Australia has been announced as the hosts for the 2017 Festival of Rugby League World Cups.
The event, which features four sub-tournaments, will take place in the lead up to the main Men’s & Women’s World Cups which will be hosted between Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
The event is set to run between July 7 to 16 with the host city to be announced in early 2016.
The Universities, Defence Force, Police Force and Wheelchair Rugby League’s will each hold their respective World Cups as part of the overall Festival.
The Universities tournament will represent the ninth World Cup event held for Tertiary Students. Started in 1986, the Universities Rugby League World Cup has involved University students from over 19 nations over the years.
The Defence Force, Police Force and Wheelchair tournaments will each be the third iteration of their respective World Cups.
Winners for each of the respective previous World Cups are listed below:
Universities World Cup:
1986: Winners: New Zealand – Runners Up: Australia
1989: Winners: Australia – Runners Up: England
1992: Winners: Australia – Runners Up: Tonga
1996: Winners: Australia – Runners Up: Samoa
1999: Winners: New Zealand – Runners Up: England
2005: Winners: New Zealand – Runners Up: Australia
2008: Winners: Australia – Runners Up: England
2013: Winners: Australia – Runners Up: England
Police Force World Cup:
2008: Winners: Fiji – Runners Up: New Zealand
2013: Winners: Australia – Runners Up: Fiji
Armed Forces World Cup:
2008: Winners: Great Britain – Runners Up: Australia
2013: Winners: Australia – Runners Up: New Zealand
Wheelchair World Cup:
2008: Winners: England – Runners Up: Australia
2013: Winners: France – Runners Up: England
