USA & Pacific Islands to host 2030 Rugby League World Cup

The 2030 edition of the Rugby League World Cup will be held in the USA and the Pacific Islands. The five host cities are yet to be confirmed, but the men's and women's tournaments will run concurrently, as they are with this year's ongoing tournament which is being held in Australia. World governing body International Rugby League (IRL) said the aim was to expand the sport's reach to new countries."This is a strategy to maximise the interest of broadcasters, government partners and fans in the current World Cup, which has regularly broken records for crowds and the number of television viewers," IRL chairman Tony Grant said at the board's annual general meeting (AGM) in Sydney. "At the same time we want to take advantage of opportunities that are opening up in new frontiers where the Rugby League World Cup hasn't previously been played."Grant also confirmed that the men's World Cup would expand from 10 teams to 12, while the women's event would consist of 10 instead of eight.The format of the tournament is yet to be decided after nations were asked for their feedback at the AGM, while the IRL has also proposed that Samoa and Tonga be promoted to Tier One nations alongside Australia, England and New Zealand.Samoa became the first Pacific country to play in a World Cup final in 2022, while they and Tonga both reached the semi-finals of this year's tournament. The 2030 Wheelchair World Cup will take place at the same time, but will be held in France, while the 2034 tournament will be hosted in Europe. Both men's and women's finals of the 2026 tournament are being contested between Australia and New Zealand, in Brisbane on Sunday 15 November. Australia's men have won the past three World Cups while their women are playing in their fifth successive final.