place! Always moaning about everything but refusing to come with a solution!
They did the same in cricket 10-15 years ago
I’m sympathetic to the point you’re making. Personally I’d have loved to of seen all those spots for nations to compete remain as well. But I think it is important to recognise the actual cost of running these kinds of events. Don’t forget that the last World Cup held in the UK was significantly reliant upon government funding, and still ended up losing a significant amount of money overall. Yes there are many reasons which contributed to this, but the financial risk is a reality for these kinds of events. It’s partly why they’ve split the men’s, women’s and wheelchair games up, to reduce that financial burden on future hosts and thus generate more potential host candidates (the recent candidates for the women’s World Cup is evidence of this). It’s also why they’d have reduced the number of teams for the next tournament. It’s a shame, but it is equally important for the game to operate sustainably from a financial perspective, and to try and present as consistent a standard of league for any event they may be televising to sell it in new markets (i.e. the US), let alone existing markets. The hope is that other tournaments are created for those developing nations in the interim so they can continue to build the game and their overall capacity to participate in future. Good video though, glad to see some passion for the international game 👏
Yep, good points there and all well made. My understanding based on what others have said is that the NRL had the option to pay the difference, but decided not to because they want the RLWC to develop from a point where it's consistently profitable.
My issue with that is that it assumes the federations around the world will continue to grow, and one day reach a level where they can be competitive on the RLWC stage. While not impossible, cutting them out of the RLWC is a big obstacle to that development. Running it at a loss now is a necessary condition to have a full, competitive world cup in future.
@@TheLeaguie That’s true to a certain extent. But the NRL is not the IRL, and they are already contributing a lot. It’s the only profitable league in the world right now which means they’re carrying a lot of the load already, and that capacity has only really emerged post the COVID years (at least to the scale they’re succeeding at now). Remember the NRL was close to collapse because of COVID compared to the AFL because of its lack of cash reserves and assets. They’re still trying to rectify that now. It’s unfortunately a simple business decision, reduce the costs of the tournament by reducing teams, increase the number of more competitive games so that broadcasters are more interested in bidding for telecast rights, and maintain a standard of match up and attendance for brand/image purposes. Empty seats and low viewership doesn’t help grow the game or revenue. This all relies on trickle down economics which isn’t effective as you rightly suggest, but the hope is that as these tournaments succeed, on and off the field, that more money and interest is made available to support the international game. I think patience and sustainability is the key unfortunately. Just think of how longs it’s taken us to get back to 20 teams! And as I said before, there should still be alternative tournaments for those developing nations so they do have a pathway to grow (eg similar to the Pacific Bowl, but for Europe), they just may not be televised initially. Getting a Six Nations like tournament for the UK and European nations in league seems like a worthwhile thing to investigate. Anyway, just food for thought. Hopefully the international tournaments will continue to improve and be a spotlight again, and eventually grow it out to include those other nations again 🤞
It’s the same everywhere the rich teams aren’t losing money but the new teams have no chance .
As you said m8, these minnows of international rugby league would cherish playing against their stars and rubbing shoulders with other league players, sharing the fight to win etc. An absolute travesty. It helps raise the level of the game and a massive learning curve for all new international players, whether Australian, Kiwi or Dutch. Stinks of some form of elitism. Lets all hope that common sense prevails at the next World Cup and more countries have a chance to represent.
As an Irish footy fan ‘used to live in Sydney’, people who are non league fans need an avenue to become fans of the game, maybe these people have never seen Nrl or origin and watching their country be involved internationally makes them a fan.
Whilst I'm unhappy with the number of teams being reduced, I'm more angry about the plan to have the women's and wheelchair tournaments at different times from the men's after 2026. One of the things that I liked about the world Cup was that it was a big festival of the sport showcasing it's many variations. I became a fan of wheelchair rugby league because of it.
I feel that international rugby league has taken a massive step backwards over the last couple of years. I'm half Scottish and half Jamaican and I don't think they have played a game since the World Cup. That and the recent games between England and France being a double header BEFORE a 2nd division game is insane to me. I believe that the NRL provided the majority of the players involved in the last World Cup and I believe that they have had a big say in this decision.
So who runs the international body? I would assume the NRL and super league have vast amounts of influence.
Technically the IRL have their own board - and I have no tangible evidence that says whether they're vastly influenced or not - but the NRL are by far the most powerful Rugby League organization in the world. Make of that what you will.
Reducing the number of teams to 10 is a deliberate step backwards by IRL. Ridiculous.
Just curious what NRL team do you support
I don't think he should say. I love the fact that it's impossible to tell by watching his videos. That's true objectivity.
I believe he supports the North Sydney Bears
@@jordantassone Na, it has to be the South QLD crushers.
International Rugby league fukked up again slowing global growth
We want 16 and a international nines circuit every year
Im a union guy. But this sucks for you guys. From a complete outsider I would have to ask is there any chance that the NRL and the Super Leauge are strong arming international Rugby leauge to keep their comps as the "pinnacle of the sport" looking at the American models and how the NFL which is by far the most insular of the sports makes the most money?
The NRL I'm not sure about, but it wouldn't surprise me at all from a Super League perspective. The fans of traditional teams over there were super standoffish about the Toronto Wolfpack back in the day. They want to maintain what they have instead of striving for more.
I love the passion the English have for their clubs, but that's an area in which I'm very critical of them.
As a Kiwi, I used to have zero interest in watching rugby union but I started getting into it because of the 2019 RWC and the fantastic atmosphere the international game gives with all the nations competing. Now that there's just 10 teams, I've got no interest in this rugby league cup. I'm sure most casuals like me won't give a shit about watching it now either, I have no idea how they can't see this is a terrible move lol.
The NRL and Origin is sold, as the best rugby league competition in the world. Which it probably is. I mean Kalyn Ponga chose Australia just to play for QLD. But I think this means that a lot of the rest of the world just see RL as an Australian game now.
The lack of investment world wide from IRL is the problem, I do believe that if the NRL ran international RL there would be far more competition by now. I’m Scottish and we have 4 clubs in the whole country but lots of kids that would play it, if it was actually offered.
I am more of a union fan, but I just want to see rugby off all forms continue to grow and thrive across multiple countries.
'International' League is and always has been a JOKE.
Most of the 'Greek' players are Australian or English.
What's your point then though? Are you just pointing out that it's not as developed internationally as other sports (which we all know is true anyway), or do you actually have a way of solving that problem?
@@TheLeaguie League has been trying for decades to become an international sport and their only success is letting New Zealand ring-ins build a strong Samoa/Tonga/Fiji teams.
My favourite was when they shitcanned the 2004 'World Cup' because seeing second string nations get smashed by 60 points was bad for the sport. Also, the so-called 'Malta' team was made up of 100% Australians; League didn't even exist as a sport in Malta at the time.
Who runs the International Rugby League Board?
At this point, the IRL idiots just don't really care or want to grow the game.
I pretty much agree with your points, especially when it's more than just one-sided affairs in games at the world cup beyond that.
Makes one wonder if IRL is even helping the emerging nations bodies to grow and promote the game then if that's the case, but still a meathead decision cutting the RLWC teams.
They just need to make 3 divisions 😮
We Want 16!
Personally I think that state of origin should be played over three weeks and have 3 rep rounds at the same same time but the clubs wouldn't have a bar of it
The more the world gets involved the more the skill grows the funner the game is to watch the more who watch more money this is not a shot in the foot someone's losing a leg 😢
As usual our sport shoots itself in the foot.
I used to play football we started a new team up and lost every game but one .
Rugby Union WC had just as many blow outs as the league WC, the difference is Union celebrate Portugal, Chile etc making it to a WC, in league we laugh at anybteam that can't compete with the big 3
The next FIFA World Cup will have 48 teams. Maybe 6 of them have a decent chance of winning it (1 in 8). That’s a smaller proportion than we’d have even with 16 teams (conservatively: Aus, NZ, Eng, Samoa can all win. Making it 1 in 4).
I agree with you completely
The next Union World Cup will have 24 teams. Again there will be blow ours but at least it's moving in the right direction
@@jimfletcher789 I'm not sure about Union to be honest. At least with League, it is growing.
I'm not sure that is true. I found most Rugby fans quite happy at the Minos getting in. I noticed a lot of Union fans writing in to forums and venting their bile.
@@SilentHotdog28 Well a movement from 24 teams from 20 is a movement upwards. League is going from 16 to 10.
if i was in control I would make the opening game in eden park samoa vs tonga.. and maybe in Leeds England... ireland vs england. once people in Europe see the atmosphere in auckland it might have kinda chain effect.. we all know how the British support there teams
Why isn't there Second tier World Cup from 11 to 25!!!
There are hobbyist societies more professionally operated than IRL, any entity which can allow Nigel Wood to elevate to CEO for any amount of time should be looked upon with a degree of cynicism. The game has basically reverted back to the 2000-2008 era of contraction, with the added bonus that the professional game in the Northern Hemisphere is withering away at present.
It’s a disgrace that they dropped the numbers back to 10. This could put people off playing the sport and see the usual nations play in the WC. What should happen is to organise more friendlies between teams of 2nd and 3rd tier nations
Union fan (but League enthusiast) here and I was flabbergasted to see this decision. Obviously you want your sport to grow and taking away teams from world cups is not the way to go. We've seen the blueprint in Union, it works! Why can't we have the same for league??
What are the reasons stated for this? Can the countries themselves not raise the funding, or what?
The countries themselves would struggle. They're amateur competitions with little commercial interest domestically. But they are generally growing. Paying for them to play is an investment into the future, and I genuinely believe it will reap rewards.
AWESOME DUDE
Superleague already ruined the game with money.
Bring back 5m onside, allow the markers to ruck and speed up the play the ball.
Dude, the majorities of teams are full or made by Australians with other nation nationalities. What interantional reach?
That simply isn’t true. In fact, it’s not even close to true. Particularly if we’re talking about the six teams that’ll now be excluded.
A lot of these countries are now going out of their way to not pick aussie players in order to prove how strong their domestic players are
NRL doesn't see it as a positive ,so it will never have support from it,
Origin is what keeps Internationals down. In order for Origin to giveway to Internationals, NSW has to have long periods of dominance to the point where QLDers lose interest and passion, then Origin dwindles in popularity, then IR replaces it as the pinacle
It does seem counterintuitive to have a state game held in such higher esteem than international games.
But then again, did someone say NSW dominance? Sign me up 😍
I understand them trying to make it more competitive, but surely the knockout’s would be competitive anyway? I’m from England so I can’t really understand too much, but surely if you’re a die hard league fan from somewhere like the Netherlands, just seeing your team at a WC, even if they get battered 60-0 for three games, is worth it?
It’s 100% worth it. The achievement is getting there. Any success once you get there is a bonus.
And you’re right - we’ll still get the high quality games between Aus, Eng, NZ, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji etc with or without the other 6. I truly don’t get it
@@TheLeaguie I think if we want to grow the domestic competition in other countries (which they claim they want to do) we must allow 16 teams to qualify for the WC. That’s why I thought that downgrading teams like Scotland and Italy for being almost fully heritage nations was a good idea, because it should encourage growth domestically, but then they pull something like this which completely undoes all of that.
Money is the problem
It looks like the 2026 RLWC will be France, England, and 8 Australian or South Pacific teams. 10 teams isn't bad because most people watching their team are in that region.
Could this be Australia moaning off with the gibberish quality over quality piffle. Maybe there should be nine teams and England could refuse to play on principle.
Volunteers is they way just about all clubs,countries started playing.
Damn saddest decision made. You can't develop OUR GAME GLOBALLY if the IRL deny countries the opportunity.
I have relatives who can opt to play for 2 nations in the RLWC. That's not only developing their experience INTERNATIONALLY and CULTURALLY, but GLOBALLY.
That is a stupid decision. I watch union more, but the last League WC was interesting as countries like Lebanon and Greece were involved and did pretty well with their Australians.
In time, it may have grown the sport in places like that if it was shown in Greece or wherever. This reduction has killed that. You might as well go all the way and give Australia a bye to the final as well.
The discussion should be more about how to build the countries up first. 6 amateur clubs in the Netherlands is not many and surely you would need more than that to build great players at an international level. The idea of having aussies all representing other countries is a bit of a joke to be fair however the island nations sure bring the fun to the league world cup.
Then the question becomes how you build up those domestic competitions. My argument here is that exposure to the expertise and resources the RLWC features can help those nations grow. Having qualifying for the RLWC be a realistic goal is also motivating for those countries.
Either way, this decision works contrary to those interests